What Lies Beneath….The Gums
The Blenheim Veterinary Hospital is pleased to announce that their new digital 
dental x-ray unit has been installed at their new location. In the past, dental procedures done on pets didn’t include the use of x-rays. The veterinarian and trained veterinary technicians would ultimately make a visual judgement whether a tooth needed to be removed based on its general appearance, and by measuring and probing the gum line. Teeth with diseased roots could go unnoticed and not be removed as the crown (which is the portion of the tooth that we see above the gum line) could very well look healthy.
Now with the new digital dental x-ray machine we are able to do a full set of x-rays on your pet’s mouth with every dental cleaning that they have. The equipment involves a small fiber optic sensor plate that is placed within the pet’s mouth (anesthetized of course!), the x-ray machine itself, which appears as a tube- like structure mounted on the wall, and our computer program that shows the images on screen within seconds. Our team has completed the training in hospital and has used the equipment successfully on several patients.
You may wonder “What is the benefit to this new technology and why should we care?”. It truly is a way of detecting disease faster. The new unit will allow us to detect early root decay, find infections and even diagnose oral tumours in your pet. This early diagnosis approach will allow us to begin a treatment plan to help your pet become comfortable quickly. This may include removing teeth, other oral surgery and/or medications. If your pet has bad breath, loose teeth or a sore mouth, please call us today for more information about booking a dental cleaning with x-rays!