Dog True Stories

Help stop pet dental pain
The Importance of Anesthesia
and Teeth Cleanings
- Putting off a dental treatment because of dental anesthesia fear guarantees that your pet will continue to suffer silently with dental pain and infection.
- Thanks to ongoing advancements in medicine, surgery, and technology, dental anesthesia has never been safer.
- Panda had only “Anesthesia-free Dental Cleanings” where someone used a hand scaler to scrape tartar off the outer sides of some teeth.
- The inner surfaces of her teeth by her tongue and the roof of her mouth were not scaled (scraped).
- Her teeth were not polished.
- No dental X-rays were taken.
- She became increasingly mouth-shy, meaning she didn’t want anyone to touch her mouth.
- At 4 years old, her concerned owner brought her to a veterinarian for a dental cleaning and X-rays done under anesthesia.
Pet Dental X-rays
This infected 3-rooted tooth is very painful!
No one would ever know how much pain Panda was in without taking pet dental X-rays.
Pet Dental X-rays
The white dashed line shows the root tip.
The solid red line shows the abscess.
No one would ever know how much pain Panda was in without taking pet dental X-rays.
Panda's Bad Tooth

Panda's True Story
Pre Procedure
- The abscessed molar was extracted.
- The socket grafted to help it fill in with healthy bone, and the gum closed with dissolving sutures.
Panda's Dental Care

Panda's True Story
Post Procedure
- At Panda’s two week recheck and ToothBrush Training appointment, her gum was nicely healed.
- Her owner was amazed that she was willing to have her teeth brushed!
- In about 1 year she will be ready for her next dental cleaning with X-rays to make sure she doesn’t suffer with infection hidden under the gums.

Help Stop Pet Dental Pain
Key Points
- Anesthesia-free Dental Cleanings DO NOT CLEAN all surfaces of every tooth.
- Anesthesia-free Dental Cleanings DO NOT POLISH the teeth.
- The American Veterinary Dental College and the American Animal Hospital Association advise against “Anesthesia-free Dental Cleanings.
- The American Veterinary Dental College and the American Animal Hospital Association state that anesthesia is needed to provide the professional dental care your pet needs for dental health.



Happy After Dental Care!
Help Stop Pet Dental Pain
Broken Teeth
- Aldrich, an eight-year-old Retriever, suffered for years from a broken upper back big tooth.
- This is a photo taken after his dental treatment.
- What a difference! Aldrich is a happy dog.
Before He Got Dental Care

Help Stop Pet Dental Pain
Quietly Suffering For Years
- Before his broken tooth was treated by extraction, the side of his face under his right eye was swollen because of the abscessed tooth.
- In this photo taken while Aldrich was under anesthesia, the red arrow shows the swelling under his eye caused by the abscessed tooth.
Aldrich's Broken Tooth
Arrow shows the opening that leads to the nerve (pulp).
Aldrich's Broken Tooth
The red line shows the missing part of the tooth..
HARD CHEW TOYS BROKE HIS TOOTH.

Aldrich's X-rays
This is a dental x-ray of the broken upper tooth, P4.
A person would be in great pain with this toothache.
The owners said that Aldrich seemed tired because he was sleeping a lot and stopping to rest on walks.

Aldrich's X-rays
In the dental X-ray of P4, the solid red line shows the abscess and the dotted white line shows the 3 roots (2 are resorbing).
After P4 was extracted, the owners reported that he had lots of energy on walks and was even running around and playing with the other dogs!

Help Stop Pet Dental Pain
Key Points
- HARD CHEW TOYS break teeth!
- Even with a terrible TOOTHACHE, dogs may not show any signs of dental pain.
- The difference is seen when the PAIN is gone!

Help stop pet dental pain
Rosie's Story
- Rosie is 18 years old, going on 19 very soon.
- She is a Pekingese/Shih Tzu mix.
- Rosie lives with Donna and her husband.
The Signs That We Can Look For
Bad Breath and Changes in Mood
Three years ago, Donna noticed that Rosie had bad breath and seemed unhappy. She began a bizarre behavior of biting at the air.
Two years ago, Donna had Rosie’s teeth cleaned, but the bad breath persisted. Recently, Rosie started to hold her mouth in an abnormal position and she began dropping food from her mouth when eating.
Rosie’s veterinarian took an X-ray and found that Rosie had a fractured mandible (lower jaw). Donna was referred to Dr. Hoffman for treatment.
Dental X-rays revealed that Rosie’s fracture was due to advanced bone loss as a result of untreated periodontal disease. Most of Rosie’s remaining teeth also has abscesses and severe bone loss. The fracture was a non-union type: it was not new, and it was not healing.
The only treatment option for Rosie was for Dr. Hoffman to remove a portion of her mandible and extract all the teeth with abscesses and severe bone loss. Rosie’s surgery took three hours.

Fractured right mandible
Rosie first suffered from a fractured right mandible, which is very painful.

Advanced periodontal disease
So much bone is lost that the jaw is weakened and the teeth are not supported.
After The Dental Pain Is Gone
She Is Wagging Her Tail Again!
One week later, Rosie has gained weight and has an excellent appetite. She no longer bites at the air. She is wagging her tail again for the first time in years.
She wants to go for walks on a leash. Before her surgery, she did not want to go outside at all. Rosie likes to eat her prescription food, deli roast beef, liverwurst, baby food and chicken breast.
Donna says, “Rosie is a different dog. She is happy now.” Donna would like pet owners to know that the only way to determine the cause of oral pain and odor is by taking dental X-rays.
Cleaning teeth does not address dental pain or disease. A pet’s teeth can be cleaned every year, BUT IF X-RAYS ARE NOT TAKEN, any painful disease affecting the roots of the teeth will not be treated and can lead to years of pain and, in some small dogs, jaw fractures.

Help Stop Pet Dental Pain
Key Points
- Dental X-rays are vital to your dog's dental health.
- Dental cleanings, without dental X-rays, miss problems under the gums.
- Even elderly dogs show us they feel much better after the pain and infection are gone.
Help Stop Dog Dental Pain
You Can Make A Difference!

We Need Help!
Sadly most pet owners still don’t even know that their dogs need dental care or that they are suffering from constant pain. Help us spread the word about the importance of pet dental care. Help stop pet dental pain!