Your Pet Could be a Good Candidate for Non-Anesthetic Dental CareNovember 29, 2011
Rotting or broken teeth, infected gums, pain, and bad breath just don’t fit into the picture of healthy middle age or senior years, either for you or your pet. No longer do we consider periodontal disease a natural part of aging.
About two decades ago, veterinarians began educating pet owners about the benefits of good dental health. They learned to provide dental services such as “teeth cleaning” (dental prophylaxis), dental x-rays, tooth extractions, oral surgery, and even “root canals” (endodontics).
Convincing pet owners dental health was important was an up-hill battle at first, but including dental health in the scope of good general health has gained rapid acceptance in the past decade, and pets have benefited from it. Like caring for anything we love, prevention is key. And in the long run, prevention often costs less.
Non-anesthetic dental prophylaxis
A new dental service on the horizon is now starting to gain a foothold: non-anesthetic dental prophylaxis. Until recently, pets were routinely anesthetized to do an oral exam and prophy, whether they had mild dental tartar and gingivitis or required numerous extractions.
Some pet owners avoided recommended routine dental care for their pets with early dental disease because they feared the anesthesia. Sadly, this often resulted a year or two later in an extended, much more costly, anesthetic procedure. Or worse, if the services were still declined, it led to unrequited pain for the pet or even oral cancer that resulted from constant dental irritation.
Atlantic Veterinary Hospital is one of a small number of veterinary hospitals offering non-anesthetic dental prophylaxis (teeth cleanings) as a matter of routine preventive care. Pets with mild-to-moderate dental disease and whose personalities permit us to easily handle their mouths are good candidates for this service.
The pets’ teeth are evaluated, charted, cleaned, and polished exactly as they would be under anesthesia, but they are fully awake, just as we are when our teeth are cleaned. While we cannot perform dental x-rays or extract teeth during a non-anesthetic procedure, this popular service is significantly less expensive and avoids the use of anesthesia, providing segue for many pet owners to maintain their pets’ oral health.
The difference between pet store and veterinary dental services
Sadly, some pet owners confuse the so-called dental services offered by some pet stores and pet groomers with the non-anesthetic procedures offered by a veterinary hospital. They are not the same. Just as you wouldn’t have your teeth cleaned by your hair dresser or at the grocery store, appropriate dental care requires appropriate medical education and experience.
If you are interested in learning more about non-anesthetic dental prophylaxis for your pet, we’d be happy to tell you more about it. Give us a call at 206-323-4433 or email us.
3 Responses to “Your Pet Could be a Good Candidate for Non-Anesthetic Dental Care”
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Karen Fernandes Says:
November 30th, 2011 at 12:35 pmI absolutely love this idea. I brush Heidi’s teeth every night (65lb Husky, but have been doing it since she was a pup) and would love to bring her in for routine cleanings but I have avoided it because of the benefit/risk ratio of anesthesia. Her teeth/gums are in good shape, but I like to be proactive. I would love to see my local vet implement this (either that or we’ll just have to move to WA).
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Dr. Monahan Says:
December 6th, 2011 at 7:25 pmAnimal Dental Care provides this service for us and may come to your area. Ask your veterinarian to contact me if he/she has any questions. Cheers! Dr. M
