Dental cleaning / surgery
Since dental cleaning requires that your cat must be anesthetized, it’s considered a form of surgery. Your kitty will receive the same care and monitoring that he/she would receive for any surgical procedure including:
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Use of safe inhalant gas anesthesia
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Insertion of IV catheter to administer fluids
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Continuous monitoring of vital signs: heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen flow and body temperature
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Pain management
A veterinary nurse at The Cat Practice performs a dental cleaning under anesthesia. More than 70% of cats get dental disease by age 3.
DENTAL CLEANING is done to remove excessive plaque and tartar on your cat’s teeth. If left untreated, plaque and tartar lead to inflammation of the gums that causes gum disease. The tooth surfaces are also polished to help slow down future accumulation of plaque and tartar.
While your cat is anesthetized, we will also:
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Check for broken teeth
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Probe each tooth to check for disease
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Take x-rays to examine areas below the gum line*
*X-rays are necessary in providing a complete diagnose and appropriate course of treatment.
Dental cleaning - before and after
Before dental cleaning (Photo A)
Notice the brown coloration of the teeth. This is tartar that can only be removed by professional ultrasonic scaling. Also notice the area within the red circle, which shows receding gums exposing the root of the tooth. (The string is used to secure the breathing tube in the cat's mouth.)
X-Ray (Photo B) shows that the tooth in the red circles disintegrating, making it susceptible to bacteria which can lead to a serious infection and cause extreme pain. It must be extracted.
After the dental cleaning and extraction (Photo C)
Notice how teeth are much whiter following cleaning and removal of tartar. You can also see the site where the diseased tooth was extracted. The gums are red from cleaning below the gum line.
