yep why we go do board certified dentist as in our area vets charge same as dentist. The dentist does a digital xray so he can see absessed tooth etc. It is critical I think in getting a dental. Why put dog under and not do a thorough exam bc if not then after dental if they make a mistake in taking tooth out and root gets infected then they will send you to dentist anyway. I talked to two people prior to demi getting dental with loose tooth and both had a vet pull teeth and did not get root and infection set in. I was not taking any chances with mine. Demi had 27 extractions and no issues. He emailed me the digital xrays and reviewed them with me as i was really upset she had so many but dee dee only had 5 and my friend i sent to him with two maltese one he turned away and said did not need dental and her other one no extractions.
Dogandcatdentist.com - Veterinary Dentistry in Los Angeles is who we go to and he has alot of info on his site
The dermatologist we go to takes her cat to him too so it is always a good sign when specialists go to a specialist as i am sure they do their homework.
I think it is because some vets do not want to invest in the xray equipment as I believe they have to buy a separate machine for the teeth
I make sure to always use digital xray for teeth and ortho as you can get on cd and it picks up more for little dogs