Keeping our pets smiling brightly and their mouths smelling fresh and healthy is a priority for all of us pet owners. Should your pet be in need of a dental cleaning, the staff of Michigan Road Animal Hospital @ Crooked Creek is here to help!

So what happens if we recommend a dental cleaning for your pet? Dental prophylaxis is a bit more involved in pets than in people. Since they won’t voluntarily open wide, general anesthesia is usually required to allow a complete dental exam and thorough cleaning. Without full sedation it is impossible to truly address all problem areas, especially the areas under the gumline. Additionally, sedation & anesthesia during the dental cleaning allows us to lessen your pet’s stress & discomfort during the procedure. Although anesthesia will always have risks, it’s safer now than ever and continues to improve so that the risks are very low and are far outweighed by the benefits.

We also place an IV catheter in case emergency medications are needed to be administered or the administration of IV fluids during your pet’s dental procedure. Digital dental radiographs are part of our dental package too! Just like at our dentist, dental radiographs allow us to evaluate the roots and underlying bone health of your pet’s teeth. If needed, oral surgery and extractions can be performed in most cases. As always, we will assess whether your pet needs antibiotics or additional pain medication throughout the procedure. We will just need your pet for the day on the scheduled day of their cleaning.

Special care is taken to provide detailed home-dental care instruction for your pet’s continued oral health! Stop by our office to see our full line of products to help keep you and your pet smiling or call us today if you’ve got questions about your pet’s dental care.

Veterinary dental radiographs are performed to assist in diagnosing any existing dental diseases. Veterinary professionals take dental radiographs to be able to administer the proper care needed. Full mouth dental radiographs are performed during all dental cleanings to reveal any oral diseases a pet may encounter.

A pet should be brought in for an oral examination if they are experiencing any discomfort in their mouth. Signs of discomfort can include: eating irregularly, finicky eater, and/or loss of appetite. The veterinarian can assess the pet’s needs during this exam.