https://www.aaha.org/your-pet/pet-owner-education/ask-aaha/Anesthesia-and-Dental-Cleaning/ Is anesthesia necessary for my pet’s dental cleaning? Your pet must be anesthetized to allow thorough evaluation of his mouth, clean his teeth above and below the gumline, and treat painful dental conditions. According to the 2019 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, anesthesia-free dentistry is neither safer nor sufficiently comparable to supra- and subgingival cleaning in an anesthetized patient, and is therefore unacceptable. Although owners’ fear of anesthesia is the most common reason pets don’t receive medically necessary dental care, most animals do well under anesthesia and have few complications. Why is anesthesia needed for dental procedures in pets? Only a limited oral exam and tartar removal above the gumline is possible without anesthesia. Dental anesthesia is critical for a complete, thorough cleaning for the following reasons: An awake animal is unlikely to allow a veterinarian to poke around his mouth with dental instruments. A complete exam that allows the veterinarian to fully determine the extent of dental disease and oral problems only can be performed on an anesthetized patient. Dental X-rays should be taken prior to every dental cleaning and anesthesia is required to keep pets still. Since 60% of a tooth is below the gumline, problems such as retained roots, root fractures, and periodontal disease only can be detected on radiographs. Without X-rays, many dental problems go undiagnosed and untreated. A complete dental cleaning involves evaluation of pocket depth, tartar scaling above and below the gums, and polishing. Subgingival tartar removal, which is critically necessary to prevent dental disease progression, requires the insertion of dental instruments below the gumline, which can be uncomfortable. Most patients will not hold still for tartar removal, which involves poking, prodding, bright lights, and sharp instruments. Even the limited cleaning that anesthesia-free dentistry permits is traumatic for a pet and may make him afraid to visit the veterinarian in the future. Many pets hide painful dental problems and a proper dental cleaning can hurt sensitive teeth. Anesthesia allows your pet to rest pain-free throughout the cleaning, even when painful procedures, such as tooth extractions, are necessary. A thorough dental exam and X-rays may reveal problems requiring immediate action that can't be treated without anesthesia. If your pet already is anesthetized, problems can be addressed immediately so he returns to you with a healthy mouth.

Thanks for the many good suggestions. i like a lot of the GUM products, including the bristle things and the little green plastic bow saw looking flossers. I forgot all about using the rubber pointy thing. Is it to put pressure on the gums (blanch) to simulate circulation? mdln, I will try that GUM expanding floss. Is this the one that is a bit stretchy? Thanks for including thre images. FOAS, the Tom’s flat floss looks interesting. Thanks for taking the time to open the strand up and photograph it. I might try the cocofiber stuff — or maybe I could just rob some from a plant basket liner ;) HB — someone was selling 50’ of the Listerine floss on eBay starting at $52 for that one pack. That’s more expensive that some of the best knitting yarns. C Marlin — was your dentist able to find out why Johnson & Johnson stopped offering it? And, yes, I have seen other remarking online about missing the Listerine floss. I wonder why they quit it? Could they at least license it to some other company? I’d even be willing to buy it in bulk, like serger cones, and wind in on those little empty spools that fit in the white case. That floss has other uses too. To see if it could be done (as an article on removing embedded deer ticks while camping suggested), I tried it and was successful. I bet that tick felt honored (and knew that I cared about its mouthparts staying fresh) as well as surprised when he was suddenly surrounded by mint scented blue and white ”ropes” and pulled away from her lunch. IIRC I think I snapped a photo of it. I wonder if the Listerine division of J&J would be impressed enough to crank up their spinning wheels again. Think the eBay seller ($52!) will find a buyer?

Levantine Dental Clinic is established to help people achieve optimum oral health, resulting in radiant and beautiful smiles. Our facility is fully equipped with the latest dental technology, allowing us to provide premium oral and dental treatment to our patients. More importantly, we have highly trained dental specialists that provide expert consultation and administer proven treatments to every dental case.

Hi, I am back after a short rest — getting my balance. Trying to between snow and sleet, med appointments, dental whallop, dropped iphone failing (grrrr), exhaustion and out of sorts. I want to thank all of you for your kind and thoughtful responses. I am trying to order seed for a money tree. So, I gave you two (2) expensive dental restoration issues. And, yes, FOAS, I goofed and forgot the lousy sketch of the broken off front lower incisor. I can barely draw an oval, but I will offer an approximation. I drew the incisors way too narrow, but it will still convey approximately where the tooth broke. (I told you that I s**k at drawing. I drew the teeth way too narrow. OOPS. Double the width. or at least half again. Person went to dentist and said way BOW COOP expensive. Dentist sset up a meeting in 6 weeks or so. Will discuss oter options. The owner of this mouth with missing tooth is, IMHO, too retiring. I asked if he asked dentist how long might new $$$ restoration (glue job) last. Said dentist told him could last 2 years or 3 or 4 or until the universe dries up and blows away. I replied, ”you’re saying that for ~$4,000 the resoration might last only 2 or 3 years? Then what? What ifit fails in a month? Do you get a refund?” The dentist is a ”Prosthodontist.” I always mis-spell that word, so say ”cosmetic dentist” which, as Elmer rightly pointed out is or tends to be a fluff term. I have same dentist. I’m sure board certified in several areas. Gone to him ever since he with broken incisor asked his picky periodontal surgeon who that guy would send his (stereotype not disclosed here ethnic group Mother to. That how he got the name of Dr. prosthodontist. The dentist is way pricy, but very good. Teaches at a big city dental school. Is artistic (I think that is a good indicator. I’ve had crowns and onlays that have lasted > (knock on wood) 30 years. He is fastidious. But as FOAS commented, maybe too good. LOL I don’t thinks I’ve got 30 more years on me. Maybe only 3 to 6, maybe 8 or 10. Yeah, got to love materials science. broken off teeth can be glued together, but as some have noted, maybe not for long. This prosthodontist has realistic aeshetics. He accepts natural looking teeth. His teeth are white but are far from perfect with imprefect alighnments and a few irregularities, maybe a chip or two. He doesn’t do chiclet teeth. I suppose the person could just leave himself gap tooth. When he annoys me, I find myself thinkig that it fits with his personality. I have some 2 part expoxy resin for reairing boats. Toxic as hell, but I could probably fashion a gap filler. PS, I have no idea why yourw supposed to put freshly broken tooth in water. I BELIEVE is is so that is does not disintegrate into powder.