I am not saying your dog or cat should never have a traditional veterinary dental under anesthesia. I’ve just seen way to many dogs get NO DENTALS AT ALL if the owners can’t afford the cost or the animal has a condition prohibiting the use of anesthesia. For those, this could be a great alternative. It’s not a popular modality yet, but it’s coming. You may find it isn’t even offered in your state. Hopefully, that will change.
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Did you know that you do not have to put your dog or cat under general anesthesia to have their teeth cleaned by a professional? Dr. Turie Norman, DVM at Healing Touch Veterinary in Boulder, CO, and Cindy Lloyd, owner of Natural Pet Products formed the Well Animal Institute to provide a venue to train pet owners and natural pet health providers how to perform anesthesia-free teeth cleaning for our canine and feline companions.
The process, which normally takes from 30-40 minutes, starts with an exam where they look for loose teeth, periodontal disease, gum recession and tooth sensitivity. These are all red flags that indicate the animal should probably see his or her vet for a full exam and possibly x-rays. According to Dr. Norman, they will let the owner know that their pet is not a very good candidate for anesthesia-free services and refer them to a good dental vet if they don’t have one.
Once they have decided to proceed with the cleaning, each tooth is probed and scaled, inside and out. Once clean, teeth are polished with the same products used by veterinarians during anesthetized cleaning. When done, each dog or cat’s mouth is graded and a report card is given to the owner. It’s
usually at this point that the trained dental hygienist will try to educate owners about proper dental care for their pets and whether the next cleaning should be done by their vet if it looks like there might be potential problems in the future.
I asked Dr. Norman what was the best thing we could do for our pets’ teeth and she said brush every day, just like we humans do. She also indicated that a diet that most closely resembles the human diet keeps teeth and gums healthy. If your pet’s teeth are in good shape when you bring them for cleaning and you continue the regime of brushing every day, it’s possible you may never have to have them cleaned under anesthesia again.
The question that is on most clients’ mind is the cost and difference between what what a trained anesthesia-free dental hygienist does and what their vet does under anesthesia. There are two major differences between what we can do vs. a vet with their patient asleep. The most significant of these is x-rays. It is impossible to see what is going on below the gum line and if that is a concern and you feel that radiographs are important for your pet’s dental health, you should see your vet for a conventional exam and cleaning. The other is the use of an ultrasonic scaler, which most dogs will not put up with if not anesthetized. However, the anesthesia-free teeth cleaning appears to be holding up as well as traditional teeth cleaning methods, meaning teeth do not have to be cleaned any more often using this modality than they do if the patient is anesthetized.
Currently, over 40 veterinarians in the Denver metropolitan area allow anesthesia-free teeth cleaning in their practice. In California, it is not necessary to have an attending veterinarian present while performing this procedure, so many grooming shops offer it in that state. Look for it in a city or state near you because as pet owners become more educated about the dangers of anesthesia and become aware that the condition of their pet’s teeth is a critical factor in its overall health, anesthesia-free teeth cleaning will spread.
Why use the anesthesia-free method?
1. If your dog or cat is older and it would be a health risk to put him or her under anesthesia.
2. If your dog or cat is allergic to anesthesia.
3. If you cannot afford the cost of an anesthetized cleaning in a vet’s office.
Even the Boulder Humane Society backs this method, according to Dr. Normal, saying they believe that it is better to clean your cat or dog’s teeth this way rather than not at all, which some people believe they must opt for due to financial concerns. Traditional teeth cleaning under anesthesia can run anywhere from $350.00 to $1000.00. The anesthesia-free method ranges from $135.00 to $150.00, and Colorado law states that a vet must still be present when it is performed.
