Professional Dog Dentists & Dog Teeth Cleaning

Benefit from top class veterinary equipment and dog dental care at Knutsford Veterinary Surgery

Knutsford Vets’ Professional Dog Dental Care

Our dog dental care service is designed to treat and maintain the hygiene of your dog’s teeth as well as identifying any dental issues that they may have developed. Our expert team covers a wide range of dentistry problems ranging from tooth fractures to root absences, therefore, you can feel confident that your furry friends are in safe hands.

Benefits of Our Professional Dog Dental Service

Unlike humans, dogs don’t have the ability to maintain their own dental hygiene, which is why veterinary dog dental care is so important. We have a range of specialist equipment and the experience to diagnose and treat dental illnesses, meaning we can prevent them from developing into a more serious condition. Our dog dentists provide an array of benefits that support your dog’s dental health moving forward.

Dental Procedures

Dental health issues are among the most common problems in dogs. Our passion for dentistry stems from the significant improvements we can make to your pet’s health and comfort in a relatively short time. Ignored, dental disease only worsens, leading to increased pain and discomfort for your pet.

Periodontal disease isn’t just a dental problem; it’s linked to serious conditions like kidney, liver, lung, and heart disease, as well as diabetes and arthritis. Just as advances in human dentistry have extended our lives, the same principles apply to dogs.

Our Modern Two Stage Approach

In our commitment to providing the best care, we’ve adopted a modern, two-stage approach to pet dentistry, mirroring best practices in human dentistry. Not every pet will require a second stage, but just like with humans, it’s better to have regular annual dental care than to wait for a problem to arise.

The main advantage of a two-stage approach is improved safety during anaesthesia. Shorter procedures are significantly safer than prolonged ones, as research shows that anaesthesia lasting over two hours carries higher risks and longer recovery times for pets.

Separating tooth extractions into a second stage reduces the bacterial challenge to your pet, lowering the risk of infection and decreasing the need for antibiotics. This staged approach also allows us to clearly explain the necessity of extractions, showing you x-rays from the first procedure and providing a precise cost estimate for the second stage, eliminating surprises.

Why are Dental X-Rays Essential?

A significant portion—60%—of dental disease occurs below the gum line, making dental x-rays an indispensable tool. They enable us to detect and treat painful issues such as fractures, abscesses, broken or missing roots, and tumors.

While dental x-rays have long been a staple in human dentistry, they are relatively new in veterinary medicine. Many practices may not include x-rays as part of a standard dental procedure, but at Knutsford Veterinary Surgery, we do this as part of our commitment to comprehensive care.

Stage One

Stage Two

Day hospitalisation of your pet.
Admission appointment to discuss the procedure and any concerns you have.
Anaesthetic medications and pain relief.
General anaesthetic with continuous monitoring by a Registered Veterinary Nurse with specialist monitoring equipment to maximise safety.
Dental charting and probing of the teeth and gumlines.
Full mouth dental x-rays.
Descale and polish to remove any build ups of tartar or staining.
Extraction of obviously wobbly teeth (charges apply).
Monitored anaesthetic recovery.
A collection appointment to go through any home care that is needed.
A recovery check three days after the anaesthetic to make sure your pet is back to their normal self.

This is generally carried out 2 weeks after the stage one procedure
Not all stage one procedures will require a stage two.
Day hospitalisation of your pet.
Admission appointment to discuss the procedure and any concerns you have.
Anaesthetic medications and pain relief.
General anaesthetic with continuous monitoring by a Registered Veterinary Nurse with specialist monitoring equipment to maximise safety.
Surgical extraction of diseased and painful teeth.
Stitching of the gums to ensure rapid healing.
Pain relief to go home with.
Collection appointment with discussion of home care required.
Recovery checks at 3 and 10 days after surgery to make sure your pet has recovered well.

Does Two-Stage Dental Cost More?

We’ve carefully structured our pricing to ensure that a two-stage approach doesn’t cost more. By planning for any necessary extractions, we provide a clear, upfront estimate for the second stage, ensuring there are no surprises.

// Book Now //

Book an appointment at Knutsford Vets Surgery to give your pet a dental check-up or to help identify any potential dental illness.

What our vets say

“Our pet’s dental health can play a big role in helping them maintain a good quality of life. That’s why it’s so important you adopt a good tooth brushing routine and book regular check-ups.”

Dr Paul Adams, Clinical Director

Why Is Dog Dental Care So Important?

Every time your dog consumes food or debris it mixes with saliva to form a layer of plaque on their teeth which is something that humans brush away twice a day. Due to dogs not having the ability to brush their own teeth, plaque can form a layer of hard tartar on their teeth.

The presence of tatar, alongside bacteria that gets trapped along the gum line can cause inflammation of the gum (gingivitis) and breath (halitosis).

