# Anesthesia-free teeth cleaning video



## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

This is a great video of dogs getting their teeth cleaned without anesthesia - scaling, ultrasonic and polishing!









http://www.dogs4dogs.com/doggydental2.html


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## NC's Mom (Oct 23, 2004)

WOW! Thank you for that! WOuld you happen to know where one could buy some of that dental equipment? I would like to be able to clean my dogs' teeth. I'm not happy with the way they get knocked out to get their teeth cleaned, but I've never heard of an alternative before and HIGHLY doubt I'd find one where we are moving.


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

Well I asked once my vet about cleaning the teeth without anesthesia. He does not recommend it because you cannot do the deep cleaning they do when they are knocked out. In my opinion, this is just a little better then brushing.


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## NC's Mom (Oct 23, 2004)

I dunno....I've watched vets clean Sir N's teeth before and the only thing I noticed different was no metal bars in the dogs mouth, dog not knocked out, dog not taking hours to recover completely from knock-out drugs, dog held in lap instead of on cold metal table. Looked great to me. Also, the dog's teeth did *not * look less clean than Sir N's right after a cleaning. The vets here won't clean the teeth more than once a year because they say the anesthesia is not good for them. I'd like for their teeth to get cleaned much more often and I'm certainly for going without anesthesia if it isn't necessary.


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

I don't know NC's mom how they do it anywhere else, but when my vet does a teeth cleaning they are going under the gums and this is something they cannot do without anesthesia. All I can say is that at 10 years old Alex has all his teeth and they look perfect. But since I am not one to brush on a consistent basis, I think the professional cleanings have done their job. I know people who the vet told them for years that the dog does not need a cleaning, but the day he told them that they need one, he had to pull some teeths. Sooooooo apparently if they had earlier cleanings, they would not have been any need to pull teeths.


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum (Jun 11, 2005)

N & C's mum - have you thought about using a preventative product - I belive Petzlife claim to eliminate the bacteria that causes plaque.


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## NC's Mom (Oct 23, 2004)

Yes, I actually have several different brands of that, but they HATE it with a passion. I'm not sure how much good it does when they try to spit it out, shake their heads so violently that the stuff goes flying out...







Plus, it's a major fight every time and then they are mad at me. I was doing it every day for awhile, but the drama was stressing us all out. As for brushing...well, Sir N has issues with things going in his mouth as it is. He's really difficult about it. Little C is a bit more compliant, but her mouth is so freaking tiny. I cannot find a toothbrush small enough. Don't even mention the finger ones....my finger without a finger brush is too big for her mouth. Just yesterday I suddenly thought of q-tips and that is what I plan to use now. She didn't resist them at all...I think because they are small enough that it doesn't her her mouth/jaw when I use them.

Sir N is nearly 10 and his teeth are only perfect right after a cleaning. I always get compliments on the condition of his teeth, even before cleanings, but I think that is because the vets are comparing my dogs to the average dog they treat. Granted, recently pet care has become much more popular, but dogs Sir N's age grew up in a time when there just weren't the same products or knowledge available that we now have.

There is still, however, a HUGE different in the quality of vet care depending upon the overall population of where you live here. Right now, Seoul. Fantastic medical care. Easy to find well-trained vets who have all the latest equipment and are well versed in how to use it. They tend to have LOTS of experience with small dogs because so many city people have pet dogs. However, we are about to move to the countryside. The vets there will not have the latest equipment because they can't afford it. Their training will most likely not be as high as their Seoul counterparts. They will have lots of experience, but it will be mainly with farm animals, not small dogs. 

For these reason, I want to be prepared to take on as much as possible with my dogs. I already ordered several books from amazon that are waiting for me at my parents' house. I've had a talk with our current vet and he has agreed to do phone consulting whenever I need it and he will be my point of contact if I need some kind of medicine that the rural vet doesn't have/believe in as well as someone to do any labwork. Heck, I've even been subjecting them to more home haircuts because I know that the chances of finding a groomer who can cut their hair well, who they are not afraid of, and who I actually like are not very good. (Though, I am taking them to the groomer later today in hopes she can work them in because we will meet the dog sitter tomorrow and I want to make a good impression.)


