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    Veterinary Dental Costs

    March 27, 2014
    Categories
    • Cats
    • Dogs
    • Veterinarian Medicine
    Tags

    Why is veterinary dental care costly? Plus tips for the pet
    owner
    I am asked why the cost of veterinary dentistry is expensive. It is true that over the
    past several years there has been a change in veterinary dental fees. This is a direct
    result of the increase in technology that is available for the safe anesthesia and
    treatment necessary to practice the highest quality veterinary dentistry. The good
    news is with this new technology, we can provide much better quality oral care for our
    pets and have them live healthier, happier lives.
    All dental procedures should be performed under
    general anesthesia. Safe anesthesia starts with
    prescreening to determine the overall health of a
    patient. This includes a comprehensive physical
    examination, blood tests and sometimes other tests
    such as chest x-rays, echocardiograms or
    electrocardiograms. Anesthesia drugs, administration
    and monitoring pets undergoing dental procedures have
    become very sophisticated so that we can now
    anesthetize higher risk and older patients with a higher
    degree of safety. While a patient is under general anesthesia, several vital signs are
    monitored to ensure the patient is tolerating the anesthesia well. Monitoring often
    includes an electrocardiogram, blood oxygen, expired carbon dioxide and blood
    pressure. The prescreening process and administration of anesthesia is quite similar to
    the process used in human medicine.
    Through the use of intra oral x-rays, technology has also
    advanced to allow us to diagnose dental disease that was
    previously undetectable. Many practices now use digital
    radiography or a computerized x-ray image. This eliminates the
    need for dental films and the slow process of developing x-rays
    by hand. Now, a digital sensor is placed in the patient’s mouth
    and the image shows up on a computer screen seconds
    later. The amount of radiation necessary for digital images is only a fraction of what was used for film x-rays. Intra oral radiography is the single
    most important tool for the diagnosis of dental disease.
    Many veterinary dental practices are now using “high speed” drills for use in oral
    surgery. This allows us to more easily treat teeth, extract teeth and perform many
    oral surgeries. As a result of all the advances in veterinary dentistry, we have an
    increased ability to treat the dental disease that is present with higher degrees of
    sophistication. All of this adds to an increased cost of care, but the best news is that
    we now have pets that seem to feel much younger, happier and more energetic after
    being treated for dental disease.
    With increased knowledge of dentistry, we are now capable if diagnosing and treating
    a much wider variety of dental disease. These new therapies allow us to save teeth in
    many instances and help to maintain mouths with a lesser degree of oral pain. Some
    of the procedures that are commonly performed include endodontic therapy (root
    canal therapy) for broken or dead teeth, advanced medical and surgical techniques for
    treating periodontal disease, orthodonture for animals whose natural bite might be
    causing oral pain, newer techniques for the treatment of jaw fractures and
    the placement of crowns on working dogs with fractured teeth.
    Part of every pet’s examination should include an oral
    evaluation. In the awake patient, only a limited view of the
    mouth is obtained, but often good enough to determine if an
    anesthetic exam and dental cleaning should be
    performed. The veterinarian is often looking for evidence of
    halitosis (bad breath), calculus or tartar on the teeth,
    gingivitis, periodontitis, broken teeth, loose teeth, decay of
    the teeth, etc. Any of these changes warrants an anesthetic
    evaluation and treatment.
    Preventive dental care at home should include daily
    brushing of the teeth. Brushing less than once a day has
    been shown to have little positive benefits on the
    prevention of dental disease. There are now diets and
    chews approved by the Veterinary Oral Health
    Council (VOHC). The VOHC seal of approval certifies that
    a dental diet or product will decrease plaque and tartar
    accumulation on teeth. Annual oral exams performed by
    your veterinarian can help screen for dental disease and
    annual prophies are recommended to minimize plaque and tartar build up. Keeping
    the teeth clean is the best way to prevent periodontal disease and keep our pets
    healthier and happier.

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