Anesthesia Free Dental Awareness

Caution! Anesthesia free dentals are not all they are cracked up to be.

There has been an increasing number of companies advertising anesthesia free dentals. They emphasize how safe and healthy this is for your pet. It would be great if this were true, but we want to help bring light to the reality of these procedures.

1. Fearful for pets to be restrained for extended periods without understanding what is going on.
2. Having a lot of bacterial build up can cause sensitivity to the gingival margin and scraping that away is not comfortable for the pet.
3. “Cleaning” is not complete without subgingival cleaning, which is not feasible without close and careful control and requires anesthesia. The teeth LOOK cleaner, but ignoring subgingival bacteria perpetuates periodontal disease. Not only is bad breath still present, but there is progression of bone loss and discomfort for the pet.
4. Full mouth dental radiographs are standard of care for all dental procedures. The visible crown of the tooth is only the tip of the iceberg. Things found on radiographs that cannot be seen visually: impacted teeth, retained roots, fractured roots, tooth root abscesses, and general degree of periodontal disease.

We all want what is best for our pets. Please stay educated and make sure we are keeping our pets safe and healthy.

Please visit the American Veterinary Dental College website for more details: afd.avdc.org