How to remove tartar from a dog and cat - methods of disposal and further preventive measures

Healthy teeth are an important part of a happy dog's life. Strong, white, with glossy enamel, they are the pride of every pet. Preserving teeth is one of the main tasks of an animal owner.

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The family pet will not be able to take care of them on their own. What to do for this? At home, brush your dog's teeth using a special paste and a soft brush. Once every 1–2 years, take the animal for professional teeth cleaning using an ultrasonic device.

Why is ultrasonic teeth cleaning performed on dogs?

Tartar (which is what is removed during cleaning) is an aggressive source of infection. It injures the animal’s gums, promotes the development of periodontitis, periodontal disease, and gingivitis. The dog's teeth become loose and then fall out. The pet becomes lethargic and refuses not only dry food, but also wet food. In advanced cases, the animal faces complete loss of teeth. The risk of death cannot be excluded!

Ultrasonic cleaning of a dog’s teeth helps prevent not only dental diseases, but also diseases of the digestive organs. It serves to prevent the development of problems with the animal’s cardiovascular system and prevents immune failures in its body. In this regard, experts advise not only that you MUST brush your pet’s teeth, but also do it ON TIME. This is the only way to preserve the health of your four-legged friend.

Effect of anesthesia

Today, there are two main methods of cleaning dogs' teeth: mechanical, requiring anesthesia, and ultrasound. However, when using the second method, in some cases the procedure requires anesthesia. But you should not take it lightly, because drugs that cause loss of sensitivity can negatively affect the subsequent condition of the animal. Due to the fact that each pet is individual, it has a risk of the following complications:

• A sharp drop in body temperature.
• Depression of respiratory function.
• Slowing heart rate.
• Allergic reactions to the administered drug.

Sometimes, instead of anesthesia, the veterinarian uses sedatives, which not only calm the pet, but also slightly immobilize it.

Indications for ultrasonic teeth cleaning

The procedure for removing tartar is recommended for those animals that have:

• bad breath;
• accumulation of yellowish plaque;
• redness and sagging gums;
• tooth mobility;
• other signs of dental disease.

During ultrasonic cleaning of a dog’s teeth, the veterinarian will be able to not only remove plaque, but also inspect the pet’s mouth. If necessary, the patient will be prescribed removal of defective teeth, strengthening and treatment of enamel, gums, and corrective gingivoplasty.

Why and how plaque and tartar are formed

An unpleasant odor from a pet’s mouth when breathing is what owners pay attention to first. You look at the teeth of your little friend, and there is hard plaque and yellow stones. A little later, you begin to notice that it has become more difficult for your pet to chew the food offered, and more and more often he begs you with his eyes to treat him to something more gentle on his teeth. And the reason for this is pain.

Let's figure out why all this happens to your pet and what to do about it. But in order to understand the complexity of any dental problems, first it is advisable for you to know what kind of teeth there are and what is their peculiarity.

What types of teeth do dogs and cats have?

At different times, a four-legged friend has teeth:

• dairy;
• permanent.

Milk teeth in cats and dogs usually occur before the age of 6-7 months. These are small, thin and very sharp bone formations that already do an excellent job of crushing dry food and even tearing off and minimally chewing pieces of meat.

To strengthen the jaw muscles, offer your puppy or kitten larger pieces of food or unsoaked dry food. And fun games with hard mice and bones will be great exercise and entertainment. You can also gently play tug on a rope toy with puppies - this also strengthens the jaw muscles.

Milk teeth almost never suffer from any dental diseases due to their very short stay in the oral cavity of young cats and dogs. And it would seem that brushing your teeth doesn’t generally play a huge role here, but we recommend that you start brushing your pet’s teeth every day during this period.

This is the only way that brushing teeth becomes a regular daily procedure for dogs and cats in the future. If you decide to care for the animal’s oral cavity at a later stage, then not every pet will give you the opportunity to climb into its mouth.

The change of teeth in cats and dogs occurs approximately from the age of 4 to 7-8 months (this time period may vary for different breeds). Unfortunately, in some pets, due to breed characteristics, the change of teeth may be delayed for a long time or may not occur at all - in this case, the teeth will grow in two rows (polydentia).

