Pets are known to get periodontal disease, and that is why dental cleaning is recommended. You may not know when cleaning may be required; therefore, when you visit your vet for regular check-ups, you should ask them about dental care. Your vet will be in a position to give you the best advice. What should you expect during pet dental cleaning?
Your pet may be given an oral exam when awake or under anaesthesia. Usually, an oral exam performed when your pet is under general anaesthesia is more extensive (meaning better) than when awake. Some pets can also not be easy to handle when awake and may bite.
Do not be worried that your pet will be put to sleep. The vet takes the necessary precautions to make sure the general anaesthesia will not affect your pet. These precautions include doing tests to see if your pet can safely be placed under anaesthesia. Such tests may include urinalysis, blood work, chest x-rays and even an EKG of the heart among others. They will indicate if your pet is healthy enough for general anaesthesia.
You can always ask as many questions as you require to put you at ease, and your vet should be in a position to give detailed answers to all.
Your vet may also take x-rays. Why? There may be fractured or missing teeth, and your vet has to confirm whether the tooth never formed, the tooth is impacted, or the tooth broke and left roots behind. The vet can then determine whether your pet will require root canal therapy, tooth extraction or composite treatment.
If your pet has conditions like fractured teeth, these have to be treated first before cleaning is performed. Cleaning can be rescheduled to another day when your pet has completely healed from earlier treatments.
Pain medication and antibiotics will be given after the procedure to help your pet heal well and comfortably. You may be asked to monitor him or her for signs of bloody stool, bleeding or lack of appetite. If these present themselves, contact your vet.
If there are no underlying conditions, your pet's teeth will be cleaned. Since your pet will be under general anaesthesia, he or she will be given intravenous (IV) fluids. These assist in maintaining blood flow to organs and tissues. After the procedure, your pet will be monitored for a while before being discharged.
Your vet will give you various instructions, what to do, what not to do, what to look out for, how to keep your pet's teeth clean and general home care practices. Contact a local animal clinic for more information about veterinary dentistry.