The Dental Cleaning Procedure At Cherokee Animal Hospital

At Cherokee, we offer 2 types of dental cleaning, based on the condition of the oral cavity and teeth:   

Dental Prophy and a Dental Surgical Procedure.

               

Any pet that has a Grade 2P or lower is eligible for the Dental Prophy.  This procedure is basically a dental cleaning like you or I would get at our dentist.  Our specially trained Registered Veterinary Technicians perform a full teeth cleaning for your pet. Unfortunately, pets do not sit still for this, so anesthesia is needed.  Since this procedure does not need a doctor’s exam, radiographs, extractions, antibiotics or pain medication, it is priced much less than the Dental Surgical Procedure.  When you combine our $50 Dental Bucks found on our website, www.cherokeeac.com, it is a great deal for a procedure that will actually add quality years to your pet’s life.

               

 If your pet has received a Dental Grade 2S or above, a full Dental Surgical Procedure will most likely be needed.  In addition to the anesthesia and cleaning in a Dental Prophy, the dental technician will do a full set of mouth xrays, which the veterinarian will use to examine the root and bone structure of the mouth.  The veterinarian will also do a full mouth examination and perform any extractions that are needed.  The Registered Veterinary Technician then identifies any gum pockets that are present and fills them with a special antibiotic gum treatment that can actually heal the pocket and promote healthy gum growth, further stabilizing the affected tooth/teeth.  Since the gums will be lifted for the in-depth cleaning and examination, an antibiotic injection is given to prevent the infection from reaching the organs via the bloodstream (an antibiotic injection is also given in a Dental Prophy also as a preventive measure).   If indicated, a 2 week antibiotic injection will be given, Convenia, to continue the antibiotic treatment in place of oral antibiotics.  Pain medication will also be given, either in a long acting injection or with oral medication that you give at home.

Both dental procedures include detailed home care instructions as well as before and after pictures of the teeth.

                 

As you can see, scheduling your pet’s dental care earlier rather than later can save a lot of pain for the pet and costs to you.  Take advantage of our no charge oral examination by a Registered Veterinary Technician to determine the procedure that we can offer your pet and the costs involved.  There is never any obligation to schedule a dental procedure; sometimes just knowing is half the battle! And remember, the $50 Dental Bucks coupon can be used for either procedure.

As with all anesthetic procedure, a blood chemistry panel and vaccinations are needed to be admitted in to our hospital. We can check on these requirements and include their costs in your pet’s dental estimate.

Recommended products that can help fight pet dental disease!

Dental disease is the most common medical condition seen by veterinarians.  Over 68% of all pets over the age of three are estimated to have some form of periodontal disease.  Few pets actually show signs of dental disease, as it is in their nature to hide pain.  The pet’s owner will usually not even be aware of the disease progression until the pet’s breath is so bad that you really don’t want their occasional “kiss.”

During a physical examination, the veterinarian will lift the lip of the pet to check the teeth.  We are hoping to see pink healthy gums and clean white teeth.  Unfortunately, this is rarely the case in our adult pets.  Red inflamed gums and some degree of plaque are much more commonly seen during the examination.

Good news!  There are several ways that you, their caring owner, can aid in controlling dental disease in our pet.

1.       Unless your pet is on a restricted diet of some sort, there are many foods that are specifically designed to control plaque formation.  These diets, such as Hill’s Prescription Diet T/D ™, contain special fibers and enzymes to combat plaque.  They work best on clean, healthy teeth, but can be used to prevent further plaque formation until the teeth can be professionally cleaned, if needed.

2.       Enzyme infused rawhides, such as VetEnzadent chews, can be given to dogs to give their teeth a special “brushing” while they enjoy their treat. 

3.       Water additives, such as Oxyfresh, are designed to combat plaque formation, and the bad breath it causes.  A capful is added to the pet’s daily drinking water…how simple is that!

 4.       There are toothpastes designed especially for pets.  A note here---DO NOT use human toothpaste for your pet.  To put it indelicately, pets cannot “spit” and therefore should not have human toothpaste used in their mouth.  Pet toothpastes are designed to do everything a human toothpaste does, but in a formula that can be swallowed.  A child’s soft toothbrush or a washcloth over your finger is the best implement for brushing the teeth.  Twice a week is the recommended time frame for this process; daily is great, but perhaps not manageable. 

5.       Nylabones are made in a special dental design which can help in plaque control.  They have special “nubbies” on them which scrape the teeth as the pet chews. 

  

Call our office if you have any questions about any of these products for would like to schedule your pet’s no charge oral exam with a Registered Veterinary Technician.