Is Anesthesia Free Dog Tooth Cleaning Good For Your Dog?

Dog teeth cleaning without anesthesia is not the best option for your furry friend. It can make their teeth look white and shiny, but it doesn’t reduce the risk of having periodontal disease. It can also turn into a terrible experience for your pet to forcefully being held for cosmetic surgery.

What Is Anesthesia-Free Dental Cleaning?

As the name defines, these are dental cleanings that are performed without anesthesia. “Non-anesthetic dental cleaning” is exfoliating the teeth exterior with a tool to eliminate plaque and tartar in the conscious state of your dog.

The concept is going to appeal: your pet’s teeth are treated at a lower cost, and you would not have to stress over your canine being put under anesthesia. Your pooch returns home with beautiful shiny teeth, and you get the relief that now the problem has been fixed.

No anesthesia tooth cleaning is inexpensive, which you may find appealing. Your dog’s deteriorating physical condition, on the other hand, will pay the final expense. When periodontitis disease is diagnosed and gone untreated, the medication will involve not just anesthesia but also, in many cases, serious surgery and tooth extractions. In the end, the complications you wanted to escape at the start will be returned again. ^[1]

9 Reasons Not To Do Anesthesia-Free Dog Tooth Cleaning

1. There Is a Risk for Aspiration Pneumonia
2. It’s Hard to Reach Certain Areas
3. Ideal Dental Tools Cannot Be Used
4. A Thorough Evaluation Cannot Be Done
5. Preventive Care Isn’t Initiated
6. Owners Get a False Sense of Security
7. Teeth Look Clean, But They are Not
8. Your Pet Will Be Stressed During Anesthesia-Free Dental
9. The Real Risk Isn’t Pet Anesthesia

1. There Is a Risk for Aspiration Pneumonia

Your canine is protected from breathing harmful airborne calculus, plasma, tartar, and oral germs due to anesthesia and necessary respiratory intubation. Dogs who are not sedated or intubated are constantly pulling in germs, which can cause aspiration pneumonia. ^[2]

An antimicrobial cleanse will be performed during a tooth cleaning and whitening to remove the mouth of germs, and an airway tube would be inserted during anesthesia to avoid debris aspiration. Many dental services that do no-anesthesia teeth cleanings just utilize wipes to help remove dirt as it collects.

Their theory is that if the canine is conscious, his immune system will minimize unwanted aspiration. Although it is true to some degree, things can go wrong, and therefore, this is still a risk.

2. It’s Hard to Reach Certain Areas

Exterior surfaces of a pup’s teeth are usually the most densely coated with calculus, and fortunately, they’re also the simplest to contact. Since saliva can get easily transferable here and their tongue does not come into touch with any of these surfaces of their teeth, these places are typically rougher. However, cleaning the edges of their teeth that goes in front of the tongue is equally vital, and cleaning these regions on a wide-awake dog is difficult.

You would need a pup that can sit calm even when procedures get difficult or traumatic in order to complete enough below-the-gum line cleaning. Because periodontal disease grows behind the gums, below surface cleaning is perhaps the most critical aspect of dental treatment. ^[3]

Clean up underneath the gums is easy for people since we know what is happening and the advantages of doing so. Considering this, many people find the process difficult to bear, if not painful.

3. Ideal Dental Tools Cannot Be Used

The loud laser scaler and polishing tool may be used to efficiently scrub and whiten teeth while your pet is under anesthesia.

A conscious canine will be nervous about putting noisy, frightening equipment near his mouth. Wrist scalers should be used on conscious dogs; however, they should have strong working power in order to operate.

Any action made by a non-cooperative dog has the potential to inflict damage. After calculus is eliminated, whitening the teeth is necessary to avoid plaque and tartar from adhering to the cleaner surfaces.

4. A Thorough Evaluation Cannot Be Done

When a canine is sedated, his dentition may be thoroughly examined with a device to detect cavities in the gum line and requires x-rays to assess what they are not able to detect with the naked eye. Although the pet is sedated, anything detected during this period may be dealt with. Even before a contagious infection has advanced far enough to cure and protect their teeth, it always shows a few evident symptoms.

The gums and their entire mouth are examined, and radiographs are obtained, during a complete canine dental checkup. This permits a vet to spot problems like periodontitis and even oral tumors that aren’t visible to the naked eye. A complete dental health examination cannot be performed on a conscious dog.

Fun Fact! Cleaning is merely a cosmetic surgery without any radiographs.

5. Preventive Care Isn’t Initiated

Medications may be required in rare situations before teeth cleaning. It is particularly common in canines with severe dental illness, such as bleeding in gums and a large number of germs in the teeth, or pets with serious health issues that put animals at an increased danger of dental treatment problems.

Dogs having low immunity, chronic cardiac, liver problems, kidney illness, and serious gum disease are all associated with elevated risk. Whenever the gums tear during teeth cleaning, germs fear reaching the bloodstream, where it can damage the pet’s blood vessels, kidneys, and stomach, as well as create dangerous illnesses.

6. Owners Get a False Sense of Security

Drug-free teeth cleanings offer pet parents a greater sense of safety, which is among the worst features about them. They carry a yellowish-brown teethed pet to the vet and bring home a white-toothed dog. However, they don’t realize that while the teeth appear to be in fine shape, they’re just seeing the top part of an iceberg, since 60% of the permanent dentition is hidden beneath the skin surface in those difficult-to-reach places.

