What Happens When My Pet Gets a Dental?

For the month of August we have a Dental Special offer, which is $220 for a dental cleaning (Xrays, extractions and medications are not included – for more information on what this includes exactly see further details on our newsletter). So this month I thought I would write about what happens behind the scenes when we do a dental cleaning.

 Check with the Vet

Before your pet is put under anaesthetic, the vet will do a full check over, to make sure they are healthy to go under anaesthetic. We also recommend a blood test, which can show hidden internal problems that the vet can’t see from the outside, such as kidney and liver problems.

 Anaesthetic

Your pet will be put under anaesthetic and placed on an intra-venous drip. Your pet is kept asleep by a tube, which is placed down their windpipe, and they then breathe in an anaesthetic gas. Once they are asleep, a number of special monitors are placed, and your pet checked regularly.

Examination of teeth

Now your pet is asleep the vet can thoroughly check all the teeth and gums, looking for any problem areas. In some cases dental xrays may be taken to look at the roots of the teeth to help decide if extractions are needed.

At this stage if extractions are needed, the vet will call you to let you know how many teeth need to come out, once the vet has your permission, they will remove any problem teeth.

Teeth being polished

 Dental Cleaning

The teeth are then very thoroughly cleaned by using a combination of hand tools, which are used to clean under the gum line, and an ultrasonic scaler (similar to what human dentists use to clean your teeth). Each tooth is cleaned individually, and careful attention is paid to ensuring all the tartar is removed from under the gums. All the teeth are then polished to smooth any tiny crevices made with the ultra sonic scaler.

Nurse with a dog waking up from anaesthetic

Waking up

Your pet is then removed from the gas keeping them asleep, and once they are showing signs of waking up the tube is removed from the windpipe. They are placed in a cage with hot water bottles and blankets and a nurse will watch them closely until they are sitting up and awake.

Going Home

Once they have recovered and are fully awake and able to walk, your pet is removed from the drip and is ready to go home.

Follow up

We like to see all dentals back in 7 days to check the gums and have a chat about home care options available to keep your pets teeth as clean as possible. We then like to see your pet every 3 months for free dental checks, to see how the teeth are progressing.

If you have any questions about dentals, or would like to book your pet in for a dental, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 4153 1399.