Smiling pets, Smiling professionals!
One simple dental health conversation can lead to many benefits.
Published on January 1, 2024
Powered by
Better outcomes for pets
Promoting dental care as essential care can lead to better outcomes for pets. Dental disease is progressive, painful and can affect a pet’s overall health and longevity.1
Sadly, most pets have this disease2 — and many pet owners aren’t taking proactive measures to prevent and treat it effectively.3
Improve the health and well-being of your clients
With all pets facing dental health problems, the opportunity to help and prevent is huge. By recommending cleaning care and an at-home maintenance program to every pet owner, you can promote pet wellness.
Support the pillars of dental health
With a pervasive condition like dental disease, promoting a consistent dental care routine is vital.
There are three pillars of dental health care:
The gold standard of pet dental care will always be professional cleaning and daily at-home toothbrushing5, but it’s important to offer alternative options suitable for differing lifestyles.
Passive home care products like dental chews and oral solutions are cost-effective and easy to use. For some pet owners, passive products might be more effective than the gold standard — simply because they’re more likely to consistently use them. Encouraging pet owners to use these products benefits the pet and presents the clinic with another opportunity to increase revenue.
Questions to consider
Does your clinic have a protocol for explaining dental care options to pet owners?
No? Here’s a 5-step example that could inspire you:
-
Ask the owner about their pet's dental history, current condition and expectations regarding dental care for their pet.
-
Explain the benefits of regular dental check-ups and cleaning for pets.
(use visual aids, such as brochures, photos, to illustrate the owners what each option entails and how it can improve their pet's oral health). -
Provide a range of dental care options based on the pet's needs and the owner's budget.
-
Answer any questions or concerns the owner may have about the procedures, risks, and costs.
-
Schedule an appointment for the chosen option or refer the owner to a specialist if needed.
Does your entire health care team know your protocol (or only the veterinarians)?
No? Review the protocol with the entire health care team, including veterinarians, technicians, and receptionists.
Is the message clear and concise?
Not sure? Keep it simple, provide tangible tools to encourage discussion with your clients. Always talk through all the options so the owner can make an enlightened decision.
When was the last time you modified your protocol
You don’t remember? Be sure to update the protocol based on new evidence, feedback, and outcomes.
Get prepared for the Dental health month by ordering the required products and promote it in your establishment by downloading dental posters.
You must be logged in to access the page.
References:
-
Pet Dental Care. American Veterinary Medical Association. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/pet-dental-care. Accessed August 17, 2021.
-
State of Pet Health® 2016 Report. Banfield Pet Hospital. https://www.banfield.com/pet-health/state-of-pet-health. Accessed August 17, 2021
-
Half of dog owners don’t clean their teeth. Vet Surgeon. https://www.vetsurgeon.org/news/b/veterinary-news/posts/half-of-dog-owners-don-39-t-clean-their-teeth. August 18, 2021.
-
Cat and dog owners challenged to brush up on dental health. https://origin.bank.tescoplc.com/news/2015/cat-and-dog-owners-challenged-to-brush-up-on-dentalhealth/. Accessed August 18, 2021
-
Global Dental Guidelines. World Small Animal Veterinary Association. https://wsava.org/global-guidelines/global-dentalguidelines/. Accessed August 17, 2021