Your dog's or cat's overall health begins in their mouth.

 

An animal's breath can be a sign of serious dental health issues such as an infection, broken tooth or periodontal disease. Check your pet's teeth weekly. Yellow or brown teeth indicate plaque or tartar buildup. Red, swollen or bleeding gums indicate gingivitis. Just as you brush your teeth, you should also brush your pet's teeth daily. A toothbrush specially for pets or a child's soft-bristle brush will do the job. Introduce brushing to your pet slowly working up to a full brushing over 2 weeks. Your pet should have an annual dental cleaning at your Vet starting at @ 2 yrs of age. Choose dog chew toys carefully. Hard items like bones are common causes of broken teeth. If you can bend a toy with the strength of your hand, it should be OK. Dental "treats" are smart choices. 

For a complete list go to vohc.org/accepted_products.htm

Take Care of Your Toothbrush

Viruses on one toothbrush can contaminate others it touches. Make sure your family's brushes are in a holder that keeps them apart, and let them dry thoroughly. (If you get a bug, you don't need to replace your brush as you already have antibodies against that virus).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Peace, hope, and joy are sentiments that can never be expressed often enough. Another is our heartfelt gratitude to you, our patients, who have made the growth of our practice possible.  We are honored by your ongoing loyalty and patronage and look forward to sharing another year with you.

Wishing you a safe, healthy, and happy holiday,

Dr. Richard Osmanski & Dental Team

Cracked Lips

Your lips can say a lot about your health. Severely cracked, dry lips may be a reaction to medication or a symptom of allergy, infection, or other conditions. Cracking at the corners of the mouth may be a symptom of Sjögren's (pronounced SHOW-grens) syndrome, an immune system disorder. Sjögren's causes dry eyes and dry mouth, as well as joint pain and dry skin. As many as 4 million Americans—mostly women—have this condition.

STOP THE GRIND

With the effects of the economy and the holidays upon us, dentists have noticed more of their patients are clenching and grinding their teeth while they sleep (and sometimes even when they’re awake). Clenching puts pressure on the jaw muscl

es and joints; grinding can crack or wear down your teeth, necessitating costly dental work. All this tension can contribute to headache, ear pain, facial pain and insomnia, and increase your risk of developing TMJ (temporomandibular joint) problems.

Try this: Consciously focus on relaxing your face and jaw during the day. Talk with your dentist about using a custom-made or over-the-counter mouth guard at night to decrease teeth grinding and other secondary effects of grinding.

HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON FROM ALL OF US AT RICHARD OSMANSKI'S DENTAL OFFICE!

 

 

HAPPY, HEALTH HOLIDAYS!

All of us at Dr. Richard Osmanski's Dental Office wish you a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season! 

Xylitol can be deadly to dogs

Xylitol can be deadly to dogs. Currently it's considered the most canine-toxic "human food" on the planet.

Xylitol is a great product. It's natural, just as sweet but less caloric than sugar, doesn't raise insulin levels and seems to reduce the kinds of oral bacteria associated with dental disease. Diabetics rave about it. Dentists do, too. All of which is why consumer product manufacturers have been slowly replacing their sweeteners with xylitol.

Xylitol is perfectly safe for people, but because of different metabolisms, it can be fatal for dogs and cats and has been known to cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in dogs for years, but recently it has been discovered that it can cause acute liver disease and a coagulopathy (inability to clot the blood)

How menacing?

A few sugar-free mints or pieces of gum, kids vitamins, a sugar-free dessert cup. It takes only a little of this toxin to send a dog into hypoglycemia-induced seizures and sometimes fatal liver failure. All dogs are susceptible, some more than others.

What are the signs of xylitol toxicity?

Immediately after ingestion, vomiting may occur. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) develops within 30 to 60 minutes, resulting in lethargy and weakness. These signs may quickly develop into ataxia (trouble walking), collapse, and seizures. Prolonged blood clotting times as well as skin and intestinal hemorrhaging are clinical signs that may develop within hours and warrant a very poor prognosis.

What do I do if I think my dog has eaten xylitol?

If xylitol ingestion occurs, consult your veterinarian immediately. Inducing vomiting to remove the xylitol is imperative, but close monitoring of blood sugar levels and intravenous infusions of glucose (sugar) may also be needed depending on the amount ingested and how quickly the problem was recognized.