"It is our desire to provide the highest quality medical and surgical care to our patients and offer the best possible service to our clients. Our clients are friends as well as customers, and we value their continued trust and goodwill." -Dr. Rex Bailey

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Pet Portals

Your Pet Portal is a private portion of our website that gives you secure online access to your pet's health information. We provide Pet Portals free of charge to all clients who have an active e-mail address. So don't delay, start managing your pet's care with your Pet Portal today!
The goal of Dental Services at Michigan City Animal Hospital is to ensure for your pet a healthy mouth - free from disease, infection, or pain. Oral health increases your pet's well being, adds to his longevity.
Oral/Dental Exam: Performed as a part of any thorough exam, the oral exam evaluates tooth position, cleanliness, jaw alignment and disease, as well as disorders of the gums and tongue. Some conditions of the mouth alert us to potentially serious metabolic diseases such as kidney or liver disease, diabetes or blood disorders.

Before cleaning

Dental Cleaning/Prophylaxis: Performed under general anesthesia, the dental prophy includes further examination of the mouth and teeth, marking on a dental chart any missing or loose teeth, noting areas of gum disease, and locating areas of abnormality in the mouth or oral cavity. The dental explorer is used to find tartar buildup under the gumline and pockets of bone loss from periodontal disease.


After cleaning		 Next the tartar and plaque are removed from the surfaces of the teeth and under the gumline with an ultra-sonic tip. Polishing is performed on every tooth surface with a slow speed polisher and mild pumice. This delays the additional accumulation of plaque and tartar on the clean teeth by removing rough spots that collect debris. The last step is the application of fluoride that reduces sensitivity of the teeth and strengthens them. Antibiotics may be prescribed if there have been extractions or if infections were detected.

Dental X-rays: Dental x-rays are often needed to accurately evaluate a pet's teeth. We have specialized dental x-ray equipment, which allows us to take the most accurate x-rays possible. 

Extractions : A diseased tooth results in infection and pain for your pet. If repair of the tooth is not possible or desired, extraction will bring relief.

Fracture Repair : Whether due to trauma or bone disease, most oral fractures need treatment. Depending on the type of fracture and location, treatment options include muzzling, wiring, pinning, intra-oral splints or bone surgery.

Periodontal disease results in the loss of bone tissue around the roots of a tooth. As an alternative to extraction, periodontal surgery may increase the functional life of a tooth if the pet's owner is willing to participate in home care.

Endodontic Therapy: Root canal treatment will help preserve a tooth that has lost vital blood supply, is infected or is broken. Such treatment will preserve most functions of the tooth and maintain the pet's appearance.

If you have questions about oral health, please do not hesitate to ask! Healthy mouths result in happy pets and owners.