Just as important as providing your pet with food, water and regular physical exams is an annual, professional dentistry cleaning. Even with good regular at-home care plaque and tartar build up make professional cleanings essential. Untreated dental disease can cause significant discomfort and pain as well as permanent loss of teeth and gum tissue. Remember, your pet cannot tell you when he or she is in pain. Pets rely on their owners to take care of them and recognize when something is out of the ordinary.

When you bring your pet for a dentistry, this is what you can expect:

• Your veterinarian will run pre-operative bloodwork to make sure your pet is healthy enough to undergo the anesthesia necessary for the procedure. While modern anesthesia is considered very safe, this is a precautionary measure to minimize any risks. This is a separate appointment before the dental cleaning date.
• Your veterinarian will take digital dental radiographs (X-rays) to provide a better evaluation of the health of your pet’s teeth and jaw bone.
• During the cleaning, a team of highly trained surgery technicians will monitor your pet’s vital signs to ensure that they are normal. These vitals include respiration rate, heart rate, blood oxygen levels and body temperature.
• Your pet’s teeth will be cleaned and polished with professional equipment that smoothes the tooth surface, removes tartar and plaque and polishes the teeth.
• Antibitoics and/or pain medications may be prescribed depending on the extent of disease at the time of cleaning.

Once the dentistry procedures are completed, your pet will be carefully brought out of anesthesia in the arms of a compassionate recovery technician. This technician will continue to monitor your pet’s vital signs and make sure they are comfortable during recovery. Your veterinarian will ensure that your pet is recovering properly before releasing him or her to go home, that same evening. Follow all home care instructions and always call your veterinarian immediately if you have any concerns.