Professional Veterinary Dental Cleanings

When you have your teeth cleaned you’re present for the whole procedure. Since that isn’t the case for your pet, you may be wondering what happens during your pet’s dentistry procedure. Firstly, you need to be aware this is not just a dental cleaning. It is a dental cleaning, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of dental disease all in one. Here are the steps involved in a professional veterinary dentistry...

We start with an oral exam at least 4 days prior to the teeth cleaning. During this time we examine your pet’s teeth & determine how involved the cleaning and treatment may be. We examine your pet’s heart & lungs and check over the rest of the body to determine if any other problems exist. Based on these findings & your pet’s history we determine which lab tests are necessary to ensure the appropriate anesthetic is used. If problems show up on the lab results, the teeth cleaning may be delayed until these are addressed or the anesthetic protocols may be modified. If your pet has a very inflamed or infected mouth they may be placed on antibiotics prior to the teeth cleaning.

On the day of the dental procedure your pet will receive an anesthetic. It’s not possible to do proper teeth cleaning and a diagnostic assessment on an awake pet. Treatment would also be impossible. Your pet will receive a sedative, pain killer and heart protective medication prior to the anesthetic. They then go under an anesthetic. A tube is placed in their airway to provide 100% oxygen mixed with an anesthetic gas. This protects the airway. Your pet is monitored with a machine that checks the oxygen level in the blood, the pulse, the blood pressure & the heart’s electrical activity (ECG). Anesthetics have improved greatly during the last 15 years and are constantly becoming safer. The anesthetic risk is much lower now than even a few years ago. If you have questions on anesthetic risk, please ask us.

Your pet will receive intra-operative IV fluids to help support the organs & blood pressure and counteract the effects of the very dry oxygen (all moisture must be removed from oxygen to compress the air).

Your pet’s body temperature will drop during anesthesia. He/she will receive temperature support through external supplemental heat & the warming of the IV fluids.

Your pet’s mouth will have a full set of dental x-rays, just like when you go to the dentist. About 40% of tooth pathology, or disease, is not visible to the eye. Without dental x-rays we will miss many potential oral health problems.

Now we get to the teeth cleaning! The worst of the calculus & tartar is removed with an ultrasonic scaler. Then the teeth are cleaned just under the gum line. This is where the most damage to the gums from tartar & calculus occur. The teeth are coated with a disclosing solution to find any hidden plaque or tartar. Each tooth is probed to look for pockets & enamel damage. It takes between 1 to 2 hours to properly clean all the teeth.

If necessary, teeth may be extracted. If greater than 70% of the tooth attachment is lost, the tooth is extracted. If the teeth have roots exposed that allow debris to be trapped under them they are extracted. Many cat & dog teeth have multiple roots which need to be split and the individual roots removed one at a time. This can be challenging. Remember that the root can be 3-5 x the size of the crown!

If dental or gum surgery is needed your pet will receive a dental block. This is a local anesthetic similar to what your dentist uses when he fills a cavity. The main difference is that our dental blocks last longer and will continue to be effective until most nerve inflammation has ceased, thereby providing greater pain control.

Next, the teeth are polished to smooth out any ridges and slow the rate by which plaque & tartar can attach.

The likelihood of pain is assessed and more pain medications may be given or sent home with your pet.

Your pet’s recovery will be monitored throughout the day. Of particular concern is their level of discomfort. If for any reason we suspect your pet may be painful we will provide additional pain killers.

We’ll schedule a discharge time with you. One of our staff members will review the results of your pet’s teeth cleaning with you & discuss their care after the dental. They will also review the tools you may use to limit the frequency of teeth cleanings.

Follow-up exams of the gums and/or radiographs may be needed after the teeth cleaning to ensure proper healing. These are included in your dental package.

Perhaps you have a young pet with great teeth and you want to keep them that way. Or your pet just had a teeth cleaning and you don’t want to go through that again any sooner than need be. For whatever reason you’ve chosen this handout, by starting on a dental home care plan you will improve your pet’s health & help them live longer!

Why brush your pet’s teeth? Why do you brush your own? The most important reason is to decrease the amount of bacteria in the mouth and prevent plaque & calculus upon which bacteria breed. Bacteria from dirty teeth enter the blood stream through the gums. Those bacteria settle in the tiny vessels of the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. Then the body attacks those sites. Clean teeth help keep the major organs of the body healthy. In addition, your pet will loose fewer teeth and this will result in a stronger jaw bone. And you’ll save money on professional teeth cleanings!

Brushing your pet’s teeth is the gold standard of dental care. Think about it. You know you should avoid sweets & eat a proper diet to reduce dental disease. But would that be adequate enough or do you still need to brush?

Getting Started:

Remember to start slowly & use lots of praise. Many pets who haven’t had their mouths handled may be very leery of having hands or foreign objects like tooth brushes in their mouths. 

Start with a flavored pet toothpaste. These have tastes your pet will like and your pet may be more willing to have their teeth touched.

Start by using only your finger & rub the toothpaste over the outer teeth. This is where most of the tartar & calculus develops and where the gum disease is the worst. Your pet doesn’t need to open its mouth. You don’t need to clean along the inside of the teeth.

Once your pet is comfortable with this, try to introduce a thin cloth or gauze wrapped over your finger. This will increase the abrasive action of the rubbing & result in more debris coming off the teeth.

If your pet learns to tolerate the thin cloth or gauze you may be able to move up to a toddler toothbrush. Try a nice small ultra-soft toddler toothbrush. Guard the end of the brush so you don’t bump roughly into the gums. Work in gently circular motions along the gum/tooth line.

Make brushing your pet’s teeth part of your daily routine. Do it at the same time each day. It’ll be easier for your pet to accept & for you to remember. If time is tight, do this at least every other day. 

Always use pet toothpaste. Why? Because pet’s don’t spit! They swallow the toothpaste & it must be safe to eat. People toothpaste will foam/froth and this will make pets vomit. People toothpaste contains fluoride and is more abrasive than pet toothpaste due to sodium bicarbonate & other ingredients. Many of these compounds shouldn’t be swallowed or are too harsh on the softer enamel of dogs & cats.

Be sure to clean the canine teeth & the large molars that extend far back into the mouth.

Don’t try to hand scale your pet’s teeth. Their enamel is thinner than ours and hand scaling leaves etches to which plaque & calculus adheres. Plaque will build up faster if you hand scale than if you did nothing!
 

Believe it or not - anywhere from 25 - 45% of pets are obese and the problem is growing! Obesity in pets is a major medical problem. It impacts almost every system in the body and it shortens your pet's life!

Is Your Pet Overweight?

•  Dogs put on excess weight over their ribs, shoulders and hips. You should be able to easily feel your dog’s ribs but not see them. A covering of 1/8” is ideal. Your dog should have a ‘waist’ and you should be able to feel the spine.

•  Cats store extra weight in the inguinal area (between the hind legs) and generally over their bodies.

•  If you are unsure whether or not your pet is at an ideal weight - please ask for an assessment.

Ask about our weight loss program specifically designed for your pet!

 
The following are links to articles on pet weight loss:

Pet Weight Loss

Pet Weight Loss Improves Mobility 

No more waiting for the mail...your pet's reminders will come straight to your inbox!

Approximately 20 reminders get returned to us each month through the mail. Many times the addresses are correct but they failed to be delivered. If your email address has changed or we do not have it on file, please contact us at info@whatcomvet.com. You will only receive our newsletter or information regarding your pet(s) and you may opt out at anytime.

**We will NOT sell or provide your email addresses to anyone.Those who don't have email will continue to receive their reminders through the regular mail system**