I was wondering if anaesthesia-free teeth cleaning
is as effective as traditional cleanings? I brush
my 13-year-old dog’s teeth daily in addition to
six-month cleanings (anaesthesia-free) and it all
seems good. I just wanted to make sure there
wasn’t someting I was missing.
Thanks!

Hedy
Los Angeles, CA

Anesthesia-free dental work is sometimes touted as a substitute for procedures performed under anesthesia by a veterinarian’s staff. Many people reason that they do not need anesthesia to have their teeth cleaned. Why should it be different for pets?

Also, clients often express surprise when I recommend anesthetic dental work for their pets. I cannot count the number of times people have said, “But Fluffy just had his teeth cleaned two years ago!”

What you must remember is that pets don’t brush their teeth. Remember as well that pets age five to seven human years for each year that passes.

If you went 10 - 14 years without brushing your teeth and then visited the dentist, I promise that he or she would want to put you under anesthesia for some major work. That is what vets do when we perform dental work on pets every couple of years.

Veterinarians often refer to such procedures dental cleaning or teeth cleaning. These terms sell the procedures short. What we do, in fact, is ultrasonically remove dental calculus and infection above and below the gum line. We assess and treat dental pockets, odontoclastic resorpitve lesions (severely painful enamel defects in cats), and periodontitis (infection of the ligaments and structures surrounding the teeth). We evaluate fractured (chipped) teeth, and work to correct gingivitis (gum infection). We often take dental X-rays. We sometimes extract hopelessly compromised teeth. We screen for oral cancer. And, last of all, we clean the teeth.

Anesthesia-free teeth cleaning involves removal of calculus from the teeth themselves. It is teeth cleaning, and nothing more.

For most animals, anesthesia-free dental work is no substitute for the real thing. However, Hedy, your pet may be an exception. If you brush your pet’s teeth daily and regularly have dental calculus removed from the teeth before it can spread under the gums, you may protect your pet from serious dental issues.

Nonetheless, I urge you to check the credentials of the person working on your dog’s teeth. I have met several people who perform the procedure. Some of them knew what they were doing. Others displayed an appalling lack of knowledge.

No matter what, I recommend that you have your vet perform regular thorough oral exams. And keep brushing your dog’s teeth!

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Dr. Barchas:
How often would you recommend professional dental
cleaning by a vet for my pooch? She is 4 and has
had her teeth cleaned already, I brush about 3X
per week and add a rinse to her water- yet she
still has redness at the gum line and a little
bleeding?? I am concerned about this but also
about putting her “under” as well.

Janis
Chatsworth, CA

The answer to this question is different for every pet. There is no formula that can be used to time dental work in all dogs and cats. I am sorry, but the best answer I can give is: pets need dental work when they need dental work.

So, how can you tell when your pet needs dental work? There are several symptoms of dental disease. Bad breath and discolored teeth are common. As well, pets may become lethargic, their coats may smell bad, they may drool, and red gums or loose teeth may be noted. Most pets with dental disease do not lose their appetites.

Dental disease is serious. It is very painful. It has been linked to kidney problems, cancer, heart problems, premature death, diabetes, bladder infections, tooth loss, and many, many other problems.

Vets do themselves a tremendous disservice when they refer to animal dental work as “teeth cleaning”. Sure, we clean the teeth. But we also do a complete intra-oral exam, probe pockets, perform supra- and subgingival scaling, perform root planing, extract or repair teeth, and perform intra-oral radiographs. In the end, the teeth are clean, which is nice. But the fancy-sounding medical procdures are what really help the pet. They make the mouth healthy.

To get back to your situation: if your dog has red, bleeding gums, she almost certainly needs dental work. At the very least, you should have a vet look at her mouth.

And, although no formula can determine how often pets should undergo dental work, there is a simple rule that you can use to make sure your pet’s mouth stays healthy. Go to a good vet for regular checkups every 6 months. Have the vet assess the teeth (as well as the rest of the body!). The vet will be able to tell you if and when dental work is needed, and whether the benefits of dental work outweigh the risks of anesthesia.

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