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Originally Posted by Ellie May  I think we all have to do what we feel is right for our pups, but that decison should be made with our licensed veterinarian.
When talking about scraping teeth and assessing gums, that is something is supposed to be done under the supervision of or by a vet. It made very well turn out that this is declared illegal.
I know a vet who does this, but I also know several others who wouldn't. It's not as good as it sounds. If it was, more vets would do it. Most of them don't like anesthesia and will only use it when necessary.
This is generally considered a cosmetic procedure. The visible surfaces of the teeth will be white, but it would be too hard and too dangerous to get as close to the gums as is needed. There is risk of injury if the dog moves. A licensed professional is not assessing the mouth. Somebody is doing a medical procedure on your pups who is not qualfied to do so. It tends to be safer for a dog to be intubated during a dental.
I will risk the anesthesia even in my liver compromised dog before I would do this.
BTW, while watching a dental once, a very small dot/whole in the gums indicated that there could be something going on. A trained tech found the spot and xrays were taken. It was a problem. An abscess I think.. Probably wouldn't have gone that way if the dog wasn't at a veterinary hospital receiving care from a vet qualified to do dentistry and her staff.. |
Totally agree. When Daisy fractured her tooth a few months ago, I had her placed under anesthesia to have her mouth assessed and the fractured tooth removed. She was in and out of surgery in less time than it took me to drive home to Providence from Boston. We just made sure we did bloodwork before hand to clear her and for $50 extra, I had the anesthesiologist review her records and suggest a protocol given that she is high risk and an older dog. She did great, I'd do it again in a heartbeat and am taking my Teddy up there this month for a consult!