So your veterinarian recommended a dental cleaning and you may be asking yourself, "Does my pet really need his/her teeth cleaned?"  The answer is probably YES!

When your pet comes in for an exam, the vet will look at the teeth and assign a dental grade, 0 being no tarter/plaque on the teeth, no gingivitis, while a 4 is severe dental disease with heavy plaque/tartar buildup and red, swollen gums.

Signs of dental disease you may see at home include:

• bad breath
• not wanting to chew food/swallowing food whole
• red, swollen gums
• heavy plaque/tarter buildup on teeth
• avoids having mouth/face touched (painful)
• swelling on face, especially under eyes (may indicate an abscessed tooth)

Your pet may show one or more of these signs that their mouth is bothering them.  Ignoring these signs and your vet's recommendations for a dental cleaning can lead to worsening of the dental disease, severe bone loss in the mouth, abscessed teeth and tooth loss.  The bacteria building up in a mouth with dental disease can and will travel through the bloodstream and affect the heart, kidneys, and other internal organs.

Pets coming in for a dental cleaning will receive general anesthesia.  Many pet owners are concerned about their pet being under anesthesia for a dental cleaning.  If your vet has recommended a dental cleaning, this means that the benefits of doing so outweigh the risks of anesthesia.  When your pets come in for his/her dental, we will do a pre-anesthetic exam and bloodwork.  Some pets may also require an ECG or x-rays prior to anesthesia.  All of this will help us determine the best anesthetic protocol for your pet.

Once your pet is anesthetized, we will give them IV fluids via an IV catheter.  This will help keep the blood pressure from dropping too low and work against any blood loss (especially if your pet has multiple teeth pulled).  An IV catheter also gives us access to a vein should your pet need additional medications quickly.  Dental patients are also given an antibiotic injection.  Registered Veterinary Technicians will monitor vital signs during the procedure.

Anesthetized dental patients receive a complete oral exam.  Any suspicious teeth will be x-rayed to determine the condition of the roots and bone.  Teeth are scaled and polished, and the mouth rinsed with an antibiotic dental rinse.  All of this is done by a registered veterinary technician, much as a dental hygienist cleans our teeth when we go to the dentist.

After the cleaning, the veterinarian will do an oral exam and look at any x-rays.  He/she will extract any teeth necessary.  Patients with extractions will receive a pain injection and possibly pain medications to give at home.  The tecnician will then apply a sealant on the teeth to help slow tartar buildup following the dental.

Dental patients are brought in at 7:00am and usually go home between 3 & 6pm the same day.  Suburban is currently offering $15 all dental cleanings!   Dental cleanings can be expensive, especially if several teeth need extracted.  The larger teeth have 2 & 3 roots, and those take more time and effort to extract, meaning they are more costly.  By having your pet's mouth examined yearly and teeth cleaned as soon as your veterinarian recommends doing so, you can avoid complications of severe dental disease and hopefully avoid painful, costly extractions.

So the next time your veterinarian recommends a dental cleaning and you're wondering if it's really necessary, the answer is YES!