Professional pet teeth cleaning is carried out under general anesthesia by qualified veterinarians. There are 10 steps to a healthy, pain free mouth.
Dog teeth cleaning and cat teeth cleaning can be rephrased as the physical removal of infection – they are NOT cosmetic procedures. As the vast majority of our patients have exisiting dental disease that requires diagnosis and treatment, there is far more to dental treatment than just cleaning the teeth.
Once your pet is anaesthetised, the 10 steps that are involved in comprehensive treatment include:
1. Initial oral examination, checking all teeth, gums, tongue and palate
2. Removal of tartar and plaque from above and below the gumline (dental ‘cleaning’ or ‘scaling’) – this is done using an ultrasonic dental scaler (similar to that used by human dentists) and hand instruments such as forceps, scalers and curettes.
3. Full dental examination and charting (recording) of findings – all areas of the gum surrounding the teeth are probed for signs of inflammation, abnormal pocketing and tissue destruction. Teeth are checked for disease or damage (loose teeth, root exposure, fractures, wear, resorptive lesions). Any extra or missing teeth are noted and investigated as necessary.
4. Dental xrays are taken as required to allow full assessment and diagnosis of disease, particularly below the gumline (examination of tooth roots, surrounding bone, identification of unerupted teeth).
5. Treatment of any disease if needed - a treatment plan is made for each individual affected tooth, and may include extraction, periodontal therapy (such as pocket debridement or flap surgery) or other advanced surgical procedures.
6. Polishing – teeth are polished with power equipment to remove any microscopic tartar deposits, leaving a smooth surface that is harder for plaque to reattach to.
7. Irrigation - the teeth and gums are flushed thoroughly to make sure all debris is removed.
8. Post-operative care – in cases where significant disease was treated, medications such as pain relief, antibiotics and antiseptic rinses may be prescribed for the post-operative period. A modified diet may also be recommended whilst healing occurs (usually for the first 7-10 days).
9. Home care program – this is very important for maximising the benefit obtained from professional cleaning under anaesthesia, and is aimed at slowing down the accumulation of plaque and tartar.
10. Recheck – regular dental checks will help us keep on top of periodontal disease in your pet. The recommended frequency of dental checks will depend on the stage of disease present as well as other factors that affect your pet’s susceptibility to disease (such as genetics, other health issues and the ability to perform home care). Your vet can advise you on these factors.
We would love to hear your comments on pet dentistry or professional pet teeth cleaning. Please comment below.
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I had my dogs teeth all pulled out 2 weeks ago. He is a 9 yr old poodle and we have been treating this problem for years. It had become very painful for him. He is having a hard time recovering. He became dehydrated and refused to eat. He is on steriods now and was given a shot of steriod and fluids, he is hungry but having a hard time eating. the vet gave me special food, but he licks it, drowls in it and get some of it and a lot on his face. He has stuff coming from his mouth all the time. He also looks red around his eyes. Do you have any suggestions, we are both miserable.
Thanks Lori
Have you tried using a syringe and giving your little poodle bits of chicken broth? Be sure to clean his face real well, especially his eyes if they are all red. You don’t want infection to set into his eyes because of his food getting into them. You are going to have to baby him along until he learns to eat with no teeth. It may take some getting used to on both of your parts. With love and patience he will learn and you will cope. I sure hope he gets better soon. I am about to go through this very thing with TWO dogs tomorrow morning. I am more nervous about the anesthesia because my smallest one is a ShihTzuPom, 9 years old and only three pounds but her teeth are causing her way too much pain. My other one has a huge abcess over her entire right jaw. It doesn’t matter how many times I brush her teeth, it doesn’t help.She has just always had terrible teeth. She is a LhasaPoo and 11 years old. My Lhasa Apso is 14. I need to have his teeth cleaned, what few he has left, but I’m afraid of having him put under anesthesia at his age. I wish you the best with your little poodle.
I’m not a vet but I am a devoted dog lover and I’ve rescued many dogs. Have you tried giving him some chicken broth with a syringe or eye-dropper? Be sure to clean his face well also, especially if his eyes are red around them. You don’t want an infection to occur in his eyes because the food has gotten into them. It will take awhile of babying him along until he learns to eat without teeth. Love and patience will bring him through. Most important thing is to keep him hydrated. Chicken broth should help do that. His little gums are most likely still a bit sore too and eating is difficult so drooling is going to be very common until he learn to swallow again without his teeth. It’s a whole new learning process. He probably doesn’t know what to do with his tongue either. Just ask any person who has just lost all their teeth what happens to them. It’s similar if they don’t get dentures right away. They drool all over the place and can’t eat.
I can only imagine how miserable you are. Well…I am about to go through what you are going through tomorrow 10/26/10 but I’ll be going through it with TWO dogs. I am mostly horrified of the anesthesia because my smallest one, a ShihTzuPom, 9 years old, is only 3 pounds. Her teeth have given her pain for about a year now and some have fallen out. Others are just hanging there. She is miserable. My other dog is a LhasaPoo, she is 11 years old but is much bigger- about 25 pounds. It’s her age that scares me the most. She has an abcess that is taking up the entire right side of her face and across her snout. I have brushed their teeth all their life but it never helped her. I found her like this, with her jaw all swelled late this afternoon so it just suddenly swelled up. She always had terrible teeth. Nothing helped her – not even cleanings. Now we have come to this. I am horrified! I also have a Lhasa Apso. He is 14. His teeth aren’t horrible but they could ue a cleaning. I am scared to have them cleaned at his age – AGAIN – because of anethesia. At 14???? I just don’t know! You can email me at my yahoo address. Best of luck with your little poodle.