Our Pet Dental FAQ
You might have lots of questions about your pet’s dental health and care. Check out our FAQ below for more information! And if you still have pressing questions, don’t hesitate to call us at (832) 702-7599 today.
You won't know. A lot of problems reside between teeth and in the roots. You can only find that with radiographs and proper examination!
Maintaining a clean and comfortable oral cavity is necessary to maximize your pet's comfort, health, and longevity!
Absolutely! A pet’s instinct to survive will compel them to eat regardless of the oral pain they endure. If a pet is skipping meals, becoming a finicky eater, or “preferring” human or canned food, these are all indications that they may be suffering from oral pain.
The heavy chewing habits of juvenile pets, especially large breed dogs, can lead to unseen damage. Deer antlers, for example, are known to commonly cause tooth fractures as they are too hard. That’s right, dogs and cats can suffer painful fractured teeth that are perfectly clean! Cavities can also go completely undetected unless X-rays are taken safely under anesthesia to assess all teeth.
42% of canine oral disease and 29% of feline oral disease is found only with radiographs.
Anesthetic dental cleanings allow us to do much more than just polish your pet’s teeth. With anesthesia, we can safely examine the entire mouth, clean below the gumline, and take X-rays to detect hidden problems such as fractured teeth, impacted teeth, or painful cysts. Clean teeth don’t always mean comfortable teeth, and pets as young as 7 months old can develop issues that cause discomfort beneath the surface. Don't let this hidden disease advance.
The initial consultation is complimentary! It only takes about 10 minutes of your time. We will then prepare a customized treatment plan for your pet and set up the actual dental cleaning and assessment.
Absolutely, two-thirds of the tooth remains hidden below the gums. Radiographs can only be safely performed under anesthesia to assess those roots. Not taking radiographs has been proven to miss important diseases below the gum line, essentially leaving painful conditions untreated. Having clean teeth is important but overlooking underlying disease leaves pets suffering.
Please call us at (832) 702-7599 or email us at info@houstonpetdentals.com to schedule your initial exam. We are open Tuesday to Friday.
Pet’s don't brush their teeth or floss like us humans do. Instead, they eat grass and bugs, lick their fur, and chew on numerous other traumatizing materials that can result in gingivitis and other painful conditions. All of that trauma and lack of oral hygiene leads to large amounts of bacteria hiding around the gums creating an odor you can’t ignore and is uncomfortable for the pet. That same odor then gets spread all over their body if they suffer from allergies. This “smearing” of oral stench can create an unpleasant odor for the entire home.
$499.00! This includes preoperative exam and lab work, preoperative pain/anxiety medications, IV catheter and fluid administration, gas anesthesia, endotracheal tube placement, blood pressure, heart rate, EKG monitoring, professional cleaning, scaling charting, and polishing.
More frequent, shorter anesthetic procedures are safer for our patients compared to longer anesthesia events in older patients. Preoperative lab work and safe anesthesia monitoring are incorporated to provide a safe professional dental cleaning.
Yes, all patients will have lab work performed before their procedure. This will help us avoid any potential complications. For pets over 8 years of age, more extensive lab work is HIGHLY recommended. This advanced panel is optional however highly recommended.
If your pet has significant health conditions or abnormal lab values, their dental cleaning may be denied by the doctor. Some patients may need further diagnostics by their regular veterinarian to ensure they have the safest outcome.
Depending on the size of your pet and the degree of dental disease, anesthesia time ranges from 30 minutes to 60 minutes on average for a routine cleaning and assessment.
No, all patients will be discharged in the afternoon. Houston Pet Dental will contact you after the procedure is completed to set up a dismissal time.
Most pets make a quick recovery after a routine cleaning as it’s not invasive or lengthy! If your pet is older, has concurrent health conditions, is overweight, etc., the recovery phase may be longer as the anesthesia is eliminated more slowly.
Rabies and Bordetella vaccinations are required for all patients entering the hospital for their safety and others. If proof of vaccination is not provided, Houston Pet Dental will administer the required vaccines.
If your pet has been diagnosed with a fractured tooth or painful condition warranting extraction, we can provide appropriate cost estimates for the additional needs. It is equally important to clean and assess all other teeth while under anesthesia to provide the healthiest most comfortable smile.
Overcrowded “baby teeth” can lead to premature pain and tooth loss. Removing those extra teeth will allow adult teeth to grow in a healthy fashion.
There are numerous factors to consider when answering this question correctly.
We have our teeth professionally cleaned before obvious tartar has accumulated. Routinely removing the microscopic plaque biofilm protects the gum line and is the first defense for maintaining a healthy mouth.
Some patients may need cleanings every 6-12 months. Some patients may need only 2-3 cleanings a lifetime. A veterinarian will best be able to help guide the frequency of such cleanings based on physical exam findings, radiographic signs of bone loss, inflammation, etc.
If your pet's teeth are loose, falling out, or fractured, they need more than a cleaning! After careful assessment, a doctor will give recommendations to best suit your pet's needs. Sometimes that may mean surgical extraction to maintain a pain-free quality of life.
At this point additional discount pricing is not offered.
Nail trims: Most nail trims are unpleasant for pets. Doing them under anesthesia takes the “bad experience” out of the equation.
Expressing anal glands: Often a routine problem for some dogs, and an even better option is to have it done while they are resting comfortably under anesthesia.
We can also do ear flushing and ear hair plucking.
Don’t let fear keep your pet from having a comfortable life. Heart murmurs are a common finding among many patients and for years they have stopped owners from pursuing many surgeries including a thorough oral cleaning and assessment to remove painful teeth! The truth is many pets that have a murmur and are not showing signs of cardiac disease do well under anesthesia. Thanks to close anesthetic monitoring, careful pre-operative planning, and a tailored anesthetic protocol, we can reduce health risks and better serve our patients.
Let’s take a closer look at what a murmur is and is not. A heart murmur is simply a different heart sound. Murmurs can be benign in nature posing no risk at all. Some pets can be born with a murmur or acquire one as they age. If a heart murmur is acquired as your pet ages, there is a good chance it will NOT advance into clinical heart disease requiring treatment.
There are several reasons for this abnormal sound to develop. However, not all of them require treatment nor worry. One of the most common causes for heart murmurs in small breed dogs is mitral valve disease. The chances of your pet advancing into clinical heart disease is less than 25%. That’s right, MOST dogs with mitral valve disease do NOT progress into active heart failure. If a murmur remains the same grade your veterinarian will monitor it closely. If the heart murmur becomes louder or your pet’s breathing patterns change, then further testing may be recommended to intervene BEFORE your pet progresses into heart failure. Even more reason to take advantage of a relatively younger and healthier patient to prevent painful disease from spreading. Age is not a disease however with age can come disease so act now!
I’m sure you have heard the statement: “Well Muffin has a murmur and anesthesia is too risky.” We anesthetize patients with heart murmurs all the time. The reality is Muffin is not getting any younger, that murmur is not likely to improve, and those teeth are not magically treating themselves. We shouldn’t let our pets suffer simply because they’re getting older. Our pets are living longer than they ever have and it’s important we help them along their journey.
Please make an informed decision when treating your baby and aim to prevent oral disease when your pet is younger posing less risk. The longer you wait, the more pain is allowed to develop, the older your pet will become, and the cost will likely increase over the years as well. Take a minute and have a good look at your pet’s mouth. Is there an odor, inflammation, discolored teeth, anything abnormal at all? Keep in mind if your pet will not allow you to have a good look it’s possibly because they are in pain. If so, contact Houston Pet Dental for a complimentary consultation today.