[Dailydrool] dental cleanings

[jaxh412 at aol.com]

As a tech I always say as long as your pet is healthy and their blood work shows no abnormalities dentals are a really good preventative measure for your pet's care. My Truman had to have two cysts removed back in december and although his teeth only had mild tartar build up I did a dental on him as a preventative measure. I see so many pets come into the clinic with teeth that need to be pulled and then they have to go on loads of antibiotics etc. If you can start a yearly or every other year dental around age 3 or 4 before their teeth get really bad it will save them from extractions and extra discomfort in the long run. Just make sure that you demand that your pet has an iv catheter as well as fluids run throughout the surgery that way the anesthesia will be flushed out of the kidneys faster and the anesthesia will be much safer. I live in GA and our routine dentals (no extractions mind you) with blood work, iv catheters and fluids, run between 150 and 200 depending on the weight of the dog. Most clinics across the country?honor febuary as dental month and run specials or discounts on your dental packages so it is always a cheaper time to do dentals. 
Obviously dentals are dependent on each dog's personal needs. Some dogs, even with brushings, require a dental every 6 months (like your yorkies, poodles etc.) Where as my parents have a 7 year old lab whose teeth still look amazing and has never had a dental or teeth brushed. So I would definitely decide case by case but preventative dentals are always so much easier on the pet and really does help their quality of life. 
Best of luck with the dental decision... 
Truman and Reagan Mae's Mom, Hope
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