Our dog, Kobi, needs a dental exam. She is a 6 year old Havanese and while we have been fairly good about getting it done, we recently noticed they were getting a bit too dirty.
At Kobi’s annual pet exam the veterinarian recommended we consider getting his teeth cleaned.
Then about a week later, we found a chip of his tooth on the floor. That was the trigger – Kobi needed a dental exam asap!
We were really worried about the anesthesia and had heard about anesthesia-free dental cleanings (we even wrote an article about them).
We did further research on anesthesia-free dog teeth cleaning, as well as those with anesthesia.
One of the vets we really respect, Dr. Andy Roark, did a You Tube video recommending dog teeth cleaning with anesthesia.
It is also the recommended procedure by the American Veterinary Dental College.
Circle shows Kobi’s dirty molar & chipped tooth
We decided Kobi’s long term health was more important than the risk of the anesthesia.
We called up our vet, Dr. Timi Lee at Tribeca Soho Animal Hospital. As she had done a great job with Kobi’s neutering procedure, we felt safe with her as the right vet for the job.
How Did the Dog Teeth Cleaning Go?
The procedure consisted of:
- A pre-anesthetic exam and diagnostic lab tests
- Dental X-Rays
- Professional scaling – this removes plaque and tartar build-up
- Full cleaning under the gum-line – it’s where periodontal disease lurks
- Polishing – this leaves a completely smooth surface of the tooth, which helps discourage plaque and bacteria from adhering to the teeth
We also learned that sometimes there is the option of having a root canal done, thus avoiding extracting the teeth. We were fortunate Kobi’s teeth were in pretty good condition. No teeth needed to be pulled or have root canal. The tooth that was chipped was bonded.
Post Procedure Clean Teeth
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Kobi was at the vet for most of the day. When we picked him up he was happy and alert.
At home, we gave him some food and it all went down well. It’s now 24hrs post procedure and can say there have been no bad post-op side effects.
We’d like to thank Dr. Timi Lee and the staff at the Tribeca Soho Animal Hospital for doing a great job with Kobi.
We’ll definitely be coming back for another routine dental cleaning in the future.
