Pet Health By Dr. Scot Trefz, D.V.M. at Bay Moorings Animal Hospital
Does your dog or cat have stinky breath or brown teeth? Periodontal disease is the most common disease that pets develop. Eighty to 85% of dogs and cats have some degree of infection. It’s not just a cosmetic problem. Chronic infection shortens their life because of effects on other organs, especially the heart, kidneys, and liver, not to mention the pain that bad teeth can cause.
Veterinarians are trained to diagnose and treat periodontal disease. Unfortunately, there is a fad to offer “anesthesia free dentistry” by untrained people at grooming parlors, pet food stores or even some veterinary providers. Anesthesia free dentistry is a terrible idea and here’s why.
Pet owners may be told it’s just like a human going to the dentist. That’s false. Pets are physically restrained against their will for lengthy periods of time with no understanding of what is happening to them. They struggle to free themselves while providers hold them down. Think how hard it is to get your pet to hold still just to trim their nails, give them a pill or brush their teeth. Hand scaling uses sharp metal instruments, so even slight movement can cause injury to their teeth, gums, lips, even the eyes. Also, as the pet is struggling, it can aspirate pieces of tartar as it is removed. Fractures of the jaw have been known to occur.
Pets’ teeth are scraped with a metal tool to clean tartar off the crowns. First, crowns are only about 2% of the problem. Pathology takes place under the gums and this is where veterinarians concentrate their treatment. An “anesthesia free” procedure gives you a false sense of accomplishment. The effect is purely cosmetic and does nothing to improve the health of the pet, which is the most unfortunate misconception by loving pet owners who don’t realize the potential oral health problems still sitting beneath their pet’s gums.
Hand scaling with metal instruments causes etches in the enamel of the teeth. Veterinarians use power instruments that cause less etching and use a light touch with hand instruments on the enamel because the pet is sedated. Then the teeth are polished to smooth the enamel. With “anesthesia free” procedures, deeper grooves are made in the enamel of the teeth, which enables tartar to attach and accumulate even faster.
It is very common to find abscessed teeth, fractured teeth, and bone loss on x-rays that no one could see just by looking in the mouth. It is illegal in the US and Canada for anyone to provide dental services other than a DVM or a supervised, trained licensed veterinary technician working directly with a DVM.
Owners are commonly concerned about putting their beloved pets under anesthesia, but modern anesthetic techniques and monitoring equipment make it as safe as in human medicine. As you can hopefully see, there is more risk if any dental procedure is done without anesthesia.
One thing is for certain – Max and Tigger will thank you for saving them the trauma!
Dr. Scot Trefz, D.V.M., Medical Director & Owner
727-867-0118 • 3695 50th Ave South, St. Petersburg, FL 33711
www.baymooringsanimalhospital.com
facebook.com/baymooringsanimalhospitaldrtrefz