Laura Stebbins
It's estimated that 85 percent of dogs and cats over the age of three have some form of dental disease...Which can lead to tooth loss, severe pain and even affect your pet's overall health. That's why vets say dental exams are so important. 7's Dylan Dreyer has more in "Protecting your Pet."
Nine-year-old Wizard grew up as a racing dog. Not only did it take a toll on the greyhound's body, it did a lot of damage to his teeth.
Cynthia Swindells, pet owner
"He had poor nutrition as a greyhound racing dog and he's had bad teeth since I got him."
Now Wizard's owner is trying to fix the damage. She's taking him for a full dental evaluation. First up? A cleaning.
Dr. Charles Schor, DVM, Acoaxet Veterinary Clinic
"Under anesthesia we're going to ultrasonically scale and polish the teeth, probe under the gum line, just like the dentist does with us, looking for pockets or abnormalities."
Next, it's x-rays. Dr. Charles Schor says having your pet's teeth x-rayed is crucial to their dental health.
Dr. Charles Schor, DVM, Acoaxet Veterinary Clinic
"Fifty percent of the tooth is below the gum line, so you can't evaluate what's really a happening with the teeth unless you do x-rays to find out what's below the gum line."
And today's technology makes it easy. Digital x-rays process instantly and show up on a computer screen.
Dr. Charles Schor, DVM, Acoaxet Veterinary Clinic
"The benefit for the pet is there is less anesthetic time, because if we were doing plain films we'd have to take the plain film develop and wait for it to develop so there's a lot more time anesthetically."
Wizard's x-rays reveal he has a painful problem.
Dr. Charles Schor, DVM, Acoaxet Veterinary Clinic
"These teeth have greater than 50 percent bone loss. So those teeth unfortunately we'll have to extract."
But his owner says she's just glad to be able to help him heal.
Cynthia Swindells, pet owner
"I feel strongly that it does help promote a longer life so I will do just about anything to have him around with me forever."
(Copyright (c) 2008 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
