2007-05-15

Biting down on anesthesia-free pet dentistry

You've probably seen it advertised on a flyer, pinned to a pet supply store bulletin board: "Anesthesia-free dental cleanings for dogs and cats." You looked at it with interest, maybe even some excitement. Who doesn't want to avoid the risks of anesthesia for their pets, especially older or sick pets? After all, we don't need full anesthesia to get our teeth cleaned, so really, why do our pets? And wouldn't it be nice to get all that nasty tartar off your dog's or cat's teeth and have a fresh, clean mouth breathing in your face first thing in the morning again?

If you look into it a little further, what you'll discover is that during "anesthesia-free dental cleaning," tartar is removed from the visible part of your pet's teeth. The teeth are brushed, then rinsed, and sometimes the mouth is given a visual examination and the teeth polished to the extent the pet allows. After this cleaning, the mouth looks and, at least for a while, smells a lot better. This service is usually offered in grooming shops, sometimes by the owner or staff of the grooming business and sometimes by individuals who visit the shop on a periodic basis.

Dig a little deeper and you might find out that the person offering the service calls him- or herself a "pet dental hygienist" or "pet dental technician." But since there are no recognized licensing, training, certification or registration programs to back them up, those titles are just marketing slogans. Even if the person offering this service is a human dental technician or registered veterinary technician, California law requires that dental operations be performed by or under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. State courts have found that "Without question, the techniques of anesthesia-free teeth cleaning ... fall within the definition of a dental operation."

Where the procedure is done or by whom or even its legality aren't the most important issues, however. "Periodontal disease is a disease of the teeth that occurs below the gum line," says Dr. Steven Holmstrom of the Animal Dental Clinic in San Carlos. "The calculus and tartar that 'anesthesia-free' procedures attempt to remove is above the gum line, on the crown of the tooth. It completely misses the plaque and calculus that are doing the damage below the gum line."
Isn't some cleaning better than none at all? Holmstrom says................

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