Champlain Animal Hospital News
More than 80% of dogs and 70% of cats develop gum disease by age three. The warning signs of gum disease include bad breath, red and swollen gums, yellow-brown crust of tartar around the gumline, and pain or bleeding when you touch the gums or mouth.What is a Dental Prophy ?Clients often wonder just what happens when we do a dental prophy on their dog or cat. Last year, during our dental health promotion we got several questions about it. We thought it would be useful to let you know how we do it at Champlain Animal Hospital.
A dental prophy is a professional cleaning of the teeth in order to prevent dental disease. The word prophy is short for prophylaxis, which means prevention.
Other than the need for anesthesia, the visit for a pet's dental prophy is not unlike a human's visit to the dentist for a routine cleaning.
Our patients do need to be anesthetized during the cleaning in order to protect the delicate tissue of the gum from tearing due to sudden movement when a dental instrument is placed against the tooth.
Patients are checked in for the day between 8 and 9 a.m. This process takes about 15 minutes. Next the veterinarian examines the patient, and pre-anesthesia blood samples are run if needed. The patient is given "pre-meds" which vary with the patient, but are drugs that tranquilize the patient so that there is less fear with the process of anesthesia. Fear causes the release of catecholamines, which are potent hormones involved in the "fight or flight" response. These are not useful and can be harmful during anesthesia. Our pre-meds are for the patient's safety as well as comfort. They also allow us to reduce the dose of the anesthetic drugs we use, again making the procedure safer.
Next the foreleg is shaved and cleaned so that we can place an intravenous catheter. This allows us to administer i.v. fluids during anesthesia, to give intravenous medications to induce the anesthesia, and to give lifesaving medications in those rare instances where a problem occurs. Most of our dental prophy patients are older and may have some early kidney problems. Giving i.v. fluids to these patients keeps their blood pressure up so that they maintain good blood flow through the kidneys. This is important because lack of adequate blood flow is a contributor to kidney failure.
After the i. v. catheter is in place and fluids have been started, the patient is given an injection, which begins the anesthesia. This is called the induction phase. Again, the choice of induction agent varies with the patient, but all of them leave us with an unconscious critter. As soon as the pet is "out", an endotracheal tube is placed in the trachea (or wind pipe). This tube is crucial because it allows us to deliver oxygen and our anesthetic gases. On the outside of the tube, forming a ring around it is a small balloon. This balloon is inflated so that all of the space in the trachea not already taken up by the tube is blocked off by the balloon. This is another important safety measure, as it prevents fluids from getting down into the lungs.
Once anesthesia has been induced, the patient's endotracheal tube is hooked up to an anesthetic machine, which delivers oxygen and an anesthetic gas (isoflurane ) to the lungs. It also removes the carbon dioxide that is exhaled. The anesthetic gas maintains anesthesia even after the induction drugs have worn off.
As soon as the patient is hooked up to the anesthesia machine, an electrocardiogram machine is added which monitors the heart throughout the anesthesia.
Now, finally the patient is ready to have the teeth cleaned. At this point the process is very similar to what happens when we go to the dentist. The main difference is that our patients typically have much more dental calculus (tarter) on the teeth than do people. This is broken up using sound waves with an ultrasonic scaler. Once the big pieces of tarter are removed the teeth are cleaned with hand held scalers identical to those used in human medicine.
After the teeth have been cleaned, they are polished. This is not just to make them prettier. The process of cleaning the teeth with the hand scaler makes microscopic cracks in the enamel that bacteria use to hold on to the tooth. Polishing removes these cracks so it is harder for bacteria to attach to the tooth.
Lastly, the teeth and gums are examined closely by the veterinarian. A medical problem, such as a cracked tooth or exposed root that may need attention will be noted and brought to your attention as soon as possible. If further work is necessary it is often done under the same anesthesia.
