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.