Anesthesia Free Dentistry
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| Dental X-Rays |
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It is not possible to do a complete oral exam let alone a thorough cleaning without anesthesia. Each surface of each tooth and all areas of the gums need to be examined. Dental x-rays are needed to find the majority of problems, and anesthesia is needed to obtain the x-rays. For example, a tooth can appear normal or only slightly affected but can have severe disease which is shown in an x-ray. While we may just see some slight inflammation at the gum line, an x-ray of the tooth may show that it is abscessed, and may require a root canal procedure or be extracted. Owners of pets in pain may not even recognize it until their pet's teeth are treated. If your pet has pain from their teeth, they will be much happier once its taken care of! |
Does your dog have stinky breath? Do your cat’s teeth look brown? In fact, periodontal disease is the most common disease that pets develop. It is estimated that 80 to 85% of dogs and cats have some degree of infection. It is not just a cosmetic problem, chronic infection shortens their life because of effects on other organs, especially the heart, kidneys, and liver, not to mention the pain that bad teeth can cause.
Veterinarians are trained to diagnose and treat periodontal disease. Unfortunately, there is a growing trend to offer “anesthesia free dentistry” by untrained people at grooming parlors and pet food stores. Here are six reasons why “anesthesia free dentistry” is a terrible idea.
In “anesthesia free dentistry” the dogs are just held down and the teeth are scraped with a metal tool to clean tartar off the crowns of the teeth. One problem is that the crowns are only about 2% of the problem. Pathology takes place under the gums and this is where veterinarians concentrate their treatment. Cleaning the crowns is just a cosmetic treatment, it does nothing to improve the health of the pet. Dogs are stressed with “anesthesia free” dentistry. They have to be held firmly to try to reduce movement. Think how hard it is to get them to hold still just to brush their teeth. Hand scaling uses sharp metal instruments. Even a slight movement can cause injury to teeth, gums, lips, even the eyes. Also, as the dog is struggling, it can aspirate pieces of tartar as it is removed. Fractures of the jaw have also been known to occur.
Hand scaling with metal instruments causes etches in the enamel of the teeth. Veterinarians use either power instruments that cause less etching, or are able to use a light touch with hand instruments on the enamel because the pet is not moving. Then the teeth are polished to smooth the enamel. With the “anesthesia free” procedure, deeper grooves are made in the enamel of the teeth, which enables the tartar to attach and accumulate even faster.
When your pet has an “anesthesia free” procedure, it gives you a false sense of accomplishment and delays the treatment your pet really needs. It is very common to find abscessed teeth, fractured teeth, and bone loss on x-rays that no one could see just by looking in the mouth. It is illegal. In the United States and Canada, only licensed veterinarians can practice dentistry. Anyone providing dental services other than a DVM or a supervised, trained licensed veterinary technician working directly with a DVM, is practicing veterinary medicine without a license and is open to prosecution.
Owners are commonly concerned about putting their beloved pets under anesthesia, but modern anesthetic techniques and monitoring equipment actually make it as safe as in human medicine. As you can see, there is more risk if any dental procedure is done without anesthesia.
What's New?
-According to the American Veterinary Dental Society (AVDS) an astounding 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats show signs of oral disease by age 3.
-Periodontal disease is a common problem in dogs, particularly smaller breeds.
-Cats can develop painful resorptive lesions. Studies show that about 28 percent of domestic cats develop at least one of these painful lesions during their lifetime.
-Oral disease begins with a buildup of bacteria in the pet´s mouth
-Periodontal disease causes red, swollen and tender gums, receding gums, bleeding, pain and bad breath. If left untreated, periodontitis can lead to tooth loss.
-The inflammation and infection associated with periodontal disease may damage other organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys, or lead to other serious health problems.
The first step in preventing oral disease is a routine physical examination including a dental exam.
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Protect Every Member of Your Family!
Why take precautions? Because 10,000 people will get roundworms this year.¹ Children are at high risk because they have a tendency to put dirty fingers and objects in their mouths.
Most of us consider our pets to be one of "the family" - they sleep, eat, play, travel and pretty much do everything with us. We all want to protect our family members from unnessesary exposure to things such as internal parasites (worms) and external parasites (fleas and ticks). Some pets have parasites that can be transmitted from themselves to you, their owners - these parasites are called zoonotic.
So you ask, how can I have my four-legged family members with my human children without putting my children at risk? 
The best way to prevent your children from becoming infected is to make sure your pet is on year-round parasite prevention. Also, be sure to bring us a stool sample in to our office every 6 months to have your pet's stool sample checked and treated for any external and internal parasites that might be present. To see more tips please visit http://www.petsandparasites.org
1The Center for Food Security & Public Health.
"Roundworm Infection, Toxocariasis." Fast Facts.
http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/fastfacts/pdfs/
(accessed September 26, 2008).
2www.cdc.gov
3A. caninum
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