Is Non-Anesthesia Teeth Cleaning a Good Option for Your Pet?

By Jodie Gruenstern, DVM, CVA

During my 35 years in small animal veterinary practice, I have made several observations and adjustments to my recommendations for natural pet care. As my clientele shifted from kibble feeders to raw feeders, I witnessed an improvement in oral health and a decrease in my frequency of recommending under-anesthesia dentistries. I did not see an increase in fractured teeth, even though I was recommending and selling raw bones. I believe most of the blame for fractured teeth lies with the hard, dry, smoked or cooked bones that are inappropriately prepared by well-meaning pet owners or usage of antlers sold by pet product retailers. Large dogs consuming raw diets and raw bones on a routine basis generally have beautiful teeth!

Small breed issues

I continued to see significant buildup of tartar and gingivitis in the smaller breed dogs. I believe the reason for this is multifactorial. Many of the small breeds provided with the proper and safe raw bone size for their dentition. Lastly, many pet guardians are afraid of being bit by their little dogs when trying to look into their pets’ mouths or when attempting to brush their teeth. More education is needed.

Anesthetic risks during conventional dental prophylaxis

It is these small dogs especially who need daily home care and veterinary prophylaxis. Unfortunately, these small breeds are at the greatest anesthetic risk, so their owners often fear and refuse anesthesia, so oral and subsequently systemic health suffers. These fears are not unfounded. Yorkshire Terriers and other breeds, including some cats, are predisposed to liver shunts. This decreases their ability to properly metabolize normal doses of sedatives and anesthetics. Cavaliers and other aging small dogs are particularly predisposed to heart valve disease, which can increase anesthetic risk. The brachycephalic breeds often have trouble with intubation and recovery due to their anatomy and trouble breathing. To give the practitioner and yourself peace of mind, be sure to agree to thorough preanesthetic blood work that may identify possible risk factors and allow the doctor to adjust protocol. Even in healthy, low risk patients, the anesthetic medications and metabolic changes during the procedure can have adverse effects on the vital organs and immune system.

Anesthesia-free teeth cleaning option

cleaning.

successfully with veterinary supervision throughout the US.

are genetically predisposed to dental disease. Evidence for this is affirmed in a study of a large population of dogs where the prevalence of periodontal disease was less in larger dogs than in smaller. And second, many small dogs are not

In the human dental industry, patients receive complete dental prophylaxis annually or several times per year with no anesthesia. This is an accepted and respected practice. Why should this method not be viewed similarly in the veterinary dental industry? Indeed, there are pockets of pet hygienists practicing

These teams are not standardized. A standard would be helpful to the consumer. Most teams are very transparent and pet owners can judge for themselves the level of patient comfort during the procedure and the before and after appearance of the teeth. Owners of patients who undergo anesthesia for this procedure often have no other means to judge efficacy either. Ultrasonic scaling with water spraying is not a precursor to effective cleaning. Indeed, this instrument does not clean under the gum line.

Many human hygienists assert that effective hand scaling is the gold standard for subgingival cleaning. This can be accomplished effectively without anesthesia in many dog patients. Is high speed polishing necessary? Certainly, that cannot be done without anesthesia. Human hygienists explain that this type of polishing is for stains, not for scratches in the enamel from scaling. Most vets have been misinformed on this topic. Anesthesia-free dentistry (AFD) teams use pumice and toothpaste to “slow speed” polish teeth after scaling.

A good AFD team knows how to examine the oral cavity and when to refer for under-anesthesia procedures, such as radiographs and extractions.

Dentistry expense

Basic under-anesthesia dental prophylaxis has become cost prohibitive for many pet owners. This financial burden has caused many pet owners to just say no and let their pets’ mouths become progressively neglected. Veterinary costs and overhead are high; the anesthesia-free dental teams with their reasonable prices could be a welcome option for pet owners and veterinarians who wish to refer for more frequent, thorough professional cleaning.

Home care

What can you do at home? You’ve heard this before. Start to brush your pet’s teeth when they are very young. Get them used to it. But what if that never happened? Now what?

Dogs love coconut oil! Begin a new nightly treat game. New habits are hard to implement, but if your pet enjoys the activity, it will be much easier! Approach your resistant pet from behind or the side while snuggling on your lap. Extend a finger full of yummy coconut oil. Do this consistently every night. Purchase an inexpensive bag of gauzes from a pharmacy. Wrap a mildly abrasive gauze pad around your finger and then dip it