Did you hear about the anesthesia free dog teeth cleaning services? They are cheaper and safer, or so they say. It might be cheaper, and your dog won’t be under anesthesia, but it is just isn’t as effective as the anesthesia cleaning services.
I will start by explaining what exactly the Periodontal disease is, what happens during an anesthesia free dog teeth cleaning session, and explain why it is nothing but a cosmetic procedure that is actually illegal.
I understand why pet owners feel wary about putting their dogs under anesthesia, but the anesthesia-free teeth cleaning service only retouch the surface of the problem.
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Anesthesia Free Dog Teeth Cleaning – Periodontal disease
Periodontal disease, also called pet dental disease, is one of the most serious diseases that could affect your dog’s quality of life. If Periodontal disease stays untreated, a dog would suffer from terrible pain, infections, teeth loss, and might eventually damage vital organs like the liver and the heart.
Periodontal disease is characterized by plaque and tartar buildup, which irritates the gum tissues and makes the oral bacteria flourish and prosper. Both of these events damage the gums and cause bone loss, leading to teeth loss. Now that we have a general overview of the disease let’s learn more about this progressive disease.
Gingivitis
Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gums that happened in response to the oral bacteria mixing up with certain proteins from immune cells and saliva. The teeth gums swell, and a red line might appear on them. Symptoms and signs include:
- Slightly swollen Gums.
- Minimal red lines on the teeth’s gum.
- A little bit of pain.
The proper way to handle the Gingivitis stage includes the following:
- Taking your dog to regularly to veterinarian visits to clean their teeth under anesthesia ( You’ll soon know why).
- Daily teeth brushing at home using a dog’s dental toothpaste and a toothbrush.
Tartar
In a nutshell, Tartar is basically hardened plaque. Inflammation progresses and worsens, and the grooves in the gum holding the teeth in its place (the sulcus) widens. The plaque and tartar migrate from the tooth to the groove, triggering the inflammation even more.
There might be a bit of bone loss, which could only be seen via oral radiographs. The only way to use an oral radiograph on a dog is if they’re under anesthesia.
Symptoms and signs include:
- Inflamed gums
- Bad breath
- Plaque on teeth
- Tartar on teeth
The proper way to handle this stage includes the following:
- Take your dog to the veterinary dentistry to prevent further bone loss and reverse this progressive disease. Bone loss leads to teeth loss, so take them to the dentist as soon as possible.
- The Veterinary dentist will put your dog under anesthesia to see how much bone loss occured.
- They will also be able to clean the accumlate plaque and tartar beneath the gum.
Periodontal disease
If the dog’s teeth remain untreated, the bone loss will progress to fifty percent and higher. The dog will be in excruciating pain, at risk of losing their teeth, and prone to systemic infection that could damage vital internal organs.
The systemic infection occurs due to the oral bacteria spreading throughout the body via the bloodstream.
Symptoms and signs include:
- Serious bone loss that not visible to the naked eye.
- Terrible breath odor.
- Excruciating pain.
- More plaque builds up.
- More tartar builds up.
The proper way to handle this stage includes the following:
- The Veterinary dentist will extract the teeth while your dog is under anesthesia.
- Or, they will treat thei teeth with advanced procedures if the Periodontal disease is still in its third stage.
If you want to learn more about the disease, and the often promoted natural ways to treat it, then check my Best Way to Clean Dogs Teeth Naturally blog post. I also discussed if you could use coconut oil instead of toothpaste, click here if you’re intrested to read about that.
I have sort of hinted throughout the brief Periodontal disease explanation why anesthesia-free dog teeth cleaning isn’t that beneficial. I’m going summarize all of the reasons right now.
Anesthesia Free Dog Teeth Cleaning is cosmetic.
It is not promoted as a cosmetic procedure, but this what it truly is. Since the dog is not under anesthesia, the practitioner will not be able to take oral radiographs. The only problem visible is the one sitting pretty on the surface. So any plaque and tartar hiding beneath the gum will continue inflaming the gum, and the bacteria will not stop flourishing.
You’ll leave the place with your dog having a shiny, bright smile. Be careful though, for not everything that glitters turn out to be gold. Not to mention that any signs of bone loss will go unseen because the only way to see them is through the x-ray screen.
Anesthesia Free Dog Teeth Cleaning is dangerous.
Animals are unpredictable. A human might manage to sit still in the dentist’s chair as they get their teeth cleaned, but dogs will be scared and confused about what is happening around them. We can’t just expect them to sit still as we scrape the plaque and tartar from their teeth.
Some might wonder what the difference between anesthesia-free dog teeth cleaning and regular teeth brushing since both involve scrubbing the dog’s teeth is. However, the difference though slight, the outcome is actually hugmangous.
If your dog squirms away from you when you’re brushing their teeth, they won’t get hurt cause you’re using a toothbrush. However, during the anesthesia-free dog teeth cleaning session, the tools uses are pointy and sharp, which might cause cuts on your dog.
One last thing to mention is that most places that offer anesthesia-free dog teeth cleaning services are illegal because the people performing these services aren’t certified vetrienrian dentisits.
Now that you know the risks and dangers that stem from anesthesia-free dog teeth cleaning services, are you still willing to go to them? They might be cheaper, but they’re by no means an alternative. The pain and danger your dog will be in is more important, and when the disease progresses, the bill will get so much bigger.
Let me know if you have more questions about the periodontal disease. Also, feel free to share with us your personal experience with your dog’s dental cleaning regime in the comments down below.
