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Dentals and Pulling Teeth Would like some links to research and also of course opinions. Retained baby teeth seem to be so common with Yorkies. Given that there is only one or two teeth and easily accessible, are there specialists that will pull these teeth without putting a Yorkie under? I know Razzle had two teeth in the front row, that didn't "drop out". My breeder and I went to a Russian vet, and in 5 minutes - those two teeth were pulled. No blood at all - they were ready to come out. It seems the European Union does things a tad differently. Luckily so far at 4 yrs old Razzle does not need a dental. We clean his teeth daily, plus use the water additive which I highly recommend. And now he is not showing he gets his real bone once a week like Magic. He has no tartar at all even on his back molars:) But things can change so I was wondering if there are specialists that can do a dental without putting a Yorkie under. Especially a well behaved YOrkie. Oh yes my breeder does a de-scaling twice a year on him. |
As much as I dread anesthesia, there are things that I feel more comfortable putting my boys under for, including dentals. The only way for a truly effective, full dental to be done safely is if the dog is under anesthesia. |
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It is interesting because in the large dog breeds it is not common to put them under for only a dental. In fact we do brush et al, but it seems to me that vets are not encouraging anaethesia for a dental. |
I haven't had to worry about this so far. Huey is 4 years old but his teeth are in good shape since he brushes them all the time. (Yes, he does, not me). My parents took their King Charles Cavaliers to the vet to have them sedated and teeth cleaned and it was quite expensive as well as traumatic. The vet office shaved a large patch on the forleg of each for the iv so it was a reminder for weeks afterward as these beautiful dogs hair grew back in. They said they will think long and hard before doing that again. :confused: Huey brushes his teeth - YouTube |
There are people who claim they can do a dental with out putting the dog under but its not as good as a regular dental and it can really stress the dog out. |
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Call my dogs nervous or disobedient, but they will not allow me to use the Sonicare toothbrush on them, so I know they will not sit for a full dental cleaning and possible tooth extraction. The risk of injury with sharp tools scraping under the gumline is much worse than anesthesia. The risk of bodily injury if my dogs are improperly restrained is worse than anesthesia. We had our large dogs anesthetized for their dental work too, but they only had to have it once in their lifetimes. |
If I understand you correctly, you want the vet to pull out a couple of teeth without anesthesia? If he hasn't lost the tooth on his own after all these years, it may mean it’s a deeply rooted tooth. The root can be much longer than the actual tooth, and it must be removed along with the tooth or a terrible infection can result. Not sure how the Russian dentist did it with no blood, unless the root had dissolved on its own, but you'd wonder why that happened. Not using anesthesia isn't always done for the safety of the pets, sometimes it's withheld because it's expensive. There are some vets who will castrate dogs without the benefit of anesthesia. I’m sure you could pull a tooth without anesthesia, but it seems inhumane to me. This site talks about anesthesia free dentistry and why it’s not as good. Quote:
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Well I do see how you have evaluated risks vs benefits. I do admit if I did not have a stellar breeder, who is skilled and competent, and a very obedient boy (particularly with his breeder:)) I might just choose other options. |
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I'm sure your breeder and Razzle work very well together, and that I would be comfortable with for helping keep his teeth clean. But I would not do this with a stranger. I don't even trust my guys with a professional groomer. Trust me, I am dreading putting my guys under for a dental cleaning and would love to avoid it, but I am going to steel my nerves and do it this year. |
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Wow I've never heard of a vet who will castrate dogs without aneathesia! Thanks for your response. |
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For my big boy I descale his teeth myself. He can be a handful. Magic has only ever been under once for his MRI and it took him a good 2-3 days to re-cuperate fully. He has a big mouth and I feel confident in working with in it;versus Razzman's tiny mouth. |
I have no clue but what an interesting question. I know from what you have posted in the past, you are not looking to put your dogs through pain to save a few dollars but understandably don't want to put them under if it can be done without. I certainly am not put under to have my teeth cleaned and that's mostly what we are talking about here. As for pulling the baby teeth, my son was in the dentists chair with a loose baby tooth and the dentist asked him if he wanted him to pull it. My son said no (he was little) and the vet just pulled it anyway. It's was almost out. My son was so shocked but it didn't hurt.... I am interested to hear how you descale your dogs teeth? This is a concern of mine because I have one or two that really should have their teeth cleaned and will be soon....and what do you use in their water that helps? |
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I feel very strongly about my dogs dental care, and I wouldn't have a problem putting him under. I feel safer with him going under then putting him through a traumatic experience (and yes, for him, it would be SUPER scary. He does not even like the vet touching him, without freaking out and trying to climb up my body, lol). It's a lot different for humans. Most get teeth cleaned w/o anesthesia because we have the capability to understand they're not TRYING to hurt us. Dogs don't understand that concept. It's why young kids are often given laughing gas, for the same reason. |
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. |
Also descaling teeth at home will cause more tartar to build faster and promote decay to the tooth. |
When I was doing my practicum, I saw something very traumatic for me. A wire fox terrier was in for whatever reason. They brought him to the back room where I was, and I watched while the technicians literally broke off the tarter on the dogs molars with a pair of pliers. Yes, the dog fought them, and yes, his mouth ended up bleeding, and yes, this was common practice for them. No, it was not a regular dentistry visit. Now, I consider myself pretty immune to being shocked. Having done pit bull rescue, I am well aware what kind of cruelty ignorance breeds... But these were trained professionals, and to this day I am appalled by their actions. If you do not want to put your dog completely under, I would find out of there is a sedative that can be used to take the edge off. But IF you are doing a full dental, I would have the dog put under. The tools being used are the same tools used on people, and if nothing else, the high pitched screaming of the sonic scaler could freak the dog out. Plus is there a lot of precision work involved going under the gum line, which can be painful. |
Thanks every one for your opinions - it is appreciated. I did go to the website posted and was surprised to find only one diplomate here in all of Toronto. I will check in with my vet next wellness exam. See who he refers me to. |
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I didn't read everyone's post, but I'll share my experience... Momo's tartar wasn't too bad, it was mostly on his back upper molars. One vet said I can wait to do the dental cleaning & the other vet said do it asap...he just got his cleaned 2 weeks ago & they had to pull 3 molars. So, it's impossible to tell by just looking @ the teeth, they need to go under & do a thorough cleaning under the gums. |
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