The American Veterinary Medical Asso. highlights the importance of a pet’s dental health, as any occurrence of an oral problem will lead to other health issues. That being the case, the AVMA recommends having a veterinarian knowledgeable in animal dentistry, check your dog or cat’s teeth at least once a year to see if there are any early signs of dental problem to avoid the occurrence of infection.
Who Should Perform Oral Health Care on Animals?
Veterinary dentistry deals with various aspects of animal oral care, from cleaning, filing, adjusting, extracting, or repairing animal teeth. Such procedures should be done by a board-certified veterinary dentist or a veterinarian. In some areas, depending on the state or provincial regulation, veterinary technicians can also perform particular dental procedures; but with the condition that they perform work while under the supervision of a state-licensed veterinarian.
Are Dental Implant Replacements Available to Cats and Dogs?
There is no such thing as dental implant replacement for dogs and cats, as some pet lovers have asked veterinary dentists after their dog or cat underwent tooth extraction or repair.
Unlike humans, animals have contrasting facial and dental anatomy. Besides the teeth of dogs and cats do not extrude nor shift, once a tooth has been extracted. Mainly because there are differences in the sizes and root shapes of animal teeth. Another reason is that it has something to do with the occlusal forces applied by the teeth whenever dogs and cats eat.
Dogs and cats are not like humans who possess teeth that bump each other, which largely help a person to chew and grind the food he eats. Animal teeth are actually developed as a mechanism that could kill, rip, grab, and swallow a prey as food. As far as domesticated dogs or cats are concerned, having fewer or no teeth at all is not as serious, as they do not have to hunt or compete with other animals to obtain food.
Dogs and cats use their teeth very differently from humans which makes dental implant replacements useless. Some pets that still have their complete sets of teeth still swallow their food whole. The main reason for this is because of their natural wild instinct of needing to quickly consume their food by swallowing large amounts before another animal snatches it or before larger predator arrives.
Even if cats or dogs lose their teeth, the loss does not change animal facial features the way it does in humans Still, small breeds of animals like yorkies, chihuahuas, and dachshunds are exceptions. When these small breeds lose their lower canine teeth it could cause changes in the animal’s tongue-lolling movement,which could affect the way they pick up food.
Even in Australia, dental implants have not shown any signs that they would improve dog and cat patients’ quality of life. The Australian Veterinary Dental Society, like the American Veterinary Medical Association has also made it their mission to provide the best oral and dental care for domesticated animals. That is why It’s not ethically reasonable for an animal to undergo the stressful conditions related to surgical implants when they need to chew or bite hard on something.