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Originally Posted by 107barney  The fact is that a dental without anesthesia is unsafe and nothing more than of mediocre cosmetic benefit. The American college of veterinary dentisty agrees with me. I would take this up with your vet and point out they are unfamiliar with the standard of care as the experts in the area see it. |
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Originally Posted by Ellie May OP: there is always risk with anesthesia, but the risk of getting serious medical problems from a diseased mouth is greater. Preop bloodwork and a good anesthetic protocol eliminates most of the risk.
Dentals without anesthesia are almost entirely cosmetic. A groomer scaling teeth and making them white doesn't mean the mouth is not diseased. If somebody does this who is not under the supervision of a veterinarian, then they are practicing without a license. There is risk of injury to the animal, no xrays, etc. And on top of that, being awake means no intubation which means risk of a ton of bacteria going down the throat at once and aspiration. |
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Originally Posted by Blessedbee I live in Washington state and my vet uses general anesthesia to clean our dog's teeth (Kipper is getting his teeth brushed every day and isn't old enough for teeth cleaning yet). I might also mention that it is NOT bones that help clean or keep a dog's teeth cleaned, but rather the enzymes they need to break down the plaque. This is provided in the doggie toothpaste the vet will give you so if you are consistent about brushing his teeth, you will probably get to delay another teeth cleaning for a longer time. Having been a dental assistant when I was younger, it scares me to think that groomers are providing this service. As one person posted on this thread, there is VERY harmful bacteria that comes loose when cleaning teeth. My daughter had to be premedicated because of a heart defect and the danger that the bacteria set loose could have gone straight to her heart and been life threatening. Teeth cleaning is not a minor deal, in my opinion. It is important for the health and well being of both dog and master. |
Absolutely agree!
And I am definitely into any way a more "natural" approach can be taken, but in the case of dentals, I would NEVER trust anyone who was doing scaling, etc, without the use of anesthesia.
It's pretty standard now for dogs to be put under for dentals.