Once the pet's dental prophy has been completed, the anesthesia is turned off, and the pet breathes pure oxygen for a few minutes before returning to breathing room air. As the patient is waking up the monitoring equipment is removed, and once the pet is able to swallow again the endotracheal tube is removed. The pet stays in the recovery area until such time as it can walk again, at which point they are taken to their run or kennel. Once the anesthesia has completely worn off, they can go home. In cases when needed, we will give pain medications, which may leave the pet a little groggy even when discharged.
A dental prophy is a professional cleaning of the teeth in order to prevent dental disease. The word prophy is short for prophylaxis, which means prevention.
Other than the need for anesthesia, the visit for a pet's dental prophy is not unlike a human's visit to the dentist for a routine cleaning.
Our patients do need to be anesthetized during the cleaning in order to protect the delicate tissue of the gum from tearing due to sudden movement when a dental instrument is placed against the tooth.
Patients are checked in for the day between 8 and 9 a.m. This process takes about 15 minutes. Next the veterinarian examines the patient, and pre-anesthesia blood samples are run if needed. The patient is given "pre-meds" which vary with the patient, but are drugs that tranquilize the patient so that there is less fear with the process of anesthesia. Fear causes the release of catecholamines, which are potent hormones involved in the "fight or flight" response. These are not useful and can be harmful during anesthesia. Our pre-meds are for the patient's safety as well as comfort. They also allow us to reduce the dose of the anesthetic drugs we use, again making the procedure safer.
Next the foreleg is shaved and cleaned so that we can place an intravenous catheter. This allows us to administer i.v. fluids during anesthesia, to give intravenous medications to induce the anesthesia, and to give lifesaving medications in those rare instances where a problem occurs. Most of our dental prophy patients are older and may have some early kidney problems. Giving i.v. fluids to these patients keeps their blood pressure up so that they maintain good blood flow through the kidneys. This is important because lack of adequate blood flow is a contributor to kidney failure.
After the i. v. catheter is in place and fluids have been started, the patient is given an injection, which begins the anesthesia. This is called the induction phase. Again, the choice of induction agent varies with the patient, but all of them leave us with an unconscious critter. As soon as the pet is "out", an endotracheal tube is placed in the trachea (or wind pipe). This tube is crucial because it allows us to deliver oxygen and our anesthetic gases. On the outside of the tube, forming a ring around it is a small balloon. This balloon is inflated so that all of the space in the trachea not already taken up by the tube is blocked off by the balloon. This is another important safety measure, as it prevents fluids from getting down into the lungs.
Once anesthesia has been induced, the patient's endotracheal tube is hooked up to an anesthetic machine, which delivers oxygen and an anesthetic gas (isoflurane ) to the lungs. It also removes the carbon dioxide that is exhaled. The anesthetic gas maintains anesthesia even after the induction drugs have worn off.
As soon as the patient is hooked up to the anesthesia machine, an electrocardiogram machine is added which monitors the heart throughout the anesthesia.
Now, finally the patient is ready to have the teeth cleaned. At this point the process is very similar to what happens when we go to the dentist. The main difference is that our patients typically have much more dental calculus (tarter) on the teeth than do people. This is broken up using sound waves with an ultrasonic scaler. Once the big pieces of tarter are removed the teeth are cleaned with hand held scalers identical to those used in human medicine.
After the teeth have been cleaned, they are polished. This is not just to make them prettier. The process of cleaning the teeth with the hand scaler makes microscopic cracks in the enamel that bacteria use to hold on to the tooth. Polishing removes these cracks so it is harder for bacteria to attach to the tooth.
Lastly, the teeth and gums are examined closely by the veterinarian. A medical problem, such as a cracked tooth or exposed root that may need attention will be noted and brought to your attention as soon as possible. If further work is necessary it is often done under the same anesthesia.
Once the pet's dental prophy has been completed, the anesthesia is turned off, and the pet breathes pure oxygen for a few minutes before returning to breathing room air. As the patient is waking up the monitoring equipment is removed, and once the pet is able to swallow again the endotracheal tube is removed. The pet stays in the recovery area until such time as it can walk again, at which point they are taken to their run or kennel. Once the anesthesia has completely worn off, they can go home. In cases when needed, we will give pain medications, which may leave the pet a little groggy even when discharged.
