Bulldog and French Bulldog Dental Disease
Periodontal, Gingivitis and gum disease in English Bulldog, French Bulldog, and American Bulldogs is usually caused by anaerobe bacteria.
The sequence of bulldog teeth plaque formation, tissue distraction, bone loss, and teeth loss
- Initially, a pellicle is formed on your bulldog puppy normal tooth
- The pellicle attracts aerobic bacteria and soon more bacteria adhere to the teeth.
- Within days the plaque on your bulldog and French bulldog puppy teeth thickens
- Underlying bacteria run out of oxygen and anaerobic motile rods and spirochetes begin to populate the subgingival area.
- Endotoxins released by the anaerobic bacteria
V4B Bulldog and French Bulldog Dental Disease are a 4 Stage Process:
Stage 1: Inflammation
Stage 2: Edema, gingival bleeding upon probing
Stage 3: Pustular discharge, slight to moderate bone loss
Stage 4: Mobility, and severe bone loss
” 85% of dogs and cats over the age of 3 have dental disease, making it their #1 medical problem.”
Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Bulldog and French Bulldog Dental Disease MAINTENANCE:
Your bulldog puppy should have their teeth checked at least once a year.
Periodontal disease in bulldogs has been found to affect the: HEART VALVES, KIDNEY, LIVER, BRAIN, DIGESTION
Your bulldog and other pets may be in need of dental care if:
• Presence of a red stripe along the gum line
• Unpleasant odor from the mouth
• Reluctance to chew
• Change in chewing behaviors
• Inability to see the teeth due to calculus accumulation
• Broken or discolored teeth
• Loose teeth
• Draining or swelling around the face or jaw
• Decreased appetite
• Swelling or enlargements of the oral tissues
• Difficulty swallowing
• Rubbing the face with a paw (sometimes resulting in eye irritation)
• Rubbing the face on the floor or other surfaces
Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Bulldog and French Bulldog Dental Disease RULE OF THUMB
Your bulldog’s dental cleaning should be done under anesthesia.
Anesthesia-free dental cleanings are NOT recommended by the AAHA or American Veterinary Dental.
Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Bulldog and French Bulldog Dental Disease CLEANING WARNINGS:
Bulldog and French Bulldog owners are naturally concerned when anesthesia is required for their pets.
However, performing dental cleaning on an unanesthetized pet is inappropriate for the following reasons:
Bulldog Dental without Anesthesia Warning #1 LICENCE: In the United States and Canada, only licensed veterinarians are allowed to perform dentistry. Anyone providing dental services other than a licensed veterinarian, or a supervised and trained veterinary technician is practicing veterinary medicine without a license and is subject to criminal charges.
r a supervised and trained veterinary technician is practicing veterinary medicine without a license and is subject to criminal charges.
Bulldog Dental without Anesthesia Warning #2 SUBOPTIMAL: Anesthesia-free dental procedures in bulldogs always result in suboptimal examination and suboptimal cleaning.
Bulldog Dental without Anesthesia Warning #3 ULTRASONIC SCALER: Dental tartar firmly adhered to the surface of your bulldog teeth. Scaling to remove tartar from your bulldog puppy teeth is done using ultrasonic and sonic power scalers. All dental instruments must have a sharp working edge to be used effectively, this can be painful which cause your pet to react, even slight head movement by the patient could result in injury to the oral tissues of the patient, and the operator may be bitten when the patient reacts.
Bulldog Dental without Anesthesia Warning #4 FALSE SENSE: Professional dental scaling includes scaling the surfaces of your bulldog teeth both above and below the gingival margin (gum line), followed by dental polishing. The most critical part of a dental scaling procedure is scaling the tooth surfaces that are within the gingival pocket (the subgingival space between the gum and the root), where periodontal disease is active. Access to the subgingival area of every tooth is impossible in an un-anesthetized bulldog or other dog breeds and cats.
Removal of dental tartar on the visible surfaces of the teeth has little effect on a pet’s health and provides a false sense of accomplishment.The effect is purely cosmetic.
Bulldog Dental without Anesthesia Warning#5 SAFETY: Although anesthesia will never be 100% risk-free, modern anesthetic and patient evaluation techniques used in our veterinary hospital make the risk minimal when compared to the benefits to your bulldog quality of life, and the effects on your bulldog puppies’ life expectancy. Dr. Kraemer uses special anesthetic protocols to reduce the risk related to the bulldog breed and use only sevoflurane Inhalation anesthesia (by contrast most veterinarians use the less expensive isoflurane). Also, every bulldog and dental patient in our hospital is intubated using a cuffed endotracheal tube which provides three important advantages.
- The cooperation of the patient with a procedure it does not understand
- The elimination of pain resulting from examination and treatment of affected dental tissues during the procedure
- The protection of the airway and lungs from accidental aspiration leading to life-threatening inhalation pneumonia.
Bulldog Dental without Anesthesia Warning #6 ORAL EXAM: A complete oral examination of your bulldog, which is an important part of a professional dental scaling procedure, is not possible in an unanesthetized patient. The surfaces of the teeth facing the tongue cannot be examined, and areas of disease and discomfort are likely to be missed.
Bulldog Dental without Anesthesia Warning #7 TOXINS: Endotoxins released by the anaerobic bacteria can cause tissue destruction and bone loss which leads to your bulldog teeth loos.
Bulldog Dental without Anesthesia Warning #8 SYSTEMIC DISEASE: Periodontal disease and the periodontal related bacteria in bulldogs and French bulldog has been found to affect the heart valves, kidneys, liver and brain.
V4B Bulldog and French Bulldog Dental Disease HYGIENE & HEALTH TIPS:
Bulldog Periodontal Disease Tip #1 ANTIBIOTICS: Pre-dental antibiotics is at times recommended for bulldogs with severe periodontal disease and/or possible teeth extractions.
Bulldog Periodontal Disease Tip #2 PRP: Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is now used therapeutically for gum disease.
Bulldog Periodontal Disease Tip #3 PAIN CONTROL: Pain medication should be sent home with every bulldog or pet who had their teeth extracted.
Bulldog Periodontal Disease Tip #4 POLISH & FLUORIDE: Dental cleaning in bulldogs should include polishing and fluoride treatment to protect the enamel and to prevent re-infection.
Bulldog Periodontal Disease Tip #5 DENTAL PROPY: For both pre-dental and post-dental I recommend that the bulldog owners begin daily dental chews, antiseptic oral rinse and/or dental water additives like Dr. Kraemer’s “V4B Bulldog Total Dental Aqua Splash” , V4B Bully PlaqueLess Dental Chew and “V4B Bulldog Antiseptic Mouth Rinse” . Those V4B Dental rinses can also be used on cotton balls to help remove the clump of hair stuck in your bulldogs gums or teeth.
Bulldog Periodontal Disease Tip #6 SCALING: Dental cleaning in bulldogs and other pets should include ultrasonic scaling and hand scaling to remove plaque and tartar.
Dr. Kraemer’s Bulldog Periodontal Disease Tip #7 EXTRACTIONS: Teeth Extractions in bulldogs should be considered if the bone around your pet’s teeth is found to be infected or it the teeth is broken and the root exposed. With all teeth extractions always recommend local blocks with a local anesthetic in order and surgical closure of the teeth socket to minimize infection, reduce discomfort and enhance healing.