When baby teeth do not fall out on their own, the help of a veterinary dentist is required - he can easily remove them under anesthesia. If you leave your teeth to grow in two rows, this will lead to incorrect placement of the teeth in the oral cavity, and subsequently to an incorrect bite.

Also, milk teeth that sit too long will soon begin to rot, which will cause inflammation of the gums, bleeding, pain when chewing food and bad breath. In addition, more food gets stuck in the spaces between milk and permanent teeth, and this provokes the appearance of caries and tooth loss in the future.

During the period of teeth change, you should not let your pet play with hard toys or start a game of tug-of-war. Until the permanent teeth fully erupt, it is necessary to limit the increased load on the animal’s jaws.

Permanent teeth are large, white and very strong. Normally, dogs have 42 permanent teeth, and cats have 30. Mature pets already have well-developed jaw muscles, which allows them to use their teeth to the full: bite, tear off, squeeze and even gnaw the meat of large bones.

Cats and dogs will have permanent teeth for the rest of their lives, as they will no longer change. It is for this reason that pets require daily oral care, otherwise they can be lost within a couple of years due to dental plaque and gum inflammation. You will find out why dental problems occur in pets by reading the article further.

Tartar is located not only on the visible part of the tooth, but also goes deep under the gum, from where it is difficult to remove

Why doesn't tartar appear in wild animals?

Wild animals are perfectly protected from tartar by genetics itself - this is one of nature’s adaptations to life without human intervention. Free-roaming animals obtain their food by hunting and eating leftovers. They gnaw and bite completely unprocessed food (skin, bones, cartilage) - this naturally cleans their teeth.

An outdoor cat eats rough, unprocessed food to naturally remove plaque from teeth.

Thanks to the domestication and selection work of people, both genetics and living conditions have changed - now our four-legged friends are less adapted to independence, and they also have no need to hunt and butcher their prey independently. You do this for them - prepare the meat fillet or buy ready-made food.

Hence, such needs as preventive care for the oral cavity of cats and dogs, as well as treatment of emerging dental diseases, emerged.

How plaque appears and tartar is formed

Plaque and tartar occur when:

• lack of oral hygiene;
• gum pathologies (stomatitis, trauma);
• eating soft food;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• malocclusion;
• changes in blood composition;
• liver dysfunction;
• too frequent and poor-quality feeding;
• disruption of the pancreas;
• tooth fracture.

Your pet eats a different type of food every day. But even with thorough chewing of food, particles of what was eaten always remain in the oral cavity of dogs and cats. Such food residues are a favorable basis for changes in the acid-base balance in the oral cavity and the active proliferation of bacteria.

Why do bacteria “sit” tightly on teeth?

An important element of the surface layer of the enamel of each tooth is a special film - pellicle. One of its important tasks is to protect the hard tissues of teeth from the effects of acids. The pellicle cannot be accidentally brushed off with a toothbrush or removed using special dental sticks. This film has the excellent property of constantly being restored if necessary.

But there is also a bad quality of the pellicle - it attracts bacteria very well. This happens for two reasons:

1. The positively charged calcium ions found in teeth attract bacteria with a negative charge on their surface.
2. And positively charged bacteria in the oral cavity actively produce special substances (dextrans and levans), which are very similar to pellicle proteins, which allows microorganisms to firmly adhere to the protective film.

In general, no matter what bacteria there are, they will find a way to stay on the animal’s teeth.

Why are bacteria in the mouths of dogs and cats dangerous?

Within an hour after eating the food, the bacteria adhere tightly to the pellicle, begin to multiply and secrete the products of their metabolism on the surface of the teeth. This leads to active formation of dental plaque. In this case, the animal’s saliva loses the ability to wash the enamel under the resulting plaque and restore the acid-base balance in the oral cavity.

Dental plaque consists of 10% microbes and 90% their waste products.

Stages of plaque formation:

1. On the first day, light plaque can be easily removed mechanically with a toothbrush and animal paste.
2. If this is not done, then within 24 hours it will form into early (immature) plaque, which is much more difficult to remove. After 72 hours, the plaque will become mature, and it will no longer be possible to remove it on your own.
3. Within 3-7 days, the complete maturation of plaque ends - a dental plaque is formed not only on the visible surface, but also on the lower part of the tooth under the gum. It is impossible to remove such a formation on your own - only ultrasonic cleaning with anesthesia that is safe for tooth enamel will help.

