@jewe6l0187 I worked at a vet hospital and that was about average for a dental with multiple extractions, I think I saw $900-1200 most frequently. A basic cleaning under anesthesia STARTED at $400. My dogs teeth aren’t bad right now but I know soon they’ll need a professional cleaning so I’ve already started saving for it.
@jewe6l0187 One of my dogs had all of his teeth removed. He’s a greyhound so he’s predisposed to bad teeth. We had it done in two sessions. Well we had the first 22 removed and then a year later all the others were very bad along. We elected to do the rest seeing as how he was ten and we didn’t want to put him under any more then we had to. As far as cost I’m a veterinary employee so I got a discount.
One of my other greys had a lump on the side of his face that was an inflamed lymph node, vets said maybe one of his teether was bad and we should put him through a dental. He didn’t need any extractions but at the age of two he developed a heart murmur upon induction. So we brush his teeth constantly because they don’t want to put him under for anything.
@jewe6l0187 My dog and I learned the hard way that dental exams are not necessary for young otherwise healthy dogs who have only been experiencing bad breath. He awoke during anesthesia and was scared and defecated, according to my vet’s office. I wish they would have told me what an intense and often unnecessary procedure this was beforehand. He was only 2 yo at the time and otherwise healthy. I was just convinced by their marketing that it was needed.
So, a tail of caution to those who think it’s similar to a human dental cleaning. It’s an intense procedure!
@kiterider Age has nothing to do with it, and that reaction could have happe ed even if he did need a cleaning. This wasn't just their marketing, you can't tell how bad teeth are on a conscious dog so if there are some signs of periodontal disease a cleaning will be reccomended to properly clean below the gumline and examine the teeth. Some dogs need cleanings and even extractions by 2 years of age
@kiterider Sounds like your dog was a patient that reacted poorly to the sedation they used, which is not something they can know in advance. My older dog definitely needed a dental cleaning when she was two - some dogs naturally have worse teeth than others, some don't chew enough to remove plaque build-up. Any procedure involving anesthesia has risk factors and as such I'd find it hard to believe that most, if any, vets would recommend it for "marketing" purposes.
@sir_cumference Damm, I’m sorry you find it “hard to believe”. For the record he had anesthesia prior to this and is an active chewer. I feel I was a fool for signing him up for what I realize now was a completely unnecessary procedure, and I was warning people who have otherwise healthy dogs.
But since you apparently know everything about my dog, can you please recommend a non-chewable heart worm preventative. Thanks so much.
@kiterider Congrats on being part of the reason vets have a high suicide rate with that attitude and as I do not have a veterinary degree, I will a) not be making any recommendations for a dog I do not know and b) you can go snark somewhere else.
@kiterider Am I? You're accusing an entire profession of being out for money for "marketing" when it comes to an animal's dental health. The mouth is one of the first place infections spread to the rest of the body, causing havoc including heart disease.
@kiterider It all definitely varies based on the severity and symptoms noticed. Some dogs and even breeds are prone to bad teeth and may require annual dentals.
Whereas other dogs may be okay with one every few years/as needed. Coming out of anesthesia isn't fun for dogs or humans! I have a partial recollection from when I came out and man I was all over the place... Luckily my dog took it well and was just wobbly when they woke her.
@kiterider My perfectly healthy two year old dog started dentals this year, actually - it’s been a great thing for preserving her long term dental health. For small dogs in particular, there’s very little risk and a ton of reward to starting dentals early and doing them every other year - it lets them keep more teeth longer into their life. My vet dentist has a client with a 15 year old poodle who has had only 2 extractions in her entire life, and that’s largely credited to 1.) brushing the dogs teeth regularly and 2.) getting semi-annual cleanings at the vet.
@jewe6l0187 Everyone here is getting upsold on the teeth extraction racquet pretty easily. Unless it’s an older dog or in pain, which a dog owner can figure out, the dog might be better off with some impacted teeth.
@forgivenandloved Animals hide pain, by the time your dog is not eating or chewing they are in excruciating pain and the procedure will be riskier and even more expensive. If vet really wanted to make money they would let dogs teeth rot and take in the dough when they get to do a full mouth extraction and deal with all the health complications that come with dental disease. Seriously vets are almost always in it because they love animals and want to keep them well. There are shitty ones of course because they are human. If someone just wants to make money becoming a vet is a really terrible way, considering the massive student loans most are under
@forgivenandloved The teeth were not impacted but all shattered with open pulp, which basically gives direct nerve access and a big opening for bacteria. Rather get them out before an infection comes in, especially since my dog just turned 7. She may not be able to tolerate anesthesia or recover as quick if I waited until she's older.
@jewe6l0187 For what its worth, we regularly do cleaning on animals as old as 12-14. As long as they dont have a heart murmur or liver/kidney disease, they tolerate it just as well as they did when younger. And even if they do have those issues, we can modify our anesthetic protocol to better suit their needs.
@1am3laine I do plan to keep up on dentals until she gets to a point where it may not be safe. I'm very happy with all the blood work and monitoring my vet did to ensure her safety during the procedure and would likely use them again just because of how careful they are.
