We have discussed the issues and potential pitfalls of non-anesthesia pet dentals in prior articles. The state of California though, is having some big issues with this practice. About 650 locations across the state of California provide this service. Watch this report from NBC Bay Area and see what you think about this issue:

To me, I find it interesting that the very first words out of the mouth of the person providing this service is that “we don’t clean under the gumline”. But, as many of you already know, most dental disease occurs under the gumline. About 28% of dogs with “normal” looking mouths and 42% of cats have dental disease that is not visible. So…what exactly are these people doing when they scrape off the tartar from the pet’s teeth? Yes, they are making it look better (so, I guess we could call it a “cosmetic procedure”), but they are not really helping the health of the teeth or the pet.

If you don’t believe me, check out Dr. Brett Beckman’s blog. Dr. Beckman is a veterinary dentist and shows some actual pictures and x-rays of a 10 year old dog who had undergone routine teeth cleaning without anesthesia. Note the significant bone loss in the x-rays…

In my opinion, this is a practice that needs to stop. It’s not really benefiting the pet and has the potential for much more harm down the road.

(originally posted at PetDocsOnCall.com, January, 2011)

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