Your dog’s dental health is more than just fresh breath—it’s essential for their overall well-being. Plaque buildup, gum disease, and tooth decay can lead to serious health issues if left untreated. Regular dental care, including professional cleanings and at-home maintenance, helps prevent pain, infection, and long-term complications. Explore our offered services below that will keep your pup’s teeth clean and their tail wagging!
Pet dental cleaning
What is involved with cleaning pet teeth?
Proper teeth cleaning requires complete cooperation of the patient so plaque and tartar can be removed properly. Anesthesia is required to thoroughly clean the teeth. Although anesthesia always carries a degree of risk, the modern anesthetic protocols used in our hospital minimize this risk, even for older pets. Depending on your pet’s age and general health status, blood may be analyzed before anesthesia to evaluate blood cell counts and major organ function.
Before the cleaning process is started, we take a full set of X-rays of your pet’s mouth. This helps us evaluate the health of the teeth and bones around the teeth, and determine if any teeth need to be removed.
FOUR STEPS IN THE TEETH CLEANING PROCESS:
- Scaling removes the tartar above and below the gum line. This is done with hand instruments and ultrasonic cleaning equipment.
- Polishing smoothes the surface of the teeth, making them resistant to additional plaque formation.
- Flushing removes dislodged tartar from the teeth and helps to remove the bacteria that accompany tartar.
- Fluoride coating decreases teeth sensitivity, strengthens enamel, and decreases the rate of future plaque formation.
What type of scheduling is needed for pet teeth cleaning?
We ask that you schedule the cleaning procedure a few days in advance. It will be necessary to withhold food the night before. Take away the food bowl when you go to bed, please do not remove the water. Your pet should be admitted to the hospital early on the morning of the procedure and will generally be ready for discharge in the late afternoon. Keep your pet indoors that evening to ensure that no accidents (falls, etc.) occur until complete recovery from anesthesia. If that is not possible, you may elect to have your pet spend the night in the hospital. The recovering pet should be offered small amounts of water and food that evening. By the next morning, your pet will be completely recovered and you can provide food and water according to your normal schedule.
Digital dental radiography
Detailed computer-generated X-rays allow us to evaluate dental health below the gum line. A large proportion of dental diseases affecting the tooth root and jaw are not visible on general inspection. The use of digital dental x-rays gives us the advantage of being able to perform a thorough evaluation of the mouth cavity and provide a high level of prevention and treatment to maintain your pet’s oral health.