Do animals need dental care?

Dental health is a very important part of your pet’s overall health, and dental problems can cause, or be caused by, other health problems. Your pet’s teeth and gums should be checked at least once a year by your veterinarian to check for early signs of a problem and to keep your pet’s mouth healthy.

Do wild animals have dental problems?

Animal Teeth In The Wild Wild animals are more likely to wear their teeth down than they are to get cavities. The second reason wild animals don’t seem to get tooth decay as often is that their teeth essentially outlive them. Their lifespans aren’t long enough for their teeth to rot before they die.

Do animals have dental problems like humans?

Since animal diets don’t contain acids or refined sugars, they don’t need to worry about plaque and cavities like we do! Human diets are more carbohydrate-rich, leading to plaque that can turn into cavities and decay if left untreated.

Do monkeys get tooth decay?

Not surprisingly the front teeth of chimpanzees show extremely high rates of cavities. Although other monkey and ape species might have different diets and eating behaviours, they all use their front teeth to process fruits and other plant parts that are high in natural sugars.

Why is dental care important for animals?

Proper dental care will help keep your pet from developing a wide variety of dental health issues, such as periodontal disease, which is caused by the build-up of bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria form a film over the teeth called plaque.

What animal has the cleanest teeth?

Animals, like humans, are distinct and diverse from one another. As a result, different breeds of bacteria can thrive in a person’s mouth and a dog’s mouth, depending on the contents of the saliva. Among animals, dogs have the cleanest mouth.

How do Gorillas clean their teeth?

The primates keep their teeth clean with improvised floss—bird feathers, coconut fibers, blades of grass, nylon thread—and are the third macaque species found to do so. To get the most of their tools, the monkeys even plan ahead by tearing apart nylon threads before using them.

Do zoo veterinarians go to dentists?

Many zoo veterinarians enlist human dentists as dental consultants. Until the veterinary dentistry specialty developed, this was their only choice other than to learn dentistry themselves. Some do that to a limited degree. Veterinary dentistry has become a specialty since the 1990s.

What types of animals do veterinary dentists treat?

Veterinary dentists are primarily expert at treating carnivores, dogs and cats. They also commonly treat other “exotic” pets such as small monkeys, guinea pigs, and ferrets etc. The range of species in zoos still presents many additional groups of animals.

Who is the dentist at the Milwaukee County Zoo?

For over 30 years, Dr. Scheels has been the Zoo’s dentist at the Milwaukee County Zoo. He has performed dental procedures on more than 90 species of animals. Dr. Scheels is a leader in the growing and highly specialized field of exotic animal dentistry.

Who is the Milwaukee County Zoo’s first veterinarian?

Gilbert Boese was the Milwaukee County Zoo’s director from 1979 to 1990. In 1981 he hired Dr. Bruce Beehler, the zoo’s first full time veterinarian, who developed a comprehensive veterinary medical program.