A growing concern among pet parents is the safety of anesthesia in order to have their pet’s teeth clean (periodontal treatment.) At our holistic hospital, our unique and holistic approach to sedation/anesthesia makes all surgical procedures, even periodontal treatment, as safe as possible.
Some pet parents have asked about anesthesia-free periodontal treatment, a growing trend in pet care. While anesthesia-free dental care can make the teeth clean and shiny, we DO NOT RECOMMEND it for our patients for the following reasons:
- It is painful to perform a thorough and proper periodontal treatment on a fully awake patient.
- It does not address disease below the gum line, which is the major source of periodontal disease.
- Many pets who have had anesthesia-free dental cleanings have severe disease below the gumline and often require extracting diseased teeth even when their teeth are clean and shiny.
- Anesthesia-free dental cleanings give a false impression that the pet’s mouth is healthy when this is not true.
- Veterinary dentists consider anesthesia-free dental cleanings malpractice!
While we will do everything we can to reduce the cost of caring for your pet, we will never put your pet’s health or life at risk. Properly caring for your pet’s dental disease is important and is our top priority.