OUR SERVICES
Dental Care
The health and comfort of the teeth and oral cavity in our pets are absolutely vital to their well-being. Pets will often instinctively hide oral discomfort until it becomes unbearable. Just as in us, progressive deterioration of the integrity and health of the teeth over time is inevitable.
- During your regular wellness visits, we will advise you on methods to help maintain your pet’s dental health as best you can.
- Every pet, at some point and often more than once, will greatly benefit from a comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment.
- We have a dedicated dental care suite equipped with dental X-rays and the ability and expertise to properly evaluate your pet’s dental health, thoroughly clean and polish the teeth, and appropriately treat diseased or damaged teeth that require extraction.
Helpful Q&As
Does my pet really need dental cleaning? I do a lot to care for their teeth at home.
At-home care is very important, and we strongly encourage it. However, just as is the case in people, home care can slow the progression of plaque and tartar buildup and gum disease, but it can only go so far. Professional ultrasonic scaling and polishing and x-rays looking for issues below the gumline are vital to maintaining optimal oral health in both us and our pets
What is involved in a dental procedure for my pet?
We will start with the assessment of your pet’s overall and dental health before developing a plan for their visit. This will include a physical exam and bloodwork to make sure your pet is healthy for anesthesia. Pets require general anesthesia to perform a safe and thorough dental cleaning and obtain X-rays; it is considerably more involved than a visit to the dentist for a person. We tailor an anesthesia plan and continually monitor your pet throughout their stay with us. You will drop your pet off with us in the morning, and they will go home that afternoon following a full discussion and report from your vet.
I’ve heard of (or experienced) a dental procedure for my pet that was much more involved and expensive than expected, why does this happen?
We have developed a system to perform our dentals in stages; where practical, we will perform a thorough exam, cleaning and obtain X-rays in one visit. We have priced this service well below the current industry average. We will then provide a full report, including your pet’s dental X-ray images and interpretation. This way, you will have a full understanding of what, if any, oral surgery is required. If your pet needs extractions you will have full understanding as to why and which teeth are affected, this will then be scheduled for a separate visit. At that visit, you will not be charged a second time for anything that was part of the initial visit, such as IV fluid setup, anesthesia induction or hospital care.
Often, we see pets for their first dental visit when a considerable amount of dental disease is already present, and multiple extractions are then required. Our goal is to encourage pet owners to let us be proactive and prevent this scenario as much as possible, and when extractions are required, give you the opportunity to truly understand the extent and benefits of any care we provide.