Dental Services

Every professional dental cleaning starts with a review of the patient’s general health and any previous dental history. For a thorough, safe dental cleaning in veterinary patients, anesthesia is essential, as this permits a comprehensive assessment of the tissues, and allows dental radiographs to be made when indicated, followed by the cleaning (scaling and polishing procedure) itself above and below the gum-line.
Professional dental cleaning removes dental plaque and tartar that cause periodontal disease. The dental deposits are removed by power (ultrasonic) and hand dental scalers. Following scaling, the teeth are polished to remove residual plaque and to smooth the tooth surface (which delays the deposition of plaque and tartar subsequently). The mouth is rinsed to remove debris prior to a final inspection. A plaque-preventive material may be applied to the teeth. The pet owner will be provided with recommendations for daily home oral hygiene specific for dogs or cats.

Digital Dental Radiology – Digital Dental Radiology (“x-rays”) allows us to visualize the internal anatomy of your dog or cat’s teeth along with the roots and surrounding bone. Sixty percent (60%) of animal teeth lie below the gum line which we can only evaluate with radiographs. These highly detailed x-rays allow us to diagnose bone loss or hidden dental disease that may be present in the tooth roots and jawbone areas that may need advanced treatment. Because they are digital there is much less radiation compared to film-based systems. The digital images are displayed on the computer screen within a few seconds following exposure, reducing the amount of time your dog or cat is under general anesthesia.