Dental Procedures
Pets, like people, suffer from periodontal disease. By three years of age, most dogs and cats have some level of periodontal disease and it is usually not apparent to pet owners. If left untreated, periodontal disease can cause oral pain, infection, inflammation, loss of teeth, and other health problems, decreasing the quality of life for these pets. Periodontal infection may cause disease elsewhere in your pet’s body when harmful bacteria from the mouth enter the blood stream.
A thorough oral examination under anesthesia, combined with radiographs (x-rays) to detect disease under the gingiva (gums), is the only way to fully investigate the oral cavity. Regular dental assessments will keep your pet happier, healthier and may help to extend their life span.
Preparation
A thorough oral exam must be performed under anesthesia. Pets do not understand why they must sit still during an oral exam, cleaning, and treatment, so they must be fully asleep for the procedure. In addition, we use water just like your dentist, and we want to ensure that nothing enters the airway.
We do everything we can to ensure the anesthesia and procedure is safe, starting with a Pre-Anesthetic Consult and Screening a few weeks before the procedure to confirm the health of your pet. Every pet will have a physical exam, ECG (electrocardiogram) to assess heart health, and a blood and urine panel to assess internal organ function. Senior pets will also have chest radiographs (x-rays) and more advanced blood tests to more fully assess their health. The veterinarian will review the procedure, discuss the benefits and risks, and answer all of your questions.
Procedure Day
On the day of the procedure, your pet will be admitted to the hospital. The nurse will review the paperwork, answer your questions, and set a discharge time. We will get your pet set up in a bed, place an intravenous (IV) catheter, and get them started on IV fluids. IV fluids help protect the liver and kidneys from the anesthetic drugs, and allow your pet to wake up faster. We give an anti-nausea medication (Cerenia) to prevent vomiting which protects the airway while your pet is intubated. During anesthesia, a nurse is constantly monitoring your pet's vital signs, including temperature, breathing rate, heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure.
While under anesthesia, we perform a full dental assessment of each tooth, including probing under the gum-line and x-rays. Based on this assessment, we will perform extractions, if needed. If any unplanned treatment needs to be performed, we will contact you to discuss the treatment options and costs. While your pet is waking up, we will monitor them closely, keeping them warm and ensuring they are pain-free.
Time to Go Home
By the time you arrive for your discharge appointment, your pet will be able to walk, but still a little sleepy. We recommend staying at home with them that night, ensuring they do not jump up or down from furniture or navigate stairs, as their judgement will be off. Your pet will be allowed to have a small, soft meal that night, then you can feed them normal amounts of soft food the next day. If your pet had any extractions, they will need to eat soft food for the following week. You may have to give medications at home to keep your pet comfortable or to prevent infection. All specific home care instructions will be discussed with you at the discharge appointment.
We will schedule a complimentary medical progress exam 7-10 days after the procedure to ensure your pet is healing well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What about anesthesia-free dentistry? Anesthesia-free dentistry is considered not appropriate because of patient stress, injury, risk of aspiration, and lack of diagnostic capabilities.
Why do dental surgeries cost so much? We have a qualified team of Veterinarians and Registered Veterinary Technicians that provide high standards of care to all our patients. By providing the care listed above, we are doing our best to ensure a safe and comfortable procedure to your pet.
If you receive a significantly lower cost estimate from another veterinary clinic, there are some questions to ask:
Will my pet be under anesthesia? Is my pet intubated and their airway protected from debris?
How is my pet monitored under anesthesia? Who will be monitoring the anesthesia?
What equipment do you have to perform this procedure? Do you have digital intra-oral radiographs? Are they included?
Do you use sterile equipment on each patient?
Are extractions and advanced treatments included? Who performs your surgical extractions?
Who will be with my pet as it recovers from anesthesia? How often will my pet be checked on while recovering?
Are medical progress exams included?
We are happy to answer any questions you may have in regards to the treatment plan and cost estimate provided to you by our clinic. Our priorities are patient safety and comfort and pet owner support and education.