With time this can cause loss of the supporting soft tissue support of teeth causing wobbly, infected and painful teeth. Infections can cause abscesses and can also have effects on other body systems such as the heart and kidneys. This is why professional dental cleaning that includes above and below the gum line under general anaesthetic is essential for the health and wellbeing of your pet.

Preventative Dog Dental Care & Dog Teeth Cleaning

At Knutsford Vets, we are huge advocates of preventative dental care and dog teeth cleaning. Where over 90% of dogs will require some form of dentistry before they are 5 years old, isn’t it better we look to mirror the progress achieved inhuman dentistry?

That’s why at Knutsford Veterinary Surgery Gold Plan members receive a 20% discount on dog dental cleaning procedures (including scale and polish treatments) as standard. All this means that you can keep your dog’s teeth looking pearly white.

Do you need help to learn how to brush your dog’s teeth? Our nursing team is on hand to help teach you how. Dog teeth cleaning is still regarded as the Gold Standard in dental hygiene in which a mechanical and enzymatic dog dental cleaning approach can be achieved. It has the added advantage that it is also the cheapest option.

It’s not just young dogs that can be taught to accept brushing, but we can also help older dogs too. For a quick guide on how to brush a dog’s teeth, watch our video below.

State of the Dog Art Dental X-Rays

We invest in the best equipment available here at Knutsford Vets and have a state of the art dental x-ray system to detect dental problems both above and below the gum-line.

Our dog dental x-ray system is the same as those used by leading human dentists. The level of detail is much higher than a standard x-ray plate that may be utilised for taking an x-ray of a leg, for example. The small size and high resolution allow intra-oral x-rays to be taken to diagnose disease within the mouth and monitor any progression.

So what sort of issues are picked up on our dog dental x-rays?

Tooth Fractures

These are often traumatic as a result of dogs chewing stones or other hard objects. Fractures leave the pulp exposed and risk a tooth root abscess forming. Caught early, these teeth can be treated to maintain a healthy tooth but the window for appropriate dog dental treatment is very small. Fast treatment using the best equipment is essential.

Horizontal bone loss

This follows periodontitis (inflammation of the supporting structures of the tooth) where toxins are released from bacteria and cause inflammation. Plaque causes the body to resorb the bone in the jaw surrounding a tooth, weakening the structure and causing it to become loose and painful. Affected teeth need to be taken out.

Tooth Root Abscesses

Most commonly caused by pulp exposure secondary to tooth fracture or worn teeth following chewing of tennis balls or stones. The tooth pulp becomes inflamed and infected causing an abscess at the root; a very painful condition requiring extraction. Please note that tooth root abscesses need dental x-ray to be diagnosed.

Cancer

Oral cancers are one of the most common types of cancers diagnosed in dogs. Tumours can be malignant or benign, locally invasive or metastatic (prone to spreading elsewhere in the body).

Retained Baby Teeth

Puppies have 28 baby (deciduous) teeth by around 6 months of age. These then get replaced in an adult dog by up to 42 permanent teeth. As adult teeth erupt (grow) the overlying deciduous tooth should fall out however this does not always happen. When these baby teeth do not fall out, they are said to be retained. Food and debris can then become impacted between adult and baby teeth threatening the health of both teeth. Retained teeth should be identified, x-rayed and then carefully removed.

Malocclusions

Sometimes puppies or adults have the correct number of teeth however these teeth may be in slightly the wrong position or grow at an incorrect angle. These teeth can then cause a malocclusion by clashing with other teeth in the mouth or other soft tissues such as the gum or hard palate. This can be painful. There are different techniques we can employ to help.

Jaw Fractures

Most often as a result of trauma but can result secondary to damage to the bone following a tooth root abscess, oral cancer or following extraction of a tooth. Identifying the location and extent of a fracture helps to identify the best way to fix it.

Other Services

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Our knowledgable team are always happy to answer your queries, no matter how great or small!

Contact Us Now

Our knowledgable team are always happy to answer your queries, no matter how great or small!

Professional Dog Dentists & Dog Teeth Cleaning

Knutsford Vets’ Professional Dog Dental Care

Benefits of Our Professional Dog Dental Service

Dental Procedures

Our Modern Two Stage Approach

Why are Dental X-Rays Essential?

Stage One

Stage Two

Does Two-Stage Dental Cost More?

X-Ray Equipment

Knowledge & Experience

Dental Procedures

Nurse Appointments

Effective Treatment

Onward Referral Process

// Book Now //

Book an appointment at Knutsford Vets Surgery to give your pet a dental check-up or to help identify any potential dental illness.

What our vets say

Why Is Dog Dental Care So Important?

Preventative Dog Dental Care & Dog Teeth Cleaning

State of the Dog Art Dental X-Rays

Tooth Fractures

Horizontal bone loss

Tooth Root Abscesses

Cancer

Retained Baby Teeth

Malocclusions

Jaw Fractures

Other Services

Contact Us Now

Contact Us Now

Questions? Call Us 01565 337999

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