No Anesthesia Teeth Cleaning
 

Has anyone ever tried a non anesthesia teeth cleaning done by a vet/doggie dental hygienist? I've seen this advertisement floating in our area and its half the cost of the dental completed by our vet. I was just curious to know has anyone ever tried it and what the results could be like. Emma is 3.5 and due for a dental but our vet charges quite a bit and I'm a bit nervous about putting her to sleep so this may be an option.

It’s not safe. Water is used when cleaning the teeth the right way and if not intubated water goes down into the lungs and then there is possible pneumonia. To properly clean the teeth you have to go under the gum line and that is uncomfortable. Scaling the teeth and polishing the teeth also can’t be done unless the dog is under anesthesia. If they scrape the teeth it leaves groves and if they do not polish those they are going to be breeding grounds for bacteria. I also think it could be traumatizing for a dog. Anesthesia is perfectly safe when blood work is done before hand. I wouldn’t waste my money on the non anesthesia cleaning because pretty soon after you will probably end up having to do one at the vets office under anesthesia anyway.

This does not sound good:

What is an Anesthesia Free Pet Dental Cleaning?

You might have heard about anesthesia free dental cleanings from a local groomer, pet store, word of mouth or even some veterinary providers. Commonly known as anesthesia free dental cleanings, the practice involves scaling (scraping with an instrument) of a dog or cat’s teeth without putting the pet under anesthesia.

Veterinarians often refer to the practice of scaling the teeth without anesthesia as non-anesthesia dental scaling (NAD or NADS), as the term “cleaning” is misleading to pet owners who have the impression that after one of these procedures, their pet’s mouth is clean and healthy. It may sound like a great option, but what exactly does this procedure involve?

Nobody could expect a dog or cat to patiently sit like this through exam, cleaning, cleaning below gumline and radiographs.

First, the title of the procedure is accurate in that there is no anesthesia involved. This means your pet must be physically restrained, some at higher levels than others, in order for the provider to access the animal’s teeth. A provider will often tell a pet owner it is just like a human going to the dentist, which is absolutely not the case. While some pets may appear to tolerate this restraint better than others, your pet is still being restrained for a lengthy period of time with no ability to understand why or what is happening to them.

How many people actually enjoy sitting in the dental chair, holding their mouth open while a dental hygienist scrapes mineralized tartar from their teeth? Imagine how a pet, who can’t communicate, feels when the NAD provider holds open their mouth and attempts to do the same. We can understand what the dentist or hygienist is doing and can be asked to hold still and relax, but the pet does not understand and thus will frequently require a traumatic restraint process.

The next step is using a sharp instrument to remove plaque from the visible part of the tooth, or scaling the crown of the tooth.

The discoloration of your pet’s teeth is essentially layers of plaque and bacteria that have built up over time, which is only eliminated from the visible portion of the tooth by using a sharp hand instrument called a scaler.

Consider your visits to the dentist and the minor scaling that sometimes has to be done to remove some of the tiny spots of plaque build-up. Now, take a look at your pet’s teeth and think about how it might feel to have that amount of build-up scraped from your teeth. It certainly could cause a great deal of discomfort and pain to your pet.

At the end of the anesthesia free dental procedure, the outside surfaces or your pet’s teeth may appear visibly whiter. However, there is much more than meets the eye. Because your pet wasn’t under anesthesia, there was no ability to clean beneath the gumline where the bacteria that causes periodontal disease occurs and causes bad breath and extensive damage to tooth roots and supporting bone structure.

White teeth do not mean a clean and healthy mouth. This is the most unfortunate misconception by many loving pet owners, who don’t realize the potential oral health problems that sit beneath their pet’s gums.

Nope...I wouldn't pay for it under any circumstances...it cannot do what's needed to do for the teeth, at all, in terms of a dental cleaning. If you do the research - you'll see what these are really all about - you get what you pay for - which is not much of anything.

Another negative review:

Debate Over Anesthesia-Free Pet Dental Cleaning

OMG I recently saw a horror story on Facebook about one of these dentals. :(

I spoke in the past with the vet dentist I have used on occasion and she said these are bad, bad, BAD!!

First of all, most dental issues are under the gum line.....a really GOOD dental includes dental xrays. I have been told that vets really should not do dentals without doing dental xrays....BUT, it is still safer to do that than to do an anesthesia free dental. I have had pups lose teeth due to stuff seen under the gum line where their teeth didn't look so bad to me. I saw the xrays and knew it was necessary.

I am going to search on FB to see if I can find that story about that poor dog. It was horrifying.

I HATE that people are pushing these dentals....they do this by using the fears of people of anesthesia when in fact anesthesia done properly is perfectly safe.

Here is a website for you to peruse....note that they do have an entire section about anesthesia free dentals. These are the experts on dental health in our pets:


https://www.avdc.org/

Yes, dentals are pricey but a necessary part of caring for a yorkie. I go over this with everyone I adopt to.....not something you want to short cut on if you want a healthy pup.

