Cat Dental Care in Southbury

Dental Care Helps Cats Live Longer, Healthier Lives

Just like you need regular visits to the dentist to keep your teeth in good shape, your cat also needs routine dental care.  Gum disease is a common condition that occurs when plaque on the teeth hardens into calculus (tartar) and spreads under the gum line, damaging the tooth and surrounding gum tissue.  Periodontal disease and tooth resorption are common conditions that cause pain and damage to your cat’s teeth.  Dental care is an essential part of wellness and preventive medicine, and it can extend your pet’s life and relieve pain.  Gum disease can be easily prevented with periodic wellness exams and dental cleanings, and will save your beloved companion considerable discomfort.  A thorough oral exam at our hospital in the Oxford/Southbury area is the best way to identify these problems so they can be addressed.

Combined with our advanced equipment and dental X-ray capabilities, we take great strides to preserve our patients’ oral health and keep them free of pain.

Feline Dental Care Services

We offer a complete spectrum of dental services for our cat patients to keep their mouths clean and healthy.  These include:

  • Oral exams
  • Dental X-rays
  • Dental cleanings
  • Tooth extractions (if needed)
  • Application of a protective sealant to slow tartar buildup
  • Administration of antibiotics and pain relief medication

What to Expect for Your Cat’s Dental Procedure

For your pet’s safety, we’ll perform a thorough physical exam and blood work to check for underlying problems before putting them under anesthesia.  We’ll also place an IV catheter in case we need to quickly administer medications into the bloodstream, and to give fluids throughout the procedure to maintain hydration levels and optimal blood pressure.

Cat Dental Care in Southbury

A certified technician will be standing by at all times to monitor pulse, respiration, temperature, blood pressure EKG, and pulse oximetry.  A second technician will perform the dental cleaning using an ultrasonic scaler.  After a thorough cleaning, we take X-rays of the entire mouth, which allows us to see disease below the gum line that we may not be able to see with an oral exam alone, and gives us a better look at the condition of the teeth and jawbone.  At this point, Dr. Ball will consult the X-rays and perform a highly magnified oral exam to detect painful disease and see if there is a need for extractions.

Should extractions be necessary, a nerve block will be performed to minimize pain, which allows for lower, safer levels of anesthesia.  To extract the teeth, it is necessary for some bone to be removed to ensure that the entire tooth root has been taken out.  Dr. Ball will smooth over the bone and suture the gums at the extraction site with dissolvable sutures.  One of our technicians will complete the dental procedure by applying a sealant to the teeth to prevent future tartar accumulation.

We’ll Work Together to Maintain Your Cat’s Oral Health

Yearly wellness exams are necessary for checking in on your cat and assessing the condition of their mouth.  We’ll tell you everything you need to know about what’s going on and what they’ll need in the future.  If you notice any signs of gum disease in your cat such as excessive drooling, swollen gums, or difficulty eating/chewing, call us immediately at (203) 264-2287 to make an appointment.