If your pet's mouth smells bad, its teeth are discolored, or its gums are inflammed they may need a professional dental cleaning.  The dental cleaning procedure as performed at Wandermere Animal Hospital is explained below...

 Pre-op blood panel:  This panel tests for anemia, liver and kidney disease, and diabetes prior to anesthesia. 

Anesthesia-Premedication:  This intramuscular injection includes a sedative and a pain medication.

Anesthesia-Induction:  An intravenous catheter is placed to facilitate the use of intravenous anesthetic medications and as a port for any emergency drugs or fluids.  After an intravenous injection of general anesthesia is given an endotracheal tube is placed to deliver gas anesthesia.

Anesthesia-Maintenance:  Isoflurane gas is used to keep your pet asleep during the dental cleaning.  Your pet is monitored by a pulse-oximeter, evaluating their heart rate and oxygen levels throughout the proceedure.

Dental Cleaning:  The teeth are first cleaned with an ultrasonic scaler to remove tartar and plaque from the tooth's surface.  Next our technician will clean above the gum line to remove plaque where you can't see it.  If there are infected, loose, or damaged teeth the doctor may decide to extract them.

Polishing:  After scaling the teeth, a special paste is used to even out any irregular surfaces decreasing future build-up of plaque and tartar.

 For the month of February all dental products are 10% off!

Plaque should be removed from your pet's teeth every day before it mineralizes into tartar.  Brushing your pet's teeth or feeding a dental food each day will control plaque buildup.  If this is not practical or possible for your pet an antiseptic oral rinse or enzymatic dental chews may help kill bacteria in the mouth and reduce plaque buildup.