Dental Procedures
Dental disease is the most commonly seen problem in dogs and cats. Personally, I love dentistry as we can make a huge difference to the health and comfort of your pet relatively quickly. Left untreated dental disease only worsens and causes increasing pain and discomfort for your pet.
Periodontal disease has been linked to kidney, liver, lung and heart disease, as well as diabetes and arthritis. Advances in human oral care over the last century have been key to our increased life expectancy; and the same is true of our pets.
Our modern two stage approach
As a team we have decided to offer a modern two-stage approach to dentistry, this is more inline with human dentistry. It is important to note that not all pets will require a second stage. Much like in humans, it’s much better to have annual dental work rather than waiting for a problem.
One of the main benefits of a two stage approach is greater anaesthetic safety as two shorter procedures are far safer than one very long one. It is well researched that anaesthetics longer than two hours carry a much higher risk to our pets and increases recovery time.
Extracting teeth as a separate stage reduces the bacterial challenge faced by your pet and reduces the risk of infections, as well as reducing the need for antibiotics.
Performing stage dentistry gives us time to fully explain why teeth need to be extracted as we can show you the xrays after the stage 1 procedure. This also allows us to give you an accurate estimate of the costs involved rather than putting you on the spot if we call you when your animal is anaesthetised.
Why are dental x-rays essential?
60% of dental disease is found below the gum line. Dental x-rays are an essential tool that allow us see below the gum line and get to the root of the problem. Radiographs allow us to identify and fix painful issues such as fractures, tooth abscesses, broken or missing roots and bone or soft tissue tumours.
Dental x-rays have been common place in human dentistry for years but are a relatively new technology in the veterinary sector. Many practices won't x-ray teeth as part of a dental procedure, but at Beacon View Vets we do this as standard.
Stage One
- Day hospitalisation of your pet.
- Admission appointment to discuss the procedure and any concerns you have.
- Anaesthetic medications and pain relief.
- General anaesthetic with continuous monitoring by a Registered Veterinary Nurse with specialist monitoring equipment to maximise safety.
- Dental charting and probing of the teeth and gumlines.
- Full mouth dental x-rays.
- Descale and polish to remove any build ups of tartar or staining.
- Extraction of obviously wobbly teeth (charges apply).
- Monitored anaesthetic recovery.
- A collection appointment to go through any home care that is needed.
- A recovery check three days after the anaesthetic to make sure your pet is back to their normal self.
Stage Two
- This is generally carried out 2 weeks after the stage one procedure
- Not all stage one procedures will require a stage two.
- Day hospitalisation of your pet.
- Admission appointment to discuss the procedure and any concerns you have.
- Anaesthetic medications and pain relief.
- General anaesthetic with continuous monitoring by a Registered Veterinary Nurse with specialist monitoring equipment to maximise safety.
- Surgical extraction of diseased and painful teeth.
- Stitching of the gums to ensure rapid healing.
- Pain relief to go home with.
- Collection appointment with discussion of home care required.
- Recovery checks at 3 and 10 days after surgery to make sure your pet has recovered well.
Does two stage dentistry cost more?
We have carefully calculated our prices so that two stage dentistry does not cost you more. By being able to plan any extractions we are able to provide you with a clear estimate for the second stage, meaning that there are no surprises.
Members of our Complete Care Club receive a 10% discount on Stage 1 dentistry.
Chat to one of the team