Tartar formation

Layer after layer of food debris, dead cells, bacteria with their metabolic products, phosphorus, iron and calcium salts, as well as salivary enzymes that bind all of these elements together are applied to the dental plaque. Thus, a strong tartar is formed in the animal’s oral cavity.

Tartar in a cat (photo on the left) and a dog (photo on the right)

Why is plaque and tartar so dangerous?

The formed dense stone covers not only the visible surface of the tooth, but even goes deep under the gum (from the crown to the very root). The enamel under the tartar, not washed by saliva, begins to deteriorate. And the gum tissue is no longer attached to the neck and root of the tooth (gum detachment), which leads to the appearance of space between the tooth and gum - a periodontal pocket.

A disruption of metabolic processes and blood supply occurs, and bacteria and food debris enter the resulting cavity (at the bottom of the pocket). The gums become inflamed and begin to bleed. Subsequently, the teeth decay and their fixation in the bone alveolus is disrupted, after which they fall out. This entire complex process is accompanied by discomfort and pain, during which your pet cannot chew food and function normally.

And now a few veterinary terms - this is what occurs when there is an abundant amount of stones on the teeth: periodontitis, periodontitis, tooth fracture, stomatitis, odontolithiasis, gingivitis, gum recession, osteomyelitis, oronasal fistula, resorptive dental damage.

But this is not all the problems that can arise - dental diseases tend to negatively affect other internal organs. Therefore, harmless plaque on teeth can soon lead to: pneumonia, gastritis, gastroenteritis, gastroenterocolitis and other diseases.

Watch the recording of our live broadcast, which took place on April 30, 2020. Veterinarian-dentist, surgeon Matvey Aleksandrovich Smolyakov explained in great detail what the animal’s oral cavity is like, what diseases there are and in what cases you should contact a veterinarian. The doctor also explained and showed how to properly care for the teeth and gums of dogs and cats at home. And, of course, the doctor answered numerous questions from the participants.

How to brush your dog's and cat's teeth (webinar)

It should be noted that existing problems with the gastrointestinal tract and urinary system can aggravate dental diseases. Therefore, an annual medical examination is an excellent prevention of a large number of pathologies in a pet.

How to prepare for cleaning your dog's teeth with ultrasound?

The animal should stop feeding 8-12 hours before the procedure. 2 hours before cleaning your dog’s teeth using ultrasound, you need to take your pet for a walk. The more energy he expels, the calmer he will be at the dentist’s appointment.

It is important to make sure that the animal has no contraindications for ultrasonic cleaning. These include:

• female pregnancy;
• presence of milk teeth;
• head or limb injuries;
• oral infections;
• chronic diseases during exacerbation.

It is possible to exclude all this, and also discuss how the procedure will be carried out - with or without anesthesia - only at an appointment with a specialist.

Use of anesthesia

The administration of anesthesia is used only in extreme cases. Mostly, representatives of large breeds find themselves under anesthesia. During the procedure, they can harm both themselves and others. They cannot be contained by simple swaddling and restraints.

Before deciding on anesthesia, you need to do an ultrasound of the heart and kidneys. And also take tests to make sure that the pet is healthy and can bear such a load.

For small breeds (Chihuahuas, pugs, terriers, corgis) and older four-legged dogs over 5 years old, it is more difficult to choose the optimal dose of anesthesia. Responsibility if the animal does not wake up after anesthesia falls on the owner. This point is stated in the contract. Ultrasound cleaning with anesthesia is much faster and more effective than without anesthesia, but the recovery period will be longer and more painful.

Cleaning tartar for a dog under anesthesia

Reviews from dog breeders recommend brushing your dog’s teeth with ultrasound from an early age, after changing milk teeth to permanent teeth. A puppy will get used to calmly reacting to a person wearing gloves and a buzzing device faster than an adult pet.

Alternatively, you can consult your veterinarian to select a pet-approved sedative. And a week before the scheduled procedure, start adding it to the food.

