The tartar is so thick and crusted and caked onto the tooth surfaces that it looks like one big continuous shiny brown glop of muddy cement dentures.
The Dirty Nine
This Shepherd’s Sewer Mouth Made Professional Nurses Faint!
Abigail’s mouth smelled like a toilet from across the examination room. The 10-year-old German Shepherd Dog looked normal. She acted normal. She even walked normally. But, if she licked your hand in greeting, you could not get that smell off your hand for 48 hours, no matter how many times you washed!
Abigail suffered horrible, horrible dental disease. This dog had one of the top ten worst mouths Doc Truli and the nurses had ever seen. Luckily, Abigail’s mom suspected there was a problem and came ready for dental surgery.
“I know her mouth is bad…” said mom.
(That’s worlds better than the usual shocked response Doc gets from pet parents, “How can it be that bad, he’s eating just fine.”)
Veterinary Technician Student Blown Away by Tartar
Doc Truli hosts clinical technician students from the local veterinary technician college. “Wow! My teacher would love to have those teeth so we can use them in class!” said the Thursday student.
“For what?” asked Doc.
“Our teacher mounts the teeth in a fake plastic dog jaw and we clean the teeth in the dental lab for practice,” said the student.
Periodontal Disease refers to problems with the bone, gums, tough little fantastic periodontal ligaments inside the sulcus (tooth socket), basically everything around the tooth itself.
Doc Truli fills us in,”A careful exam of each tooth and 6 points of the gingiva around each tooth, and dental radiographs (x-rays) reveal hidden periodontal disease. There is no other way to find out what is wrong with your pet’s teeth. This examination requires general anesthesia, every time, every pet.”
