Safely and Professionally Cleaning Your Pets Teeth To properly evaluate and clean your pets teeth, general anesthesia or deep sedation is necessary. If teeth cleaning is done without anesthesia or deep sedation, it is usually done outside a veterinary hospital by non-professional individuals. Only veterinarians are authorized to administer anesthesia or sedation to pets and veterinarians are the only professionals who can properly clean your pets teeth. There are several reasons why anesthesia or deep sedation is necessary for oral examination and dental cleaning: * Dental tartar is firmly attached to the surface of teeth and needs to be removed. *Scaling by ultrasonic scalers and sharp hand instruments are necessary in order to remove the dental tartar. *Any sudden movement can cause injury to the animal or individual performing the dental procedure. *Dental scaling is performed above and below the gum line. *Scaling the teeth above the gum line usually does not cause discomfort; however, scaling below the gum line (or under the gums) can cause discomfort. The area below the gum line, or subgingival space, is the most important area to clean as periodontal disease begins here. *Humans cooperate during dental procedures; however, without anesthesia or deep sedation, dogs and cats do not. *Scaling above the gum line offers nothing but cosmetic results. Scaling must be done below the gum line. A complete examination of all surfaces of the teeth is impossible to perform while the veterinary patient is awake. The external surface of some teeth may be superficially examined; however, the inside surfaces of the teeth (within the oral cavity) cannot be evaluated unless anesthesia or deep sedation is administered. Laboratory blood tests along with an ECG and radiographs are often necessary before a dental patient can be anesthetized. The older the patient, the more tests that may be needed prior to administering general anesthesia. Animals with congenital disease and pets suffering from chronic conditions are a greater anesthetic risk than completely healthy pets. If your pet is considered an anesthetic risk, your veterinarian will recommend the tests that are necessary prior to administering anesthesia. The anesthesia given to one pet may be completely different than the anesthesia given to another pet. Your veterinarian can choose from a variety of pre-anesthetic medications and anesthesia induction agents. After the pre-anesthesia medication and induction agents are administered, general anesthesia is usually maintained with a gas agent (isoflurane or sevoflurane) mixed with oxygen. Monitoring the anesthetized patient is a fundamental procedure in veterinary medicine. Most veterinary hospitals evaluate the condition of their anesthetized patients by using one or more of the following monitors: * Electronic Respiratory Monitor * Pulse Oximeter * Blood-Pressure Monitor * Electrocardiograph (ECG) * Esophageal Stethoscope * Carbon Dioxide Monitor Along with patient monitoring, it is important to keep the pet warm and comfortable during the dental procedure. Since many procedures may last longer than an hour, the pets core body temperature may become lowered. By using blankets, hot water bottles and heated tables, the veterinary patients body temperature can be maintained at its normal value. During the last few years, veterinary dentistry has made tremendous strides. By taking advantage of the dental procedures offered at our hospital, your pet can enjoy the benefits of having excellent teeth well into his or her senior years.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 13:00:00 +0000