It is important to follow the dosage. Then the treatment will take place in a calm atmosphere, without complications from the central nervous system.

Ultrasound cleaning of a dog's teeth - procedure

At the initial stage of the procedure, the veterinarian performs hardware removal of the animal’s tartar. The outer and inner sides are cleaned, the joints and periodontal areas are covered. The cycle takes from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Afterwards, the patient’s mouth is sanitized. The next stage of ultrasonic teeth cleaning is their polishing using specialized pastes and brushes. Finally, a fluoride-containing substance is applied to the enamel to protect your pet’s teeth from hypersensitivity and thinning.

How to properly remove dense plaque and tartar

Perfect cleaning of the oral cavity is only possible using an ultrasonic scaler (scaler) and a dental drill.

The team at the Alisavet veterinary clinic was faced with a very important question that worries all owners of cats and dogs - how to painlessly completely remove dental plaque and stones from the oral cavity without health risks? And we found the answer to this question - this is ultrasonic teeth cleaning using inhalation anesthesia and conduction local anesthesia.

When you and I go to the dentist, for any painful procedures we are given a local anesthetic. We do not need general anesthesia, since we understand the importance of this technique and patiently sit in the chair until the end.

But this is not the case with dogs and cats - even if local anesthesia is given, the pet will still struggle because it is experiencing severe anxiety. The animal does not understand where he was brought, who all these people in dressing gowns are and what they all need from him. Therefore, expecting your pet to simply lie down in full consciousness and wait for the procedure to be completed is not at all justified.

That is why, thanks to the inhalation mask, the cat or dog will sleep calmly and motionlessly, which is very important to prevent severe stress during oral sanitation, and the use of local anesthesia makes it possible to effectively remove hard plaque and stones from the most inaccessible places and from under the gums completely painlessly .

Teeth cleaning. Anesthesia

Let us repeat, thanks to this combined type of anesthesia, it is possible to carry out subgingival cleaning, which is very significant for your pet - this is the removal of tartar from under the gums (it is not visible on the surface of the tooth), which causes severe inflammation, pain and tooth loss.

What to do about tartar in cats - 1 right solution

The combination of conduction and inhalation anesthesia is absolutely safe for the brain of cats and dogs, and also does not cause side effects on their internal organs. Therefore, this method can be used to clean the teeth of both young animals and pets at a very advanced age.

03/09/18 Effect of anesthesia on the nervous system (brain)

Since inhalation anesthesia is the safest and most advanced anesthesia today (this type of anesthesia is used for people), therefore, upon completion of the sanitation of the oral cavity, your pet immediately wakes up and is completely oriented in space.

03/09/18 Safe anesthesia. Inhalation (gas) anesthesia.

There is another big plus of ultrasonic cleaning with complex anesthesia - this is the ability to perform high-quality polishing of the enamel using elastic and a special polishing paste. This procedure is carried out immediately after hygienic teeth cleaning in order to remove minor defects and irregularities. But the most important thing is that polishing the enamel reduces the degree of plaque attachment, which subsequently slows down the formation of tartar .

By the way, there is another wonderful procedure, which is also carried out immediately after hygienic cleaning - this is fluoridation of tooth enamel, which strengthens the enamel and protects teeth from caries thanks to the painless and safe application of a thin layer of special fluoride-containing compounds to the surface of each tooth.

Polishing enamel after brushing a cat's teeth

Also, after all the procedures performed, the dentist must fill out a dental card noting all pathologies of the teeth and gums of the teeth - in the future, this makes it possible to monitor the condition of your pet’s oral cavity.

9 stages of absolutely painless and safe ultrasound sanitation of the animal’s oral cavity

Cleaning a cat's teeth with an ultrasonic scaler (scaler) at the Alisavet veterinary clinic

9 stages of hygienic sanitation of the oral cavity:

