Dental Month!

– Next, we will run preoperative bloodwork. This can be submitted at a separate appointment before your pet’s procedure or completed in our in-house laboratory on the day of their procedure, with results available within 15 minutes.

– If your pet has severe periodontal disease or pre-existing heart, liver, or kidney disease, or is immune compromised, our doctors may elect to begin antibiotics prior to your pet’s dentistry procedure.

– Before beginning the procedure, your pet will receive drugs that will provide pain relief and also help sedate them. Administration of these drugs allow us to use less inhalant anesthesia during their procedure.

– We place an IV catheter. Intravenous fluids are administered during anesthesia to stabilize blood pressure and to protect your pet’s organ function under anesthesia.

– An endotracheal tube is placed in the pet’s airway to allow them to be connected to the gas anesthesia machine. They will breathe in oxygen mixed with gas anesthesia.

– We monitor your pet’s heart rate and rhythm with an EKG, the amount of oxygen in their red blood cells with a pulse oximeter, their blood pressure, the amount of carbon dioxide they are breathing out, their breathing rate and their body temperature. Each pet is monitored by both a Licensed Veterinary Technician and a Veterinary Assistant to keep them as safe as possible during their procedure. Anesthetic depth will be adjusted as needed.

– Each pet is warmed by a circulating warm water blanket below and a warm air blanket above to aid in keeping their body temperature normal during anesthesia.

– Your pet’s mouth is rinsed with a chlorhexidine solution to decrease the bacterial load to the patient.

– Next, an ultrasonic scaler is used to remove plaque and tartar from the teeth.

– Hand instruments called curettes are used to remove plaque from under the gum tissue.

– The teeth are then polished.

– A probe is used to evaluate each tooth to find any indications of periodontal disease. A dental chart is completed for your pet, recording pocket depth of the gums and any fractures, wear, mobility and tooth resorption.

– Intraoral radiographs are performed to properly diagnose any issues not visible to the eye.

– Some patients with severe dental disease may have teeth extracted by a doctor. We utilize local anesthetic nerve blocks for patients having oral surgery.

– ‘Before & After’ photos will be taken to show the improved condition of your pet’s teeth.

– After their procedure, your pet is carefully monitored during recovery. They lie in a warm cage with comfortable blankets until they are able to go home.

– A Veterinarian or Licensed Veterinary Technician will go over all details of your pet’s procedure and send you home with a post-op guide to your pet’s recovery. Some pets will be sent home with medications.

– If your pet had oral extractions, a complimentary one week recheck is scheduled for your pet so the Veterinarian can examine their surgery sites and make sure everything is healing properly.