Hard to believe, huh? It seems like they were just babies with their sharp pearly whites chewing on every little thing and then, next thing you know, they’ve got periodontal disease!

• Bad Breath- this is one of the first signs that something’s not right
• Red, swollen, or bleeding gums
• Loose or missing teeth or teeth covered in tartar
• Loss of appetite or weight loss
• Drooling, dropping food, difficulty eating
• Pain when eating or when the mouth is touched

If your pet has any of the signs above or if you’re not sure and you would just like a professional opinion, we offer a free dental evaluation done by one of our technicians. Just give us a call or stop in!

Safety is our number one concern so when admitting a patient, a technician will ask a series of important questions (medical issues, current medications, previous history with anesthesia, etc.), then get a phone number so we can contact you with an update after the cleaning is complete.

After the patient is admitted, some blood is drawn for a Pre-anesthetic Blood Profile that we can run on our in-house blood machine to evaluate the functioning of the major organs and gives us a more accurate picture of your pet’s health prior to anesthesia. The more we know, the safer the procedure.

If all is well, the pre-anesthetic is given. This helps the patient relax, relieving them of any anxiety they might experience. The pre-anesthetic also includes some pain medication along with something to stabilize the heart rate. If we know extractions will be necessary, we will also give an injection of an anti-inflammatory medication.

Once the pre-anesthetic has taken effect, an IV catheter is placed. This gives us a port for anesthetic induction and also fluid therapy. Fluids are given throughout the procedure to help stabilize blood pressure. This makes things safer.

The patient is placed on a Hot Dog Warming Blanket and covered with blankets. This helps maintain body temperature which helps metabolize the anesthesia better, which makes things safer.

S/he is then induced with injectable anesthetic so an endotracheal tube (breathing tube) can be placed. The tube is then attached to our anesthetic machine which delivers a precise mixture of oxygen and gas (Isoflurane) to provide anesthetic throughout the procedure.

We then attach the Cardell monitor. This machine monitors the heart rate, blood pressure, EKG, and the amount of oxygen present in the blood. This machine helps us determine when we should make any adjustments to the amount of anesthesia, oxygen, or IV fluids. And this, or course, makes things safer.

An oral exam is performed by the veterinarian and digital radiographs are taken of the entire mouth in order to identify any issues or necessary extractions.

A technician then ultrasonically scales all surfaces of the teeth. Then, using a hand scaler, any tartar below the gum line is removed.

If extractions are necessary, the doctor will perform these procedures. These sites are then lasered to help reduce pain, promote healing, and decrease inflammation.

The technician then polishes all surfaces of the teeth with a dental paste. This helps prevent subsequent tartar buildup. The mouth is then flushed with an antiseptic rinse.

The patient is then recovered in a warm, comfortable, quiet environment to help facilitate a smooth relaxing recovery.

If requested, we will send you a photo of your pet as they recover.

Once the patient is able to stand and walk on their own, they are able to be discharged from the hospital and go home!