What is the best (well, cheapest) place to get a dog's teeth cleaned?

12/13/2013 3:08:11 PM

greenies

12/13/2013 3:21:49 PM

the anesthesia is the expensive part. at least in my experiences.

12/13/2013 3:29:11 PM

yeah... the wife wants to take the dog to get her teeth cleaned. i think the dog's teeth are fine. (so we are going to take the dog to get her teeth cleaned)

12/13/2013 3:42:19 PM

I didn't start having my dog's teeth extensively cleaned (i.e. put under for it at the vet) till he was 5. Now I have it done once a year. I think it's worth it, especially since it's impossible for me to brush his teeth.

12/13/2013 4:02:43 PM

our dog just turned 5.

12/13/2013 4:22:18 PM

just plan it around something like a yearly check up. that way you can go ahead and have everything done in one visit. plus, you can get things done that the dog might not usually like, like nails clipped.

12/13/2013 6:05:29 PM

Quote :

"Bottom line: Annual teeth cleaning is not about canine health care, it's about veterinary wealth care."

http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2009/07/pearly-white-profits.html

12/13/2013 6:10:42 PM

It's a scam.

Either brush them yourself or get some of those bones that are for gum and teeth care if you REALLY think it works, which it doesn't if you're feeding the dog a good diet.

12/13/2013 7:09:18 PM

^, ^^

this is my point of view. my wife thinks otherwise.

^^^I clip my dogs nails myself. she gets duck breast afterwards so she is good with it. she rarely ever bleeds after.

12/13/2013 7:44:40 PM

Not every dog needs a yearly cleaning. ::gasp:: and I'm a veterinarian. I have a 12.5 year old who's never had hers done and never will. My 9 year old has had 4 (mainly because he breaks his damn teeth). But some dogs, like little yappy ones, have some rotten teeth and need dentals yearly.....My point being that it depends on the dog....and hopefully you trust your vet to help you make that decision...

But as far as cheapest...sometimes you get what you pay for...so i'd be careful just looking for the cheapest....

[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 8:27 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 8:39 PM. Reason : .]

12/13/2013 8:26:27 PM

^^not true. I'm a vet and I spend the money to clean my own dogs' teeth every 6-12 months. I certainly wouldn't spend the time and money on it for my own dogs if I didn't think it was beneficial to their health! It is important to regularly examine the entire mouth including under the tongue, both sides of the teeth and the back of the throat for problems such as oral masses (especially in older dogs) and clean the teeth carefully both above and below the gumline. It also allows us to look for areas of the mouth that might be painful such as fractured teeth with pulp exposure. Certainly not every pet needs it every 6-12 months, but I do think it is definitely beneficial for lots of pets.

Brushing is great if you can do it every day to every other day and will really cut down on the number of cleanings your dog needs, but most people can't do it effectively enough to totally replace dental prophylaxis under anesthesia (and it's still good to have a thorough oral exam periodically). I have seen some dogs whose owners were able to make a great improvement in the condition of the teeth and gums just by frequent brushing and others where it hardly slows down the tartar development at all - it's hard to say if that's a function of the owner or just the pet's mouth. Also, cats (even docile ones) can be especially difficult to examine their mouths and brush their teeth when awake.

When asking your vet about the cost of a dental cleaning, it's good to know exactly what that charge includes. Standard of care is for the pet to be maintained under general anesthesia with an endotracheal tube, IV catheter and IV fluids with a dedicated vet tech monitoring the anesthesia. We also provide antibiotics and pain medications for pets that require them (tooth extractions, etc.). If one place is offering a cleaning at a much lower price than another, you can bet it's probably because they are cutting corners somewhere - not putting in catheters or providing pain meds, etc. These things are important and can make a big difference as to how well your pet tolerates the procedure.

tl;dr
dentals are good when done as recommended, (most) vets have your pet's best interest in mind and are not out to take your money, brushing your pets' teeth every day will save you money in the long run and keep your pet a lot healthier, cats need dentals too (maybe even more than most dogs)

[Edited on December 13, 2013 at 8:34 PM. Reason : .]

12/13/2013 8:32:06 PM

My family has never brushed our pet's teeth.

Never had a problem.

12/13/2013 8:40:36 PM

I'll be damned if my dog gets cleanings every 6 months.

12/13/2013 8:48:11 PM

^^^buy an ad ( )

12/13/2013 9:16:26 PM

to the vets: is it true that associates are encouraged to "devote two to five minutes of every 15-to 20-minute office visit to talking about dental care"? That's how you make your big money, right? Kind of like how Best Buy makes their big money through unnecessary add-ons and protection plans?

12/13/2013 10:14:19 PM

You really have to watch out when the vet offers extended warranty.

12/13/2013 10:21:40 PM

My vet never mentions teeth cleaning as being mandatory for my pooch.
The groomer will brush my dog's teeth if I ask them to though.
Done it once. She's basically two yrs old.

12/14/2013 2:34:07 AM

I think that pet's mouths are individual just like our own. Some pets will go through their entire lives with few if any dental problems and others are going to have some issues. I think that it makes sense to take preventative measures with your pet's dental health, but the extent of those measures should probably be individually tailored to your pet. I've had dogs that had very little build up on their teeth due to luck and chewing habits. I've had other dogs who required routine dental care to keep their teeth in good health because of malocclusion and overcrowding. And then I've got this poor cat who started with dental problems as a kitten and even with routine dental care, she's going to eventually lose all of her teeth to gum disease. I think that you can use a little common sense in deciding how often your pet needs a full dental. For some animals it makes sense to do routinely and some it doesn't.

[Edited on December 14, 2013 at 12:31 PM. Reason : But it should still be done. ]

12/14/2013 12:29:28 PM

^^^I work in a private practice and neither of my bosses has ever told me how to divide up my time with patients/clients. Dental care is certainly a topic of discussion in the veterinary world (sometimes contentious even between vets as to what best practices are), but no moreso than controlling heartworm disease, obesity, etc. I try to focus on the major issues for that particular pet, but after seeing tons of older dogs with "sewer mouth" and teeth that are rotting out of their gums, you can bet I encourage my patients with less severe dental disease to work on preventative care starting very early (both brushing and dental cleanings if indicated). I try not to anthropormorphize too much, but it's hard to believe that having rotten teeth doesn't feel painful, even in those pets that are still eating normally per their owners. I also remind people that dental disease is one of those things that will NEVER get better on its own, it only gets worse with time (unless you consider all the teeth falling out better). As a client, if you don't understand why something is recommended or done a certain way, you have the right to ask the veterinarian to explain and/or show you - if they aren't willing to do that, it's time to find a new vet.

12/14/2013 3:42:43 PM