Dental cleaning for dogs and cats requires general anesthesia in order to thoroughly examine and clean your pet’s teeth.
Your pet may require pre-anesthetic blood work to ensure kidney and liver function is normal and an exam to evaluate the heart and abdomen prior to the dental procedure.
The Dental Cleaning Procedure
Your dog or cat will be placed under general anesthesia allowing the mouth and teeth to be examined with a dental probe to evaluate gum bleeding, periodontal pockets and disease. Loose or broken teeth will be noted. Sometimes it’s impossible to know if a tooth is damaged under a thick layer of tartar. When periodontal disease is advanced it may be necessary to extract the tooth (or teeth) affected to prevent pain and infection in the future.
During dental cleanings all surfaces of teeth above and below the gum line are ultrasonically scaled to remove tartar. Tartar below the gum line causes the most serious periodontal disease so it is important to completely remove it.
The teeth are polished to remove microscopic scratches and decrease the rate of future plaque buildup. In some instances a varnish is applied to help prevent cavities, or an antibiotic gel is placed under the gums and in periodontal pockets to prevent infection.
A Note About “Anesthesia Free” dentals
There has been some discussion about “anesthesia free” dentals. This may sound good (and cheap) but can cause more harm than good. Scraping tartar off of the tooth surface can cause microscopic scratches in the enamel and without proper treatment can lead to further dental disease. It is impossible to thoroughly clean your pet’s teeth and gums in this way. Even the best behaved dog or cat will not tolerate thorough cleaning of all surfaces of all the teeth including inner surfaces and under the gums. What happens if there is a broken, loose, or painful tooth? This can very stressful and painful to your pet and lead to an unintentional bite. This is why it is very important to have your dog or cat’s dental health evaluated by a veterinarian.
Tags: anesthesia free dental, animal teeth cleaning, cat dental, dog dental, pet dental, pet dental month
