Dental Cleanings in Animals – Why Anesthesia?

 Let’s face it: we love our dogs and cats. We go to the ends of the Earth to keep them happy and healthy. We buy them fancy food, special padded beds, and a whole host of toys they can play with. But we don’t often lift up their lips and look at their teeth. Dental disease is the number one disease diagnosed in cats and dogs by the age of three.
One of the concerns that pet owners express to me is that they don’t want to subject their pet to anesthesia to get the teeth cleaned. So why do we need to anesthetize an animal to clean their teeth? The main reason is that we cannot do a really good, complete examination of the inside of the mouth (and all those back teeth) while a cat or dog is awake.
What does the dental entail? We look at all the teeth, that’s obvious. But we also examine the gingiva (gum tissue) and use a tool to probe for any pockets in the gums. A deep pocket in the gums might mean infection deeper down. Since the animal is under anesthesia and not moving around, we have the ability to get digital dental x-rays of each tooth. The x-ray shows us what lies beneath the surface of the tooth: the roots. Sometimes a healthy-looking tooth on the surface has a nasty secret hidden under the gums. We find broken roots, roots that are dissolving away, and tooth root infections in seemingly healthy teeth. The bottom line is that diseased teeth are painful, and the best way to find them is a dental exam and x-rays. Finally, we scale the teeth with an ultrasonic machine and polish the enamel. We even get “before” and “after” photos so you can see the difference!
So what is a pet owner to do? We love our pets and we want to do the right thing to keep them happy and healthy. Bring your pet to your veterinarian, let us do a physical exam and a preliminary examination of the mouth. We can give you an idea of what we need to do to get that mouth in tip-top shape and keep your pet feeling good!
Stevenson Ranch Veterinary Center is located at 25832 Hemingway Avenue in Santa Clarita. For more information, please call 661-799-0655 and visit www.srvc.com