1. Before the procedure, the veterinarian conducts a thorough examination of the cat or dog’s oral cavity, commenting in detail to the owner on the condition of each animal’s tooth.
2. The anesthesiologist places an inhalation mask over your pet's face. The animal gradually falls asleep, after which the doctor carefully administers local anesthesia.
3. The first stage of the procedure is irrigation of the oral cavity with an antiseptic, which is necessary for the hygiene of the animal and the doctor.
4. The veterinarian removes supragingival dental plaque using an ultrasonic scaler.
5. After which, careful removal of subgingival plaque begins with a scaler or curette.
6. Next, the gingival sulcus is washed with an antiseptic solution.
7. At the end of the procedure, the doctor probes the periodontal pockets - this is an important step for assessing the condition of the oral cavity for the presence of hidden inflammatory processes. This test cannot be done without anesthesia.
8. If necessary, dental diagnostics are performed using a portable dental X-ray unit to identify possible hidden diseases of the animal’s oral cavity.
9. After the procedure, the inhalation mask is removed and your pet wakes up. At this time, the veterinarian draws up an individual dental record, where he enters a description of each of your pet’s teeth, records prognoses and diagnoses.

Dental diagnostics to identify possible hidden diseases of the oral cavity are carried out at the Alisavet veterinary clinic using a portable dental x-ray unit

Important points when brushing teeth using combined anesthesia

Before using combined anesthesia, you will be asked to conduct a preliminary examination of the animal: blood tests, cardiac echocardiography or ECG, and examination by a cardiologist, if necessary. And that’s right - both you and the doctor should know about possible hidden diseases. When the pathologies of any organs are known in advance, this prevents the occurrence of negative consequences during and after teeth cleaning.

Preparing the dog for teeth cleaning: drawing blood for laboratory tests, examination by a veterinary cardiologist, conducting an ECHO (ultrasound of the heart) or an ECG

Three highly specialized specialists should participate in ultrasonic cleaning of the oral cavity from plaque and tartar using complex anesthesia : a dental surgeon, an anesthesiologist and a surgeon’s assistant. The dentist should not monitor the supply of anesthetic, and the anesthesiologist should not assist the doctor. Everyone should mind their own business - this is the key to a successful procedure.

You should know that if your pet has diseases of the cardiovascular system, then it would not be superfluous to monitor the animal’s condition by a cardiologist during the procedure.

Results

A little patient at an appointment with veterinary dentist Matvey Aleksandrovich Smolyakov

Of course, each owner chooses the method of getting rid of plaque and stones that he likes best and is more affordable. And yet, let’s summarize what your pet should get after brushing its teeth:

• clean mouth and healthy gums;
• painless eating and playing with toys;
• fresh pleasant breath;
• prolonged absence of plaque appearance.

What are the benefits of brushing your dog's teeth without anesthesia?

It allows you to maintain the health of your pet at the proper level. When carried out on time, this procedure prevents and/or eliminates inflammation of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. Cleaning a dog’s teeth with ultrasound “extends the life” of molars (molar chewing teeth), which are responsible for the primary mechanical processing of the animal’s food.

Thanks to her, the breath of your four-legged friend is fresher. He does not experience discomfort or pain. The owner does not have to eliminate the consequences of advanced pet diseases, which are expensive compared to preventing health problems.

What is plaque

Plaque is a soft, paste-like substance of a white-yellowish color that is located on the surface of the tooth (mainly at the base). Dental plaque consists of food particles, epithelium, components of saliva and bacteria. It is the bacteria that cause that extremely unpleasant (sometimes even foul) odor from the oral cavity, which owners most often pay attention to.

How long does the result of brushing an animal’s teeth last?

The effect of the procedure lasts 6 months. After cleaning the dog’s teeth with ultrasound without anesthesia, it is repeated. However, there are no specific recommendations regarding the frequency of its implementation. Experts advise performing ultrasonic teeth cleaning as needed. If you monitor your pet’s oral hygiene, do so at least once every 1 to 2 years.

Tartar removal will be effective if you also take care of your pet’s teeth at home. So, in particular, the owner should clean the dog’s fangs once a week. He should feed the four-legged both dry and wet food. It is important to please the animal with special treats designed to clean the mouth and strengthen the immune system.

How long does the result last?

According to reviews from dog owners, after ultrasonic cleaning the results last for six months. Provided that the specialist followed the procedure for performing the technology.

