Dental care is one of the most important preventative procedures you can do for your pet!  As early as 3 years old, most dogs and cats have dental disease in varying stages. That's why we place top priority on dental care for your pet. If handles preventatively, you can avoid a host of issues including pain & inflammation to even organ damage. At each and every one of your pet's routine exams, our doctors carefully check your pet's mouth to make sure no dental issues are present.  
 
Is your pet having a dental procedure done? See the pictures and descriptions below to see what your pet will experience for the procedure. 
 

Placing IV Catheter

We give each Pet an IV so that it is easy to give the pet fluids, anesthesia, or pain medications before, during, and after the procedure.

Pre-surgical bloodwork and ECG

For preventative measures, the technicians will also perform pre-surgical bloodwork and an ECG (electrocardiogram). Pre-surgical bloodwork typically consists of two different blood tests. The first test is called a Complete Blood Count (or CBC). This basic blood test shows us the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which can be helpful in diagnosing anemia (low red blood cells), systemic infections, and potential blood clotting deficiencies.

Dental Radiography

Xrays are the foundation of the entire Dental Procedure, without using xrays as a reference, we are going into the procedure blindly. At a glance, all of the teeth could look healthy and clean but only with Xrays will the Doctor be able to tell that a tooth needs treatment or surgically removed. If an unhealthy tooth is left, who knows what havoc it could wreak later on in the pets life

Probing the gums

Once the patient is anesthetized, he is then intubated with an oxygen tube, and hooked up to a heart monitor. The Certified Veterinary Technician (pictured is Tiffany) probes the gums with a tool to make sure there are no pockets in the gums. If there are pockets, they can be an indication of several problems including an abscesses. To prolong the life of the tooth, these pockets are packed with a medication to lessen the damage.

Cleaning the teeth

Cleaning the teeth is the next step. The process is very similar to the teeth cleaning for humans.

Polishing

Polishing is the next step once the teeth have been adequately cleaned. The Technician will use a rubber-tipped tool with paste on it to smooth the surface of the tooth. This helps protect the tooth and keep plaque from adhering to it in the future.

Examine & Review

The Final Step of the Procedure, Dr. Bill examines the dog’s teeth, reviews the x-rays with the Technician, and makes sure that there are no problem teeth to be surgically removed. If all is well, the patient is woken up from anesthesia to recover and monitored until their owner comes to pick them up.