What is a Professional Veterinary Dental Cleaning?
As a pet owner, you have your pet’s best interest at heart and want to make the best choice for their care. When choosing your pet’s dental care, be sure to learn about a comprehensive veterinary dental cleaning, also known as a professional dental cleaning, and its long term benefits for your pet’s overall health.
What you can expect from a professional veterinary dental cleaning?
You should expect your veterinarian to educate you and allow you to ask questions about your pet’s dental health.
A veterinary dental cleaning always begins with an initial awake oral exam of your dog or cat’s mouth by a veterinarian. This allows the veterinarian not only to get a general idea of your pet’s dental condition, but also offers you the opportunity to ask questions and to get good advice for home care that can benefit your pet.
Your pet has blood drawn for analysis to identify any potential problems that the doctor needs to be aware of and to determine if the pet is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia.
Your pet is anesthetized. This is what often worries most pet owners, however, under proper protocols anesthesia is very safe. We encourage pet owners to ask their veterinarian about their anesthesia protocol and experience prior to scheduling a procedure. Find questions to ask your veterinarian before anesthesia.
While under anesthesia, a comprehensive veterinary dental cleaning will include the following, without any pain or discomfort to your pet:
A complete oral exam and digital dental radiographs are taken to identify any problems beneath the gum-line. (This is similar to the x-rays you might receive from your own dentist.) Common painful problems that could be identified with radiographs are broken teeth and roots, periodontal disease, dead teeth, abscesses or infected teeth.
A full cleaning under the gum-line where periodontal disease lurks. It would be impossible to clean this area on an awake dog or cat, but this is where periodontal disease begins with bacteria ‘living’ below the gum tissue.
Professional scaling and polishing of the crown, or visible part of your dog or cat’s teeth. A veterinary cleaning does require scaling or scraping the tooth to remove plaque and calculus. Scaling is completed to remove plaque and tartar build-up on the tooth crown. Last, the teeth are polished leaving a completely smooth surface of the tooth which discourages plaque and bacteria from adhering to the rough tooth surface.
After the procedure is done you have an option to use a product called OraVet. OraVet is one of the only products equivalent to you bushing your pets teeth on a daily basis. OraVet is a substance we start after the dental cleaning (only can be used on newly cleaned surfaces) and you would follow up with a weekly treatment at home. The treatment are very easy to do and have no flavor of good or bad. Pets handle it wonderful. If you decide to not do OraVet there are other options to help in between cleanings. We can help tailor what works best for your family.
After recovery, your dog or cat is most often able to go home and unless an additional procedure has been done, your pet can eat and return to normal.
Restorations
Dogs and Cats may also have congenital defect of the enamel on the crowns of the teeth. Not only unsightly, these defects can expose the underlying dentin, which is sensitive. Bonded restoration make the teeth smoother so they look better and are easier to keep clean, but more importantly, they act as a bandage to protect the sensitive pulp tissues inside the tooth.
Current clinic updates
WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS THAT WOULD LIKE TO ESTABLISH ROUTINE CARE (Non-emergent cases) - We are booking about 2-3 weeks out for appointments. Please call with any inquiries.