Dental Disease & Proper Dental Care
Dental Disease - Why should I care about my pet's teeth? Dental disease is more than just bad breath. A diseased mouth actually has been proven to lead to disease elsewhere in the body. All foods have the ability to lead to tartar formation on the teeth. Tartar and calculus start at the gum line and as the process worsens the calculus progresses along the crown of the tooth and under the gum line and eventually down to the bone that encloses the tooth roots. This hard, brown, material is actually made up of a mixture of bacteria and minerals, which cannot be just brushed away. This process causes halitosis (bad breath), gingivitis (infection and inflammation of the gums), and periodontal disease (bone infection around the tooth roots). Bacteria from the gingivitis and the periodontal disease easily gain entrance into the associated small blood vessels. This showering of bacteria can directly affect the internal organs of the body. Heart valve disease and progressive degeneration of the kidneys have been shown to be associated with chronic dental disease. Therefore, keeping the mouth healthy is not just a solution for bad breath, but it is one of the best things that we can do to keep the rest of the body healthy.
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