Never! The trauma of it could affect your dear baby for a long, long time. It terrifies many dogs to be restrained against their will, unknowing what's about to happen, and then awful things stuck in their mouths and the seemingly unending scaling about the tender gums, then unremitting gum pain they can't stop as the instrument is slid between the oh-so-tender, too-often swollen, red and irritated, gum tissue where it meets the surface of each tooth, throughout the mouth. Never subject your baby to that while awake!

Oh wow, thanks guys! I can see the perspective and you're right you get what you pay for.

Rachel, I also share your concerns about the anesthesia. With the dental options currently available, I would definitely go with the dental under anesthesia. Doing the pre-anesthesia blood work rules out many of the health concerns and makes the procedure relatively safe. I am one who always has phone in hand waiting for the "all ok" call from the vet any time my girls "go under".

I looked for that story on Facebook, but cannot find it. It was really horrifying...the woman spent a ton of money on her pup after that "dental".....the jaw was fractured and the pup was horribly traumatized.
Made me sick reading it...thankfully all ended up ok but what the pup and the owner went through was awful.

There are statements about general anesthesia in dogs. If a vet is accredited and following proper protocols the risk of death is almost nil in a healthy pet. Of course it is also very important that all lab studies be done prior to the dental. My vet has a release you must sign if you refuse blood work saying you understand the risks.

Here are a couple of links on the topic:

https://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/about...rocedures.aspx

This link is posted above...reposting it along with a quote from the site regarding anesthesia. The one major thing that you should ALWAYS ask is who is monitoring your pet during the procedure. It should be a person who is there to ONLY monitor how the pet is doing...vital signs and all. That is one very important thing...and sadly some vets short cut on this to save money.

Pet Dental Cleaning Questions for Your Veterinarian


"Questions about Anesthesia:

Proper equipment and monitoring ensures your pet's safety during the anesthetic procedure.

Proper equipment and monitoring ensures your pet’s safety during the anesthetic procedure.

Do you perform laboratory work for my pet prior to anesthesia?

Laboratory work will be recommended by your veterinarian to evaluate your pet’s internal organ function prior to anesthesia.


Who performs and monitors the anesthesia process?

You should confirm that your pet is monitored under anesthesia by a trained veterinary technician who monitors blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, end tidal carbon dioxide, electrocardiogram, respiratory rate and body temperature. Intravenous fluids should be administered throughout the procedure to help maintain your pet’s blood pressure and provide intravenous access for additional drugs if they are needed. Your pet should be kept warm with warming blankets during the procedure. Your veterinarian should be happy to discuss every step of the process with you.


What is your full anesthesia protocol?

You should confirm your pet’s blood pressure and blood oxygen are constantly monitored by a trained veterinary technician, that IV fluids are administered throughout the procedure and pets are kept warm with warming blankets during the procedure. Your veterinarian should be happy to discuss every step of the process with you.
Ask for the practice’s anesthetic safety record. 
AAHA certified veterinary practices are required to keep anesthesia safety records. You can ask about this record and a practice should be more than happy to share this information with you."

Let me add this: I have had a lot of dogs over the years...mine and my fosters. They all have had multiple procedures under anesthesia. They all have mostly yearly dentals...some more frequently. I have one foster who had back to back surgeries in about 6 months. 4 to be exact and he was fine.

I have never lost a pup during anesthesia and I honestly don't think about it. Could it happen? Yes, but likely to happen ? No. I could get hit by a meteor today but I don't think about that....I suppose that risk is higher...but, I simply don't go crazy over anesthesia. I have full trust in my vet. I know what they do...I have spoken with them at length about their protocols. Would I be devastated? Yes, but I cannot put myself through torture every time one of my pets is being anesthetized.

The costs are abysmally high but the dogs are in clean surroundings, unknowing of any discomfort or stress, they are monitored by instruments and caregivers, an IV line running, sterile instruments are used and all 3 of my Yorkies have come out of yearly dentals with bright, clean teeth and breath w/out showing any residual terrors or fears by them (or the staff!). Can you imagine the stress associated w/scaling the teeth, under the gumline of an awake,restrained-against-his-will-and-hurting poor, terrified dog? Yikes! I couldn't bear to do it. Heck, even human dentists who do painful work seem to prefer to work on sedated patients! Can't blame them in a way.

Responsibly having a dog these days is very expensive and approaching luxury status.

OMG another one.....the last one was done by a groomer (the one where the jaw was fractured).
This one was done by a vet (who knows what kind of vet would do that :( ) .... the poor little yorkie's hip was dislocated during this anesthesia free dental. I wish people could see what these poor dogs are being put through during this awful procedure. :( :( It was another person who is afraid of anesthesia...well, guess what...now the pup had to have anesthesia to have the hip placed back....and if it doesn't work (which it usually does not) she will need surgery (FHO) .... and more anesthesia.
I was going to copy/paste it but I dont want to upset this owner. She is already very upset. I wish I could help people understand that anesthesia is safe if done correctly.

My vet now has two months each year where they offer 20% off which helps a lot. They do February and October. Also doing the blood work in advance can save some money too.

Cody initially went under general for his first cleaning, and he is very tiny. They had to extract a tooth, because it was loose, and he has too many, in his tiny mouth.

