What signs will you see if your pet has dental disease?

Pain from dental disease can present in different ways in our pets. And often, they will show no pain until is severe. But, what might you see if your pet has dental disease? And how can treatment affect your pet's quality of life? Here are a couple of case examples presented in DVM InFocus in March, 2009. (dvm360.com)


CASE 1: Boots, a 16-year-old male domestic shorthair cat with reduced appetite for approximately three weeks, is gradually losing weight. Boots acts interested in food. He eats small amounts and runs from the food dish. He frequently drops food and paws at his face. The client is worried about Boots' poor quality of life and has considered euthanasia.                            

After diagnostic testing, including an oral exam, bloodwork, ECG and blood pressure, and dental x-rays, Boots, was diagnosed with tooth resorption. Tooth resorption occurs when the body re-absorbs teeth, and it can be very painful when the inside of the tooth is exposed. The only treatment for this condition is extraction of the affected teeth, which is what Boots' doctor decided to do. Following his procedure, Boots recovered and returned to normal eating within 24 hours.

CASE 2: Tiny, an 11-year-old female Great Pyrenees, visited her veterinarian with swelling on the right side of her jaw and severe pain. Tiny seemed particularly painful when attempting to chew food. She would chew primarily on the left side, and food would fall out of the mouth on the right side. 

Diagnostic testing included bloodwork, an oral exam, and dental radiographs and found a severe periodontal defect, with severe dental disease around a nonvital tooth. Based on this diagnosis, Tiny's doctor opted to extract the affected tooth to alleviate her pain and stop any further destruction of the surrounding structures in her mouth. Following her procedure Tiny experienced an immediate improvement in eating and return to playful activity.


These cases are examples of how dental treatment can provide immediate relief and improve quality of life for pets. In these cases, their symptoms were more obvious, but remember, most pets over the age of 3 years have some form of dental disease, and many times they will not show any sort of pain. If you have any questions about your pet's dental health, give us a call!


The cases presented here are provided by Dr. Kressin, who operates the Animal Dental Center in Oshkosh, Wis. and is a diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College, in the article Veterinary dentistry and oral surgery for geriatric patients, DVM InFocus, March 2009.