Dental Care for Pet Animal

Dental Care for Pet Animal
by Dinda Mahardika, DRH

Dentine is a part of digesti system for digest some food before going to digestive system in pet’s body. Dentine in cat and dog are have some part, such as caninus, incicivus, premolar and molar. Those part of dentine have differential function for digest some food. The function of caninus that is tearing some food, the incicivus is incisors and serve to cut the food while the premolar and molar chew and grind the food. Dental disease in pets usually caused tartar or plaque that caused affecting discoloration of the teeth. Plaque  or tartar and bacteria start to accumulate on the teeth of pet animal, sticking to the membrane coating which covers each tooth and creating what’s called a ‘biofilm’. Tartar is generally yellow to dark yellow, brown to black even if the case is severe.

The thickness of tartar can be categorized as very thick when it passed through the gums and can be said to be thin if it does not pass through the gums. The thickness tartar will be push the gums, and then causing injury to the gums. Dentine’s structure of premolar and molar are frequently exposed part of tartar. Effectiveness pH of the mouth is  very essential if left unchecked, it will cause problems for our dental pet. The existence of tartar on the pet could affect health status of our pet. Tartar which are unfinished will causes unpleasant mouth odor as a result of spoilage bacteria that cause the pet become agitated and can make pets have difficulty in digesting food.

Tartar on the pet can be prevented with our attention to dental hygiene and consumption of feed given. In terms of a preventative regime, it’s best to start when your cat is a kitten, because if he gets used to having you feel his mouth as a youngster, he may be more tolerant once he’s grown up. But whatever the age of your cat, it’s never too late to start! It’s also useful to be in the routine of taking a look inside his mouth regularly to check for problems. If you want to start brushing for the first time, it may be helpful to introduce the toothpaste first for a few days, putting some on the end of your finger and encouraging your cat to lick it off. Lift up the lips carefully, to expose the gums then massage the teeth and gums gently. Ideally you should brush your cat’s teeth daily or a minimum of every other day. You can supplement your toothbrushing with the use of an oral rinse. These contain chlorhexidine, which is a well-known anti-plaque agent and is effective against most of the bacteria found in our pet’s mouth.

When attempting to clean our pet’s teeth always take into consideration our pet’s temperament and do not allow ourself to get bitten. Cleaning tartar can also be done in a routine way to the veterinarian so that control can be overcome with good handling. In terms of diet, it is arguable that soft, wet foods provide no abrasive action against the teeth when chewing and so offer no prevention of plaque formation. Dry foods are more abrasive and encourage chewing and specific ‘dental’ diets have now also been developed to help to keep teeth clean in animals predisposed to dental disease.

Sumber Pustaka :

American Dental Veterinary Association. Keeping your Cat’s Teeth. The Cat Auntumn. 2013. America.

Dodd, RJ. Small Animal Dentistry. Brush Up For Dental Health For Your Pet.  Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. 2013. America.

Utama HI, dkk. Karasteristik Karang Gigi pada Anjing di Denpasar Bali. Fakultas Kedokteran Hewan UDAYANA. 2014. Bali.

Widyatuti KS, dkk. Karasteristik Karang Gigi pada Kucing. Fakultas Kedokteran Hewan UDYANA. 2014. Bali.