Well, I ended up back at the emergency room with him at 1:30 AM as he was non stop MOANING, seemed traumatized and a distant look, like a Zombie. I could not tell if he was suffering, or had a bad cross reaction from the pain meds they prescribed him with the anesthesia. That is what was determined by the ER vet, but I had a very sleepless, and worrisome, night.

Since, that whole experience left a negative impression, we took him to have two non anesthesic teeth cleanings. Thus far, we have been lucky, and have had no issues. I am very disheartened to hear about all of these awful experiences. It is something to consider in the future, but I must say, our experience with the normal cleaning, under general, was not positive either.

There are many different anesthetics one may not have been the right one for your pup or there protocol could have been off. What did your regular vet say when you told him what happened? Did they do pre surgery blood work?

I went out of my way to speak with the anesthesiologist ahead of the dental, she assured me his bloods were perfect, and she would take extra care because he was tiny. They said he did very well and had no problems.

As I said it could have been a cross effect between the pain meds I gave him later in the night, and whatever anesthesic was still in his system.

In all my surgery's that my dogs have had where they come home the same day they are usually already given the pain meds for that day and don't get any until the next day so maybe it was a medicine OD. Also theres not really anesthesiologist in veterinary medicine. Usually you have the vet and the tech. The vet gives the meds but the tech is responsible for the monitoring.

Hi Lovetodream88,

I know he was given an antibiotic during the procedure, because he had a tooth extraction. I am not sure about pain meds during the procedure, but they gave us little syringes, filled with pain medication, to take home.

As for the anesthesiologist, I did speak to her both on the phone, and via email, as I was worried about him undoing general and being quite small. He had it done at the Animal Medical Center, in New York City, and they have one on staff. Here is the doctor's official title on their website: "Head of the Anesthesia and Pain Management Service."

Anyway, that was my experience. We have another dog (a Pom) who will be turning two, and I am sure, he will require a cleaning, very soon. He does not have the temperament to withstand a non anesthesic cleaning, so maybe his experience will be different, and hopefully, better?

I am uncertain what we will do with Cody going forward, but as I said, after having two non anesthesic cleanings, he is fine. Maybe we got lucky, or the techs he saw were very well trained? This will require further discussion, and consideration, moving forward.

Well you learn something new ever day, I have never heard of vet anesthesiologists. Depending on what’s being done especially an extraction then pain medicine would be given at the vet. If they he was ok when he was released by the vet it probably wants the anesthesia I’m thinking. My younger girl and boy have a bad reaction to different pain meds so it could have been that or they gave him pain meds and when you gave him more it was to much. Non anesthesia cleanings are so bad for the teeth because no under the gum cleaning and no polishing. It’s actually just kinda useless and all it does is make them look good to you. I’m guessing he hasn’t been fixed?

I know, most, if not all, vets do not approve of non anesthetic cleanings, ours included. However, she said she understood my trepidation, after what happened with Cody's first dental. Again, this is something we will have to revisit, and consider, the next time it appears his teeth will need professional help.

I forgot to add, we have brushed Cody's teeth everyday since he was fully trained to let us do it (maybe a month after we got him?). I guess part of his affinity for plaque is, just being a Yorkie, and his genetics.

Finally, he is a neutered male. We believe, if one is not planning to breed their animal, they should be fixed. Cody has a very sweet, compliant nature, which is why he has been successful with the non anesthetic cleanings. Our Pom, who is also a neutered male, just has a tougher temperament, is very high strung active and wiggly, so he could never qualify with his disposition.;)

Cheers!

So he has been under more then once?

I spoke with the vet from the anesthesia company and he asked several questions about age , temperament ,health and times she’s had a dental. He actually suggested we go with our regular vet so I appreciate that he was not inthis just to get money . He did say that the option for no anesthesia would be for a dog that just needs maintenance not a full cleaning.

Troy was about 4 pounds and he had two dentals in his short life and I had no issues , so my concern about Emma not taking the drug well etc are about 30% where cost was more like 70%. I think bc when I lived in GA vetinary costs are so much more affordable I have major sticker shock when my vet gives a quote on care. I even had the option in GA to go to low cost centers and it seems that this area has little to none of that option.

No, only the one time, and then we have done the two anesthesics, for maintenance.

Well, Cody is little under four (like 3.7/3.8) pounds, so I understand your concern.

I live in New York, veterinary costs, as well as just about anything, is outrageous, here.

Good luck with Emma's cleaning.

I believe that Embrace has a wellness plan that covers dentals. I would encourage all pet owners to look into pet insurance especially if money is an issue.

If the cost of a dental is a concern, think about what one case of pancreatitis....or a torn CCL could cost. I have been slammed over the years with things I never expected to happen to my yorkies.


Here is a great link about insurance plans:

https://www.consumersadvocate.org/pe...RoCVxoQAvD_BwE

Welcome to one of the most expensive places to live lol it’s terrible. I can’t speak for DC but we do have low cost places in most county’s in md. If I get time I can try to search for you and send you a pm if I find anything.

Then they definitely gave your boy pain meds pre procedure so he probably did need any that night and it may have been an od thing. Just my guess. Some dogs also just don’t do pain well.