By the age of three, most dogs and cats already have some degree of periodontal disease and because pets rarely show mouth pain, it usually goes unnoticed at home. Left untreated, dental disease causes chronic pain and infection and can affect overall health, as the associated bacteria has been linked to changes in the heart and kidneys. Our dental service follows the 2019 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines: a Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment (COHAT) performed under general anesthesia, including tooth-by-tooth examination and probing, full-mouth dental X-rays, scaling above and below the gumline, polishing, and any treatment or extractions your pet needs with dedicated anesthetic monitoring and modern pain management throughout.
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Comprehensive dental care
| Comparison criteria | Professional COHAT |
|---|---|
| Cleans below the gumline (where disease lives) | Yes |
| Full-mouth dental X-rays | Yes — most disease is invisible above the gumline |
| Complete oral exam and probing of every tooth | Yes |
| Treatment of painful teeth at the same time | Yes |
| Controlled stress and pain for the patient | Asleep, pain-controlled, unaware |
| Position of AAHA and CVMA | Standard of care |
Contrary to popular belief, bad breath isn't normal and the most common early sign of dental disease. Other signs include yellow-brown tartar, red or bleeding gums, dropping food, chewing on one side, pawing at the mouth, and reduced grooming in cats. However, many pets show nothing at all, which is why an oral exam is part of every wellness visit.
The disease that actually threatens teeth happens beneath the gumline, and no awake pet will tolerate subgingival scaling, dental probing, and X-rays of every tooth. Anesthesia makes the procedure thorough, safer, and pain-free and it protects the airway from water and debris during cleaning.
A significant amount of painful pathology such as root abscesses, resorptive lesions and bone loss hides below the gumline where no visual exam can find it. X-rays are the only way to understand what actually requires treatment.
Many small-breed dogs and cats benefit from their first anesthetized dental assessment by around one year of age, while larger dogs often benefit by two. After that, frequency is guided by what we find at each annual exam. If treated early, periodontal disease can be reversed. If it has progressed to Stage 2, the disease cannot be reversed and it will continue to progress.
At home, daily tooth brushing is the gold standard; for pets who won’t allow it, ask us about dental diets, chews, and rinses accepted by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC).
