The practice of veterinary dentistry has become more sophisticated as our understanding of the importance of oral health has improved.

Dental disease is very common in pets and if left untreated is frequently a cause of pain and infection.

Nakusp Veterinary Clinic has invested heavily in equipment and training which allows us to provide safe high quality care to your pet’s mouth.  We also routinely consult electronically with veterinary dental specialists about cases and can refer your pet to a specialist for treatment as well.

Research has shown that treating dental disease can add 2 years to your pet’s health span.

We offer a comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment (COHAT) for all our dental procedures.

Pediatric care

which includes dealing with extracting retained baby teeth, and selective extractions of permanent teeth when there is no room for them.

Preventive dental care

This usually includes a full dental exam including probing and x-rays under anesthesia followed by cleaning and polishing. We also provide advice on home topics such as tooth brushing and dental diets.

Extractions

Although we prefer to preserve teeth, once they reach an irreversible stage of disease, they need to be extracted. Reasons for extraction include periodontal disease (the tissues supporting the tooth are damaged by infection), tooth fractures, tooth abscesses  and resorptive lesions (especially common in cats).  Our philosophy is that your pet deserves a mouth free of pain and infection.  Extracting teeth is a complex operation involving freezing with local anesthesia, creating a gingival flap, using our high speed drill to remove bone and section the tooth (if multi-rooted) and finally suturing the flap closed.

We enjoy the challenge of veterinary dentistry. It is especially rewarding to prevent or treat painful conditions.

If your pet has foul breath and/or abscess, we require your pet to have antibiotic 2-5 days prior to the treatment for the local anesthetic block to be effective.