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum (Jun 11, 2005)

Ahh, ok, yeah, not sure I would enjoy someone 100 times my size trying to ram something into my mouth either!!

Good for you for all the research & trying to be as self-sustaining as possible, I admire your passion


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

I get Jan's newsletter too, and after reading about this the other day, I thought it sounded great. Perri's not even two yet, and his teeth are in good shape, but I thought I'd look into it and see if there are any places like the one Jan went to around here for future reference, or perhaps to take my parent's Bichon to, as he doesn't have good teeth. Well, after googling anesthesia free pet dental cleaning, I came across lots of places that offered it, but I also came across some articles against it. After reading those articles, I agree with what they said. It's actually illegal to do that because it constitues practicing veterinary medicine without a license. You have to be a vet or a supervised vet tech. Anyway, there are lots of valid reasons against it, I'll just let you read two articles I read the other day about it if you're interested.

Here is the American Veterinary Dental College's stand on it: (scroll down on the page to get to it)
article

And here is a good article explaining about it:
Article

Now I see why this would be bad to do on a dog with bad teeth such as Andre's, and a pretty ineffective and superficial treatment on a dog like Perri with good teeth. Oh, and about the Petzlife spray, I recently bought some to give to Andre. He's not my dog, but I have to do everything for him because it wouldn't get done otherwise. Anyway, Andre's a stubborn boy and HATES the spray, but I just tell him too bad LOL. He really really fights me every night when I go over and give it to him, but I prevail. If I can get it in that dog, anyone can use it. Sorry for my rambling side note LOL.


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

> Professional dental scaling includes scaling the surfaces of the teeth both above and below the gingival margin (gum line), followed by dental polishing. The most critical part of a dental scaling procedure is scaling the tooth surfaces that are within the gingival pocket (the subgingival space between the gum and the root), where periodontal disease is active. Because the patient cooperates, dental scaling of human teeth performed by a professional trained in the procedures can be completed successfully without anesthesia. However, access to the subgingival area of every tooth is impossible in an unanesthetized canine or feline patient.* Removal of dental tartar on the visible surfaces of the teeth has little effect on a pet's health, and provides a false sense of accomplishment. The effect is purely cosmetic.*[/B]




That is exactly what my vet said.


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## DenaBear07 (Aug 7, 2007)

> This is a great video of dogs getting their teeth cleaned without anesthesia - scaling, ultrasonic and polishing! :biggrin:
> 
> http://www.dogs4dogs.com/doggydental2.html[/B]


Hi! I work at a vet and we just started to offer this service...it's amazing!! It's cheaper and safer--therefore, you can get your dog's teeth cleaned more often!


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## MickeysMom (Jun 16, 2006)

There are many many many reasons that anesthesia-free teeth cleaning is basically pointless. First and foremost, if it isn't your vet or vet tech doing it, it is illegal. It is also traumatic to the pet, and it doesn't help with any kind of dental disease, and does not clean under the gum line. 

I would question any vet who offers this service...

I am a vet tech-still in school- and the clinic I work at does not recommend this, and in fact, discourages this. We will do quick hand scaling if the pet tolerates it, but it is only to help the cosmetic appearance of the teeth. It won't help with chronic bad breath.

It can also cause problems. The bacteria can get into any cuts that are made in the gums and cause all kinds of problems. 

This is NO SUBSTITUTE to a dental cleaning, done by a vet tech, under anesthesia. 

Here is a GREAT link to a vet tech's blog, where she talks about anesthesia-free teeth cleaning. You can read the comments that are made, and you can tell who the groomers or so-called "dental hygenists" are, and which comments are theirs. You can also tell that this girl knows what she's talking about. She comes back with great information.

I urge all of you to take a look at the link. You will learn a lot!!!!

Anesthesia-Free Teeth Cleaning


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