Dental care is important to your pet's health. Research has shown that dental disease can not only lead to tooth and gum deterioration, but also to problems in other parts of your pet's body, including the liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain.

Routine home dental maintenance is important to your pets health.  Twice weekly brushing cleans the teeth and provides stimulation to the gum tissue.  Good nutrition is also important.  There are several diets that are recommended for patients who are prone to dental disease.

We have the capability of performing the following dental procedures:

a)  Routine care - We perform prophylactic dental procedures, that include cleaning and polishing the teeth and a complete oral exam.  Extractions of the irreparable teeth can be performed.

b)  Dental radiographs - Sometimes it is necessary to x-ray a tooth to evaluate the status of a broken tooth or a root.  We have a dental x-ray machine to check teeth of all sizes!

How will I know when my pet needs to have their teeth cleaned?

"Dog breath" or "Cat breath" can be your first indication that something needs to be done.  Swelling, inflammation or bleeding of the gums or a visible build up of tartar also indicates dental disease.  During your pet's regular vaccination visit, we will check their teeth and gums for any plaque build up, or other problems. 

Other dental issues:

Baby teeth:  Sometimes the baby teeth do not come out when the adult teeth grow in, and this can cause problems with the pets "bite", or how their teeth line up.  These teeth sometimes need to be extracted.  There are times when the teeth come in at odd angles, and can produce painful sores where teeth are hitting or scraping against the roof of the pet's mouth.

Broken Teeth:  Left unattended, these teeth develop rotten roots and create a great deal of pain.

What is the process to have my pets teeth cleaned?

Once you set up an appointment with the office to bring your pet in to have their teeth cleaned, you will be asked to do the following:

- Take up all food and water at (or before) midnight the night before the procedure.

- Have your pet at the hospital between 8:00 AM and 8:30 AM

We have you drop your pet off early so we can run any pre-anesthetic blood screenings that may be necessary before anesthetizing your pet.  Each tooth is cleaned and evaluated individually.  Detailed charting for each tooth and overall oral health is recorded during the procedure.  Any tooth requiring individual attention or extraction is addressed. The entire procedure can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes depending on the condition of the pet's teeth and mouth.

After Procedure Care

After the dental cleaning is completed, your pet wakes up in an observation and recovery area where they can be monitored closely.  Your pet is ready to go home after 3-4 hours in recovery.

How much does all this cost?

It is difficult to give an exact price on dental procedures.  Much of the cost is dependant on the length of the procedure, any pre-anesthetic blood work that may need to be done, or if we need to take any radiographs or perform any extractions.  We will be glad to give you an estimate after evaluating your pet.