Anesthetic Free Dental Cleanings for Cats and Dogs: Good or Bad?
It’s a popular service being sold these days. Have your pet’s teeth cleaned, without the use of anesthetic, and for a fraction of the price. They show amazing before and after photos. Gentle music, aromatherapy to help your pet relax. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? But what exactly are you paying for – and putting your beloved pet through – and is it worth it?
Well, the truth is in the fine print.
“Cosmetic”.
It’s a little word they slip in there, but with big implications.
Thanks to a ruling made by the Superior Court of Justice, non-veterinary individuals or companies that provide these ‘cleanings,’ must clearly indicate they are cosmetic only. This means there are not any health-related benefits, nor are their services a reasonable alternative to veterinary dental care. There are no specific training requirements, and sadly, the opportunity for early preventative care is missed, resulting in more complicated (and costly) dental consequences down the road. You wouldn’t go to your hair dresser or nail salon for your dental health care, and neither should your pets.
These procedures can provide a false sense of security about actually accomplishing anything beneficial for your pet…or your pocketbook.
This tooth was extracted from a pet with advanced periodontal disease. Look at the black roots. By only cracking tartar off the crown, and not cleaning under the gum line, we’re allowing infection and periodontal disease to spread down the roots of the tooth until it’s no longer viable. Let’s talk about the missed opportunity to improve dental health and save teeth.
In the photos above, the red line indicates where the bone level should be, and the black line indicates bone loss secondary to periodontal disease. You can have changes like this happening under the gum line even when the teeth look normal. If a pet has Stage 2 Periodontal Disease (picture on the left) and is seen by a veterinarian, interventions can be preformed to help save the affected teeth (subgingival scaling and open root planning). If that pet instead goes for an anesthetic free ‘cleaning’, the condition will not be identified or improved, and will progress to Stage 3 Periodontal Disease (picture on the right), where the only option will be extraction of the teeth.
The above photos illustrate that you can clean the teeth so they look nice, but that doesn’t mean they are healthy. This is the biggest issue we run into with pets that have been going for anesthetic free ‘cleanings’. By ignoring what’s happening under the gum line, periodontal disease it too far advanced by the time the pet finally makes it to a veterinarian, and extractions are required.
This is a pet that had gone for anesthetic free cleanings for years, and as you can see, there’s nothing left to hold the teeth in. This is grade 4 Periodontal Disease, and it progressed unchecked for years.
Periodontal disease is a painful condition, even though cats and dogs do not exhibit pain the same way we do. They still play with toys, they still eat.
The most noticeable change is after their diseased teeth have been extracted and they are no longer dealing with chronic pain, owners will tell us they now act years younger!
The photo in the left of this image shows a nice-looking tooth.
The corresponding dental radiograph on the right shows bone loss outlined in red, from periodontal disease.
If this tooth was just cleaned, and not properly assessed by periodontal probing and intra-oral dental radiographs, the resulting infection in the bone could continue to progress, weaking the jaw and eventually leading to the potential for a pathological fracture (a broken jaw secondary to infection).
The radiograph below was a case I had where this exact situation happened. We never want to see dental disease reach this point.
People chose anesthetic free cleanings for their pets out of a desire to do what’s best for them. The thought of putting their fur baby under anesthetic is scary, and the cost for veterinary dental cleanings is expensive. What is offered by these procedures sounds appealing, but the reality falls short.
Not many of us humans enjoy going to the dentist for cleanings, but we sit still with our mouths open and tolerate it (except for those that request anesthesia). Sometimes it’s uncomfortable – and that’s with regular brushing and cleanings over the years. Now think of our pets. Even the most easy-going, well-mannered cat or dog is unlikely to sit still with their mouth open for a cleaning. So what happens? I have no doubt that the people doing the procedures do their best to be gentle and keep their patients calm. But the fact remains that in order to accomplish these cleanings, pets need to be restrained, and this causes anxiety. They can’t understand what’s happening. The cleaning process itself is uncomfortable, and at times painful. Combine this with the fact that the procedure is not even benefiting their oral health (remember – just cosmetic!), and you really start to question what you are paying for – and putting your pet through. The instruments used to clean teeth are sharp, and if a patient jumps or wiggles at the wrong time, an injury could happen. This unfortunately has happened, and with very serious consequences.
Picture from an Anesthesia Free Cleaning site
A dental cleaning with a veterinarian is called a COHAT: Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment. It is preformed under anesthetic, which eliminates any anxiety or discomfort to the pet during the procedure, and allows for proper assessment of the teeth, cleaning, and treatment.
The thought of an anesthetic can be intimidating to pet owners, however the protocols are tailored to be extremely safe for your pet. Patients are thoroughly worked up with a physical exam and pre-anesthetic blood work, and monitored closely by a Registered Veterinary Technician during the procedure.
A thorough oral exam is preformed of the mouth and surrounding tissues. Intra-oral dental radiographs are taken to assess root structures, and periodontal pocket depths are probed. Any abnormal findings are communicated to the owner, and the teeth are scaled and polished.
Periodontal disease is the most common condition affecting adult cats and dogs, and starts at a young age. By regularly checking your pet’s mouth, and scheduling a cleaning with your veterinarian during the earlier stages of dental disease, we can save your pets teeth and avoid more expensive extractions down the road.
Recommended home care products are listed on the website for the Veterinary Oral Health Council, at www.vohc.org