Why the anesthesia?

There are many reasons. Pets simply will not hold still to allow us to effectively perform all the steps of a dental procedure, some of the instruments we use in the mouth are very sharp and can injure a wiggly pet, we use a lot of water during a dental which can be aspirated into the lungs in a pet that is not intubated, x-rays of the teeth cannot be performed on a moving pet, and we cannot perform any necessary oral surgeries on an awake pet.

While an initial visual examination of your pet’s teeth will take place during their physical exam, proper tooth-by-tooth evaluation needs to be done under anesthesia. Which brings us to another point. Why can’t we give you an exact dollar amount for your pet’s dental procedure? Because many of their dental problems cannot be detected (and treatment decisions made) until the pet is under anesthesia and has received dental x-rays and periodontal measurements. We are happy to provide estimates for dental procedures that include a range of potential costs, and in many cases will call you during your pet’s procedure to discuss any unexpected findings (and costs).

Periodontal disease is inflammation of some or all of the supporting structures around a tooth caused by buildup of oral bacteria, and is the most common disease seen in pets. It is treatable. When left untreated it will lead to destruction of the bone and soft tissues around the teeth, leading to pain, tooth mobility, and even internal infections such as myocarditis (infection inside the heart) or pyelonephritis (infection of the kidney).

A dental procedure involves the following:

• Your pet will be placed under general anesthesia

• X-rays will be taken of all the teeth to determine the severity of periodontal disease. Many problems are hidden below the gumline!

• We will take measurements of gums around each tooth using a periodontal probe. A healthy tooth should measure less than 2 to 3 mm.

• Scaling and root planing (scaling under the gumline) of all the teeth to remove hard tartar, followed by polishing of the enamel.

• If necessary, we will also perform oral surgery to extract diseased teeth.