# Anesthesia Free Dental Care



## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

This is very interesting. I have to look into this topic some more. I hope to avoid ever needing to have Chagall's teeth professionally cleaned, between brushing them daily and giving him bones. But if I do, this really gives me food for thought.:brushteeth:


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I have the same hope as Chagall's Mom. I am wondering if this is applicable if the dog has not had a teeth cleaning but just bones and brushing. Perhaps the cleaning masks problems because it only improves what can be seen. I hope this is the case. I find it disturbing that a dogs teeth can look great but be a rotting mess. Does this article mean all dogs should be put under for periodic cleanings and how often?


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

CT Girl said:


> I have the same hope as Chagall's Mom. I am wondering if this is applicable if the dog has not had a teeth cleaning but just bones and brushing. Perhaps the cleaning masks problems because it only improves what can be seen. I hope this is the case. I find it disturbing that a dogs teeth can look great but be a rotting mess. Does this article mean all dogs should be put under for periodic cleanings and how often?


Right? That's pretty scary, my dogs teeth look good, but now I'm worried that they may not be! My clinic recently got a digital x-ray machine, so they can take xrays of the mouth and see them instantly and large.


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## Luvmydog (Oct 14, 2012)

Well that dog had periodontal disease big time with deep pockets and bone loss and mobility..no doubt. Those abscesses would be periodontal abscesses. I work on human teeth and you need to brush your dogs teeth just like humans!!! Decay can happen from bad diets just like humans as well. I had a bichon for 16 years and had to have his teeth cleaned 
under every yr for the last five years of his life .he lost two teeth.sooooo with this boy I have now I check his teeth all the time. I. Brush but do find it hard to get the lingual side due to that tongue lol. I hope he will be so use to it he will let me probe and scale if I have to in future. Btw I was talking to my vet the last time comparing dogs and humans teeth and they do not know if heart disease comes first or.periodontal but there is a link. So just like humans I recommend getting dogs teeth checked for perio for that reason as well.


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## Luvmydog (Oct 14, 2012)

Your dogs gingiva should not be inflamed at the gum linear billed easily if it is angle your brush there and rotate massage it will bleed but should get better and you should notice inflammation gradually going away if not maybe need a scaling


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Luvmydog, that makes perfect sense. It is surprisingly easy to scrape tarter off the teeth with a dental instrument I bought on Amazon. Tarter has not been much of an issue, I feed raw and Swizzle is only two but when he did get a spot it was easy to get off. I agree the tongue side is very hard to get, I have not been successful getting in there. Especially difficult with a toy. The digital x-ray sounds like a good idea too.


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## Dawnsohma (Jan 24, 2013)

ive had both Esther and Olivers teeth done by the Anesthesia Free Dental Care people we have come to our salon but neither of my dogs have bad teeth. 

i think that this is only a option for a few reasons

1 your dog is young and doesnt have bad teeth

2 your dog is so old that it cant be put under

3 people who wouldnt not or could not afford to get there dogs teeth done otherwise

but if your dog can be put under you really should have your dogs teeth cleaned properly once in a while just to make sure there are no problems so they can do proper xrays.


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## Poodlemama99 (Feb 12, 2010)

This is very interesting. Maggie just had her teeth done with anesthesia. Omar was unable to tolerate the anesthesia at his age so the vet had no choice but to scrape as best as she could with him being awake. His breath is a lot better anyway which at 14 is a bonus. LOL. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

I'm just starting to look into this and finding it pays to be _extremely_ cautious about dental cleanings without anesthesia. I would make certain your vet thoroughly exams your dog's mouth during its annual or semi-annual check-up. Dogs are good at hiding discomfort and pain at times so we might not be aware of dental issues they may be having. The importance of providing the best at-home dental care (brushing, suitable objects to chew and good nutritional diet) is key. There are dogs who, because of age or underlying medical conditions, may not be good candidates for anesthesia. I'd rely on your vet's direction as to how to safely care for them. Until *Fluffyspoos* posted, I had no idea a "cottage industry" of dental cleaning without anesthesia had popped up. Thanks for enlightening me!






AAHA | AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats
https://www.aahanet.org/Library/DentalCare.aspx

Dental Scaling Without Anesthesia | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I also thought it was a great alternative, though it just goes to show that we should research everything when it comes to procedures with our pets. I'm sure there are pros and cons to each method, but it's up to us as our dogs guardians to decide which is best for our pets.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Fluffyspoos thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. I would have never guessed this would be an issue.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

The problem I see with this article, is they are saying this dog had decay because it didn't have a cleaning under anesthesia AND dental x-rays that would have detected a problem. At my regular vet when I have had teeth done, I have NEVER seen him do dental x-rays. 

The article also expresses problems with the operators not being properly trained in detecting problems. My daughter was shown how to clean teeth and a general "what to look for", like pus, redness, loose teeth but was not a vet or a veterinary dentist. No different from the techs that do the anesthesia free cleanings. I'm not saying I agree with this in any way, just can't see how it is different than a lot of vet hospitals. 

They also state that it leaves a rough surface on the teeth that attracts bacteria. But they use the same equipment as my vet, so again, I could be wrong, but don't see a difference.

My concern is like the vaccines. I feel vets push us to over vaccinate because it is their "bread and butter". They need the income from these unnecessary vaccines. Could it be that they are coming up with occasional problems, then blowing the risk out of proportion because this might eat into their profits? Just thinking...


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