11 - Preventative Care Flashcards
Why do we educate clients on home care?
Client education is important to eval their willingness to preform homecare and patient’s acceptance
Should begin b4 the prophylaxis as client compliance regarding home care affects the decision to save a tooth or extract it
At discharge post-procedure, what are things we can do for pain management?
top up just before discharge, send home appropriate pain control, pills may be more difficult for clients do to sore mouth - so consider liquid analgesics
may require more than one kind of analgesis - O t call if they feel their pet is painful on the current protocol
At discharge post-procedure, what are things we can do for antibiotics?
Not necessary for all dental procedures
liquid medications may be easier for client to administer
also dependant on vet preference
At discharge post-procedure, what are things we can do to advise what clients should watch out for
post-anesthesia - may be more sleepy than normal w/ reduced appetite for up to 24 hrs
bloody oral discharge - consider protecting rugs, furniture
unusual behaviours - pawing at mouth(may need collar), lip smacking, head rubbing/shaking, hiding(cats) attention seeking (dogs)
What might change for diet post-procedure
reduced for 1st 12-24 hours after anasthesia
if inappetence persists, need to re-evaluate the patient
if the pet has had extractions, soft food is usually recommended for 5-14 days depending on procedure (canned food, soaked kibble)
Why should we encourage home care?
maintain oral health, oral problems detected/tx’d earlier, oral hygiene procedures easier, time btw oral hygiene procedures increased, dec oral infections, relieves oral pain, improved mastication, decreased bacteremia, inc bond btw O and pet, in lifespan, quality of life, bond btw client and staff
What are some factors of success that may affect home care?
adequate education in product use, cooperative patient, owner compliance, reasonable goals for the owners, home care products are acceptable to the owner and the pet,
regular follow up and monitoring - differs by clinic
-1-2 days, after prophy (phone call)
-7-10 d after procedure (examt o assess healing, discuss homecare again)
-every 6-12 mo (oral exam
What are some home care products available?
brushing w/without enzymatic toothpaste, dental diets, dental treats, dental rinses, gels, and water additives, chew toys
What are the 2 methods of plaque prevention?
- mechanical is brushing (most effective method) and certain dental diets and treats
- Chemical (vet enzymatic toothpastes, certain dental diets and rates, dental rinses, gels, and water additives)
What is the VOHC Label?
products gone through testing to prove that they significantly reduce tartar or plaque accumulation, or both
without, have not been clinically proven
WHat are some general brushing information
plaque builds within 6-8 hrs after scaling
daily brushing - gold standard
Recommend daily brushing – gold standard
◦ Adult toothbrush – large and medium dogs
◦ Child toothbrush – small dogs
◦ Proxabrush – cats and very small dogs
◦ CET cat toothbrush – cats and very small dogs
◦ Fingerbrush – pets that don’t tolerate a regular toothbrush, not as effective as toothbrushes but better than nothing
◦ Electric toothbrush – may work in some patients
◦ Waterpik or pipe cleaner – for full furcation exposure
Replace the toothbrush regularly; one toothbrush per pet
What would you tell a client on how to brush their pet’s teeth?
Must be demonstrated verbally and visually
Done by using clinic cat, own pet or client’s pet
demonstrate correct technique then have the O attempt to brush in your presence and assist them
if there have been extractions, best done 7-10 days post-dental visit
How should we introduce pets to toothbrushing in a brief summary?
start w/ simple lip touching and slowly advance to complete and correct brushing
desensitize and counter-condition the pet to the procedure
co slowly, and keep the pet below threshold (if they pull away/are nervous, (avoiding eye contact, lip licking, yawning, excessing blinking, or panting) go back a step and go more slowly
keep sessions short and associate sessions with rewards like food, play, affection, verbal rewards)
if done correctly, should be fun, pet looks forward to it, pet enjoys it and inc client compliance
Explain how you would introduce a pet to brushing
start w/ gentle touching of face and lips, progress to lifting the lips
keep mouth closed (do not need to separate the upper and lower arcade)
show the toothbrush to the pet (let them sniff and lick it), may need to add flavor to the toothbrush via flavored pet toothpastes or chicken/beef broth or water from the tuna/salmon can
gently swipe the teeth with the toothbrush initially
progress to correct brushing technique over time
How might we brush teeth in a patient pet?
equipment = toothbrush + cooperative pet +/- enzymatic toothpaste
usually just brush the buccal aspect of the teeth
in very patient pets, can open mouth to brush the lingual and palatal surfaces of the teeth
can use a toy or dental chew as a prop to hold open the mouth for brushing
