Examination by veterinarian

Preanesthetic injection

General anesthesia

Maintenance and monitoring

Removal of heavy tartar deposits

Extraction of severely diseased teeth

Root planing (smoothing)

Polishing

Periodontitis

Ear examination

Nail trimming

Teeth Cleaning

These are the steps involved in cleaning pets' teeth:

Examination by veterinarian

We want to be sure there are no health problems that could  interfere with anesthesia or create needless risk, and the exam gives us an opportunity to answer any questions you may have. If your pet is not feeling well, or has a severe mouth infection, we would like to schedule this examination at least a day or two before the dental work. We want to get any other health problems resolved before administering general anesthesia, and if the mouth is badly infected, may want to start antibiotics a day or two before dental work is scheduled.

Older pets and those not feeling up to par should have pre anesthesia laboratory work performed to check kidney and liver function and look for other hidden problems. If we find signs of marginal kidney function, which is common in older pets, we will recommend intravenous fluid support before and during anesthesia.

Pre Anesthetic injection

The exact method of anesthesia and drug dosage varies with each pet's size, age, state of health, and even with his personality.  We want our patients to be calm and unafraid so that the use of general anesthetic agents can be minimized. Pets should remain peaceful and unworried during their anesthetic recovery but not have a drug hangover the following day. By administering preanesthetic drugs intravenously and in tiny quantities we can achieve the desired effects with very little unwanted post-anesthesia sedation.

General anesthesia

For dogs, we usually induce anesthesia with an intravenous injection containing ketamine, (a muscle relaxant), and diazepam, (a tranquilizer which helps ensure a pleasant and calm recovery).  After our patient is asleep, we pass a breathing tube down the windpipe and switch over to isoflurane, an inhalant anesthetic.

Cats are most often anesthetized with a series of injections.  First we give xylazine, (a sedative and pain-control drug).  After that takes effect we follow it with ketamine and diazepam intravenously, much the same as for dogs.    

Maintenance and monitoring

Conscientious veterinarians have used surgical monitoring devices for many years. Traditional devices monitor pulse or respiration, sometimes both. With gas anesthesia this is not enough, because carbon dioxide levels can rise to life-threatening levels with little warning. Today, progressive practices use a pulse oximeter, which continuously monitors the blood oxygen level. The pulse oximeter sounds an alarm if there is even a small change from normal oxygen levels, allowing the veterinarian to respond before serious problems develop

Removal of heavy tartar deposits

Using an ultrasonic scaler, we remove the visible external tartar deposits—that hard brownish material that forms along the gum line. 

Extraction of severely diseased teeth

At this stage, we carefully examine the teeth. Any teeth diseased past the point of saving are removed. There may be none, or many. Teeth are never extracted when we are in doubt, but if you can wiggle a tooth with your fingers and pus squishes up out of the root socket, it needs to go. At this point everything that will be visible to the owner has been done. Until recent years this was as far as most veterinarians went with dental work.

Root planeing (smoothing)

The most important part of having your teeth cleaned is that unpleasant scraping part.   Hidden tartar deposits under the gum line push healthy tissue away from the root, giving bacteria a place to live and grow. Removing the tartar helps gums stay healthy 

Polishing

Teeth cleaning leaves a lot of microscopic scratches and roughness which provide places for tartar to form. Polishing the teeth smoothes this surface, making it more resistant.  All this time, you probably thought it was so you'd have a bright shiny smile.

Periodontitis

For advanced cases of gum disease (periodontitis) veterinarians have a new antibiotic dental gel.  After thoroughly cleaning the affected areas, we squirt this gooey antibiotic gel into diseased gum spaces using a little micro-sized caulking gun. Once in place, the gel hardens up and sticks there. Over the next two weeks, as the gel dissolves, it emits an antibiotic that kills bacteria and provides the loose infected gum tissue with an opportunity to reattach. Although not yet available for people, this gel has been very effective for dogs.

Ear examination

We will examine your pet's ears and clean them if necessary. We find a lot of foxtails and ear infections this way. There is no charge for ear examination and cleaning unless we discover a serious problem that requires medication and further treatment.

Nail trimming

At our hospital all anesthetized dogs automatically get a free toenail trim.  We are glad to trim cat's nails also, but don't do it unless you ask.   (Cat toenails grow back so fast that it's hardly worth the trouble and not everyone wants their cat's toenails trimmed)