Debris would continue to collect behind the gum lines, a foul breath will return shortly, and your pet might suffer after this procedure. It is a disrespect to both the pets and the people who love them.

7. Teeth Look Clean, But They are Not

Anesthesia-free cleaning may appear to be a good alternative; however, it is manipulating since the believed outcome is that your companion’s mouth is safe and fresh. White pearls do not imply that they are clean. Scaling dogs’ teeth without anesthesia do not eliminate debris and germs from underneath your dog’s gum line and will not reduce the likelihood of periodontal disease. ^[4]

Imagine the nasty, stinky build-up that thrives behind your pet’s gum line, somewhere you can not notice it or the harm it does. Since periodontitis would be most severe underneath the gum line, scrubbing and cleaning under the gum line is especially critical, yet it can’t be achieved without anesthesia.

8. Your Pet Will Be Stressed During Anesthesia-Free Dental

You can not expect your pet to keep its mouth wide open for a longer duration. Humans can do this quite effortlessly in general; however, dogs must be forcibly restrained (some are worse than others) and their jaw must be kept open for a long period throughout anesthesia-free teeth cleaning. A few dogs will be tolerant of this, whereas a majority will not. ^[5]

In any case, it’s difficult to picture your canine being confined and having his jaws forced open as tartar is carefully removed. It will definitely be distressing for your dog, who will be anxious and perplexed as to what is happening with him. It is cruel to torture your pet dog to the procedure without anesthesia.

9. The Real Risk Isn’t Pet Anesthesia

The idea of putting a cherished dog under anesthesia makes no one happy. Anesthesia’s threat is frequently portrayed as the primary reason for anesthesia-free treatment. The disadvantages of anesthesia, on the other hand, are quite low. Periodontal disease is a major danger in canine dentistry.

Gum disease is the biggest prevalent clinical illness in canines, with a very significant chance of developing it. Bacteria that develop underneath the gum line cause periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can result in the loss of bone and tissues, which can contribute to weak and uncomfortable teeth. Anesthesia-free oral checkups are not beneficial to your companion and will not eliminate periodontal disease. ^[6]

Why Veterinary Professionals Oppose These Procedures?

Anesthesia-free teeth cleanup is what doctors call a procedure where a dog is conscious, but the American Veterinary Dental College labels them as “non-professional teeth cleanings.”

Such services are considered unethical when performed privately by non-veterinarians without having any professional experience. Veterinary healthcare is practiced by certified veterinarians who can lawfully perform the procedure, administer medications, diagnose patients, and provide dental care. The American Veterinary Dental College states:

“Someone giving medical treatments who is not a licensed vet or a certified and experienced veterinary worker is practicing veterinary medicine without any license will have to face criminal penalties.”

Whenever a teeth cleaning is performed by a medical technician or dental associate under the close supervision of an experienced vet, this technique becomes permissible. ^[7]

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is extremely certain that non-professional oral checkups are harmful to dogs and cats, and it requires many of its member facilities to conduct dental treatments under anesthesia or potentially lose their license.

Often people assume that vets and professional groups dislike these cleanups since they strip away money from professionals but it’s vital to understand why anonymous non-professional dental checkups may cause a lot of problems before forming such conclusions. ^[8]

What Happens During an Anesthesia-free Dental Cleaning (AFD) or Non-Anesthetic Dental (NAD)?

1. Restraint
2. Pain
3. Inefficacy

1. Restraint

Although your dog will not be undergoing general anesthesia, it will need to be securely confined for a long period. It may be a painful event for your dog because they don’t realize what’s going on. Even if you don’t need a cleanup, it might make your at-home oral care regimen more stressful.

Even though your dog is restrained to a high degree, he or she could tilt his or her face throughout the procedure. The person conducting the scale to eliminate the calculus is using highly sharp instruments, which might cause harm to the dental tissue accidentally.

2. Pain

Unfortunately, after having months of tartar build-up cleaned off from their dentition, your dog may experience pain and suffering. Cleaning a damaged or infected tooth of your dog could be an unpleasant experience.

3. Inefficacy

However, the look of white, sparkling teeth might create the idea that your dogs mouth is in good shape. The fact is that it’s a simple aesthetic, and your pet might just have gotten hardly any benefit from it.

There seems to be no method to remove plaque buildup within the edges of enamel or underneath the gum line without putting your canine under anesthesia. Gum disease can have significant consequences for your pet’s physical and mental health.

Anesthesia-Free Teeth Cleaning Under $100–$300

Usually, dogs may get away with anesthesia-free dental checkup treatments for $200 if they don’t have behavioral difficulties that prevent them from being touched by strangers. This treatment does not necessitate all of the basic requirements and diagnostics that come with routine dental cleanings. It does necessitate the need for a specific instrument by the dental expert to remove underlying debris off their teeth.

One benefit of this process is that there is almost no delay, so your pet may go home immediately after the treatment is completed. Based on how serious pet parents are at cleaning their pet’s teeth at home, this must be performed twice a year.

Conclusion

In the end, it is your choice to opt for anesthesia-free dog tooth cleaning. Even if you go for non-sedation dental cleaning, you must check online reviews about the clinic and the vet who is going to perform this treatment. You should also do regular brushing and cleaning of your dog’s teeth and gums, to avoid any periodontal disease.