What you’ll notice at home
- Bad breath
- A healthy mouth should not clear a room. Persistent bad breath is bacteria — the first and most common sign of periodontal disease.
- Yellow-brown tartar
- Hard buildup along the gumline, worst on the big back teeth. Tartar is mineralized plaque, and brushing will not remove it.
- Red or bleeding gums
- Gingivitis: gums that bleed when your pet chews or you brush are inflamed, and they hurt.
- Changes in eating
- Dropping kibble, chewing on one side, approaching the bowl and backing away — a sore mouth changes how a pet eats.
- Pawing and face-rubbing
- Pawing at the mouth, rubbing the face on furniture, or new irritability when the head is touched.
- Loose or missing teeth
- By the time a tooth is loose, the disease under it is advanced. Cats also resorb teeth — a painful process invisible without an exam.
What a cleaning actually does
- An exam under anesthesia
- The real assessment happens asleep: probing every tooth for pockets, fractures and resorption that an awake pet will not tolerate having checked.
- Scaling above and below the gumline
- Ultrasonic scaling removes tartar where it does the damage — under the gum. That is the part home care cannot reach.
- Dental X-rays
- Roots and bone tell the truth. X-rays show which teeth can be saved and which are quietly abscessing.
- Extractions when needed
- A diseased tooth is a constant source of pain and bacteria. Removing it is often the kindest treatment we offer.
Between cleanings
- Brushing
- Even a few times a week with pet toothpaste slows plaque. Start slow and make it a treat, not a wrestling match.
- Dental diets & chews
- Look for the VOHC seal — products actually tested to reduce plaque or tartar.
Dog teeth cleaning
Cat dental disease
Tartar & gingivitis
Dental X-rays
Oral health
