Dentals: Anesthetic cleaning vs Non-anesthetic cleaning

Dental exams and cleaning are an important, but sometimes overlooked, part of your pet's health care. Your pet’s dental health can greatly affect its overall well-being and everyday attitude.

Any of the following symptoms may indicate that your pet needs an oral exam.

Signs that your pet may have dental problems include:

• Persistent bad breath
• Bleeding, inflamed, or receded gums
• Loss of appetite or a change in eating habits
• Pawing and sensitivity of the mouth
• Depression

If your pet has any of these symptoms, contact us for a complete oral exam. At that time, the doctor can determine which procedure is best for your pet.

Some dentals require anesthesia to address dental issues, especially if tooth extractions are necessary. Tooth scaling will be performed using ultrasonic cleaning equipment to remove tartar both above and below the gum line. The tartar beneath the gum line causes the most significant gum recession. The teeth are then polished in order to help prevent subsequent plaque build-up. At this time, other procedures, such as extractions and X-rays can be performed. A fluoride gel will be used to help decrease tooth sensitivity and strengthen enamel.

Teeth cleaning without anesthesia

A non-anesthetic dental does not replace a full anesthetic dental, but can greatly improve the dental health of your pet and reduce or delay the need for a full anesthetic dental

Animal Dental Care technicians come to Hazel Ridge Veterinary Clinic once a month. They are highly qualified to perform a thorough dental cleaning on your pet without the use of anesthesia. The dental technicians will do a sub-gingival scaling as well as machine polishing utilizing the proprietary positions used in non-anesthetic dentistry.

“In order to keep a true perspective of one’s importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him.”
-Dereke Bruce, Taipei, Taiwan