Anesthesia-Free Ultrasonic
Teeth Cleaning

What happens during a cleaning?

Your pet lies on a bed on with their head in our lap. With small dogs, we swaddle them in a blanket to make them feel more secure. Someone is always available for belly rubs and we always talk to the doggies to help them understand that they are safe.  A lot of dogs settle down when they realize that their mouth is starting to feel better, as we are working. We hand scale their teeth with manual dental instruments on the inside and outside surface of the teeth, removing the tartar build up. When we are done hand scaling, we use the ultra sonic scaler on any hard to get areas.  We finish off by gently polishing the teeth with prophy polish and a toothbrush.  If we notice anything of concern,  we want you to follow up with your vet. We do not diagnose or treat any infections or disease so continue seeing your vet for proper care.

 

What if my dog has really bad teeth?

When you come in for your appointment, we will look in your pet’s mouth to check for any obvious problems. If we see anything that appears irritated, loose, broken or just out of the ordinary, we will recommend that you see your vet to have a dental cleaning under anesthesia.  Before we get started, we will check the mouth for: tooth mobility, visibly apparent gum recession, breaks/chips, bleeding/swollen gums, tissue injuries or signs of infection. If during the appointment we find any problems that we didn’t see right away, we will either call you or discuss at pick up.  Any further action would be with your own veterinarian, and at your expense.

 

Do you polish the teeth?

Yes, we carefully polish the teeth at the end of the dental cleaning. We also do not use a mechanical polisher as the noises and vibrations may frighten the dog. We use a toothbrush to gently and effectively polish the teeth.

 

How effective is this method of teeth cleaning?

We do a great job of cleaning the inside and outside surfaces of your dog’s teeth, but our services are considered hygienic and not a medical procedure. We can help your doggie maintain a clean mouth, but if there are already issues with infection or disease, we are not able to treat or diagnose anything and may not be able to help you reverse those issues. We take care to do a great job every time; however, there are circumstances where we might not be able to remove all the tartar and may refer you to your veterinarian – for example when there are deep pockets, root exposure or excessive wiggling. No method is completely effective long term unless maintenance is practiced at home. So don’t forget to brush! Imagine if you depended on your hygienist to keep your teeth clean without doing your daily oral care routine at home – not a good idea!

 

Do you clean under the gum line?

We can clean along the gumline, but we do not clean out deep gum recession. We do not measure depth of gum recession and would not be able to know how deep we could go before our sharp tools would hit tissue and that would be painful! Our doggies also don’t understand the “say ahhhh” command like we do when we see our dentist so we can’t guarantee that doggies won’t move unexpectedly and therefore we always want to take precautions to avoid injuries and will not place our tools in dangerous areas. We can however clean the tartar around the gums and because gums are pliable, we can move them to remove tartar that may be accumulated right along the gumline. Gums have a natural overhang of a few millimeters and in our opinion, it is not painful or dangerous to clean within that area.

 

What’s the difference between an anesthesia-free teeth cleaning and a veterinary cleaning done under anesthesia?

There actually is a big difference! Even though the veterinary option is called a “teeth cleaning” they do a lot more when done properly. Not only do they clean, but also, they can diagnose and treat diseases and infections and can clean into deep pockets. They may do x-rays and measure pockets as well as part of their diagnoses process. These are all things that we cannot do when the dog is awake and/or do without a veterinarian present. We can look for abnormalities in the mouth but would not know if they were a problem. If we see any, these would be the times when we will refer dogs back to their vets. Because we are not veterinarians, we cannot provide any type of diagnoses or treatment of disease as that would begin to tread in veterinary medicine and would be against the law. We provide a hygienic service to keep your dogs mouth cleaner.

 

What can I do to keep my dogs teeth clean at home?

BRUSH YOUR DOGS TEETH!   Many people don’t understand the importance of at home regular care. Without this aspect most dogs will slowly develop gum disease, which can snowball into full-blown infections and other periodontal issues (issues with the structures supporting the teeth and mouth, such as bones). Also, natural chews (bully sticks, raw and dehydrated bones, etc.), supplements and the dental sprays and gels are also great but will not replace a toothbrush.

 

What’s the best toothpaste/dental treat?

We love using coconut oil as a natural toothpaste. The same stuff you use at home for cooking is perfect. We are supportive of any dental treat if it is something they have to chew on. Things that crumble like a cookie tend to do very little in our opinion.