[107barney]

2/3 of the tooth is under the gum line. That means that without full X-rays and a through exam you cannot get to all of the issues. However once the dog is anesthetized, the vet can do a through exam including checking all the teeth and gum pockets. So even without xrays, you can uncover a lot of problems. Scaling without anesthesia is not only unsafe, it is of no medical benefit and therefore IMO is a waste of money. My daisy has more problems than I can count, she is high risk. She has done very well. She's certainly not the oldest or sickest dog undergoing routine Dentals at our clinic. I think there is too much hype about anesthesia risks. Hardly any dogs die from gas anesthetics. As for older drugs, I can't say, but the new agents and protocols which presumably you would seek out are safe.