An Inside Look at Teeth Cleanings for Pets

Look at those pearly whites! Photo via AJU_Photography

Word has probably gotten around that February is National Pet Dental Health Month. In honor of our beloved pet's pearly whites, I wanted to share exactly what happens when you take your pet to the veterinarian to have their teeth cleaned. I know it's something that so many people are scared to do because pets need to be anesthetized during the procedure. Yes, there are risks with anesthesia - but in most cases, the benefits outweigh the risks when it comes to having your pet's teeth cleaned.

Did you know that pets with periodontal disease are more prone to kidney and heart disease? All of the bacteria from tartar build-up in their mouths is basically flushed throughout their body. Poor dental health in pets can also cause oral discomfort and pain which may in turn make them lose their appetite.

Many people think that brushing their pet's teeth is enough, but the truth is that it's not. Doesn't your own dentist recommend that you get your teeth cleaned 1-2 times a year? I'm sure you still brush your teeth between cleanings. Many veterinarians will recommend the same for pets, but in my opinion it really depends on the pet and the amount of tartar on their teeth. The truth is that regardless of how often you brush your pet's teeth or provide them with dental chews, they will still probably benefit from at least one dental cleaning or more in their lifetime. Brushing does not remove tartar. It only prevents further tartar from accumulating.

What Happens When Your Pet Gets Their Teeth Cleaned

Smile! Photo via rikkis_refuge

I have performed a lot of dental cleanings on pets including dogs, cats, and ferrets. I want to share the teeth cleaning process with you in hopes to ease any fears you may have about having the procedure done. Also, I think it's something a lot of people are probably curious about. Here's the step-by-step cleaning process from my experiences. Please note that procedures vary by animal hospital. The procedure I explain here may not be identical to protocol in other hospitals, but is probably very similar.  

First of all, you will probably have to drop your pet off at the vet clinic early in the morning and make sure they were fasted overnight. A lot of people wonder why they have to bring their pet in first thing in the morning if they aren't getting their teeth cleaned until later in the day. The answer to this is because the pet needs to be prepped for the procedure. 

After you drop your pet off, you'll probably sign some release forms and be sent on your merry way. In the treatment area of the hospital, your pet will probably have a few tests run to make sure they are healthy enough to receive anesthesia. 

The doctor examines the pet, takes its temperature, and listens to its heart. The technicians then draw some blood for a pre-surgical blood panel and run it in-house. Results are usually ready in about 10 minutes. Then an EKG of the pet's heart is taken. Lastly, an IV catheter is placed. All of the tests are then reviewed by the veterinarian who either gives the OK for the procedure or decides that the pet had some other issues that needed to be addressed first. In that case, a call to the pet's owner is made. 

After the pet is prepared for "surgery" (we called it surgery even though it wasn't actually a surgical procedure), they are sometimes given a pre-med. A drug, which I find varies by doctor's preference, given to the pet to cause a little sedation prior to giving them anesthesia. 

After about 10-15 minutes, the pet is taken out and placed on the dental table. All of the equipment is ready to go beforehand of course. The doctor administers some propofol through the IV catheter and the pet becomes very sleepy and relaxed. Once their jaw muscles are nice and relaxed, the doctor intubates the pet and they are hooked up to the anesthesia machine. 

After this, technicians and doctors work pretty quickly to get their oxygen going, hook up monitors, and even a ventilator sometimes. Most vet clinics don't use ventilators on a regular basis I'm pretty sure, but it's something we used. The technician watches carefully to make sure the pet's heart rate is good and that they are breathing well. Eye lube is applied to the pet's eyes to make sure they stay moist during the cleaning. The pet is placed on an IV drip of fluids to make sure they have good blood pressure during the procedure. 

A vet tech cleans a dog's teeth. Photo via Army Medicine

Once all of these things are done, a technician starts cleaning the pet's teeth with an ultrasonic scaler. This can be pretty tedious work! And sometimes, it can be pretty disgusting too. Anyhow, after the teeth are cleaned they can then be polished and sometimes even x-rayed. Doctors chart the teeth and make notes in the record. 

After all of that, the pet is flipped over to their other side and the process is repeated. A fluoride foam is applied to the teeth and then rinsed from the mouth after it sits for a few minutes. And that's it! If your pet needs additional work such as extractions, throw that into the middle of the cleaning procedure somewhere. During this whole procedure, your pet should be monitored very closely. 

So that's the gist of a pet dental cleaning. Depending on the condition that the teeth are in, I'd say this usually takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour. If x-rays are going to be taken or other work needs to be done, I'd say 2 hours. After the procedure, the pets wake up in a nice warm cage and monitor their temperature since anesthesia sometimes causes a decrease in body temperature. A technician will also continue to monitor them throughout the day until it's time for the pet to go home, usually in the afternoon. 

Still Not Convinced?

It's hard to convince everyone, but just remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as the saying goes. I've seen people wait until the last minute with pets whose teeth were completely brown with tartar, had abscesses that ruptured leaving holes in a pet's muzzle, and more. The price of extractions, other special procedures, or treatment for heart and kidney disease is probably more costly and painful than preventive care. 

Extracted pet teeth. Photo via Animal Kingdom Pet Hospital

So, continue to brush your pet's teeth (if you can) and provide them with good things to chew on in the meantime. Really hard bones or toys are actually not recommended because they can cause fractures in your dog's teeth. A lot of vet clinics have specials on dental procedures during the month of February so you might want to take advantage of that before they are all booked up.