Dear Dr. Abbie: I read your column about dental cleanings, and I know my Bichon, Shitake, needs his teeth cleaned, but I don’t like the idea of anesthesia. Why do vets have to put dogs under anesthesia to clean their teeth? – Sign me, Mushroom lover
Dear Mushroom lover: Thanks for your question. Shitake must be the most loveable, kissable smooch pooch. Or at least he should be, because that’s what Bichon’s are for, right? The one thing standing in the way of returning the unconditional love that dogs give us is their breath. Whew! Have you been hunting truffles at the dump, my carefully coiffed friend? Did you stand on the steering wheel of the porcelain bus to get your Eau de Toilette?
Here are seven humorous reasons why we need anesthesia for dental care in pets:
1. No dog (or cat) will allow us to spray water out of an ultrasonic cleaner which emits a high speed vibration and makes a sound like a giant demented mosquito up under their gums which is necessary to remove the bacteria, plaque and tartar.
2. The handpieces for the ultrasonic cleaners cost a few thousand dollars each. No one wants to treat these as a disposable item (most people think dentals cost too much now!) .
3. Vet techs want to go home everyday with the same fingers they came to work with in the morning.
4. We need to actually examine the dog’s teeth and gums. A one millisecond glimpse is not an exam.
5. Those hunks of bacteria laden tartar really should not be inhaled directly into the lungs. They are little bacteria bombs just waiting to settle down in the nice cozy environment of the delicate airways, so a tracheal tube is placed to protect the airway so pets do not get a serious case of pneumonia.
6. Many veterinary practices have dental x-ray equipment. Dogs are definitely not about to “Bite down. Hold your breath. Don’t move.” while the dental film is placed in their mouths.
7. Don’t you wish you could have a nice tranquilized experience that provides amnesia when you go to the dentist? I trust, respect and admire my dentist, but I have had to ‘talk myself off the ledge’ many times while I was laying back, blinded by a bright light, choking on saliva, trying to control my suddenly gigantic, numb tongue while he did something that “will only hurt for a second” and stretched my lips so far I feared I’d end up looking like OctoMom. Dogs only do deep breathing when it suits them. For everything else, there’s sedation and anesthesia.
In truth, veterinarians just can’t perform a remotely adequate exam and cleaning of pets’ oral cavity without anesthesia. We don’t want to cause undue discomfort to our patients (and they are not about to let us!). Most people are afraid to get their teeth cleaned and we can rationalize the process. Pets can’t and it is just too stressful and dangerous for us to try.
I hope Shitake’s breath is kissing fresh soon! Please keep your questions coming! I enjoy hearing from you. – Dr. Abbie
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