Taking care of your pet’s teeth is really important. Our vets always check your dog or cat’s teeth when they come in for a visit. Sometimes we find dental problems during regular check-ups or if your pet shows signs like pain, drooling a lot, having trouble eating, or bad breath. If we see these signs, the vet might suggest a dental procedure with general anaesthesia. Here’s what happens during that process:
Morning admission
You bring your pet to us early in the morning, and we ask that they don’t eat breakfast so they’re ready for their anaesthesia. The nurse will go through some questions with you, as well as any questions you have yourself. We’ll ask you to sign a few forms and then you pet will come in to stay with us for the day.
Initial examination
We thoroughly check your pet, listening to their heart and lungs, taking their temperature, and sometimes doing a blood test. This blood test makes sure that their liver and kidneys are working well enough for the procedure; this is especially important for older pets.
An intravenous cannula will then be placed into one of their front legs, which gives us direct access to their circulation and allows for easy administration of medications.
Only a small amount of blood is needed for the pre-anaesthetic blood test: approximately 1 millilitre!
Premedication
This is the step before inducing anaesthesia. Once your pet is deemed fit for the procedure, we administer a combination of medications known as ‘premedication’. These drugs sedate your pet and provide pain relief which lasts during and after their procedure.
Anaesthesia
After a few minutes, we administer the drug which induces anaesthesia. Their body will go floppy and they will not be conscious. At this point we can place an endotracheal tube, which is a tube that goes down their airway so that we can control their oxygen saturation as well as administer the anaesthetic gas which keeps them asleep.
Our nurses closely watch their heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, oxygen, carbon dioxide levels, and temperature throughout the procedure.
Dental examination and cleaning
While your pet is asleep, we thoroughly examine their mouth and teeth. We note any missing teeth, check the depth of gum pockets and check for problems. Then, we remove all the tartar using an ultrasonic scaler, making sure to clean even the tricky spots like between the teeth, under the gums, and the back surfaces where bacteria like to hide.
We may take X-rays of your pet’s teeth to look for hidden issues like abscesses, bone loss or resorptive lesions. The X-rays and our exam help us decide if any teeth need to be removed and plan the best way to do it.
Extractions, stitches and polishing
If we need to extract any teeth, we might put stitches in your pet’s gums, which will dissolve in a couple of weeks. After extractions, we’ll give your pet a painkiller injection and possibly an injection of antibiotics if there’s an infection.
The final step is polishing the teeth with a soft paste to make them smooth which prevents future tartar buildup. This also leaves your pet with a fresh smelling breath to go home with.
Waking up and recovery
Once the teeth are clean and shiny, it’s time for your pet to wake up. They stay with us for a few hours to recover, and some might continue getting fluids through their cannula to help them. Our nurses give them soft food (which they’ll be happy to eat, especially if we removed any painful teeth) and lots of cuddles! Once the nurses are satisfied that your pet has recovered well, they will then give you a call to arrange their home time.
Whilst the nurses discuss after care with you, your pet’s cannula gets removed, and a little bandage is put on to stop any bleeding from the site. We’ll give your pet a final check over before handing them back to you.
Follow up care
A few days after the procedure, our nurses will check your pet again and give you tips on how to keep their teeth healthy at home. We appreciate when owners bring their pets in for their follow ups, often they are like a whole new pet!
And that’s it! This whole process helps keep your pet’s mouth healthy and makes sure they stay happy and comfortable. It is important to look after your pet’s teeth, and we hope that this has helped to show that a dental procedure is not as scary as what it may seem!