The result of ultrasonic cleaning of a Yorkshire terrier

For caring owners who do not want to frequently subject their pets to such an unpleasant procedure, the following preventive measures are recommended:

• the diet for feeding dogs after ultrasonic teeth cleaning should include not only soft canned food, but also dry high-quality food;
• Clean canines weekly with a veterinary brush and pet toothpaste;
• delight your pet with special cleaning treats;
• visit a veterinarian once every six months to sanitize the oral cavity with antiseptic solutions.

Follow these simple rules, and then the result in the form of your pet’s snow-white fangs will delight you for two years. But over time, yellow plaque and tartar will still accumulate and professional cleaning will be required. Therefore, it is worth making a visit to the veterinarian on time so that the procedure is quick and effective.

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Dog teeth cleaning price

Ultrasonic cleaning from 2000 rub.

Mechanical cleaning of tartar from 1000 rub.

Domesticated animals live in better conditions than their ancestors. They don't need to get food. They are deprived of the need to defend themselves and resist the unfavorable factors of wild nature. But with all this, pets are more vulnerable to various infections.

To maintain health, they require annual vaccinations and the help of specialized specialists - in particular, a dentist. The latter cleans the teeth of dogs in Moscow and assesses the condition of their mucous membranes and gums. If the situation requires it, a specialist will treat dental diseases, remove the animal’s teeth, and other specialized procedures.

When is it better not to use anesthesia?

Many veterinarians offer to rid your dog of tartar under general anesthesia. This is due to the fact that during cleaning the pet experiences great discomfort. But do not confuse discomfort and pain . The dog does not experience pain during this cleaning. Therefore, by offering anesthesia to the dog, the veterinarian strives to make his work easier.

Doctors who practice ultrasonic teeth cleaning with anesthesia use general anesthesia. It has many contraindications and is a serious stress for the dog’s body. If the dog is not a large breed and calmly treats people in white coats, you can safely refuse general anesthesia . If the procedure may be painful, your veterinarian will offer local anesthesia.

Important! General anesthesia is necessary for owners of large breed dogs and aggressive animals that have recently experienced severe stress.

Cleaning your dog's teeth – price of the service

The cost of tartar removal is set for each patient individually. When calculating it, the type of procedure (with or without anesthesia), the number of teeth that need cleaning, and the location of the dental procedure - at home or within the walls of a veterinary clinic - are taken into account.

If brushing a dog’s teeth involves putting the pet into a medicated sleep, its weight and the type of drug used are taken into account. As a rule, this procedure option is considered only for aggressive animals, as well as large breed dogs.

Why is this necessary?

Living animals in multi-storey buildings reduces the ability to self-clean by gnawing sticks and grass. Feeding with finely divided feed has a negative impact, changing the level of acidity and leading to chronic clogging of the oral cavity with feed particles included in dental plaque. The pathological microflora accompanying the changes releases toxins, forms a film on the enamel and promotes the deposition of minerals.

An attentive owner will detect a deviation from the norm at the stage of dental plaque in apparently healthy dogs, leading to carious changes in the canines and molars, inflammation of the gums, accompanied by an unpleasant odor, and rotting of soft tissues. Putrefactive processes poison the body, stress the pet and disrupt the functioning of the digestive system.

A veterinary dentist equipped with an ultrasonic cleaning device will help remove tartar from a dog suffering from pain or in a calm state. The procedure is safe for the dog’s mucous membrane, and the cleaning process is painless.

What does the teeth cleaning service include?

It includes a set of manipulations to prevent dental diseases and ensure patient oral hygiene. These include:

• removal of tartar;
• sanitation of gum pockets;
• enamel grinding;
• coating with fluorine-containing varnishes.

Anesthesia and recovery from anesthesia will also be required (if the animal is in a state of medicated sleep during the procedure). Sometimes it may be necessary to remove a dog's non-viable teeth.

What procedures can be performed on your pet at a doctor’s appointment?

First of all, this is a thorough examination of the oral cavity, as a result of which all problems are identified and treatment is prescribed. Almost all animals are diagnosed without anesthesia. In particularly advanced cases or when examining aggressive animals, light sedation is performed.

If plaque or tartar is found, it must be removed. This procedure requires shallow anesthesia. Therefore, before visiting a doctor, the animal should not be fed for 12 hours, and water should not be given 10 hours before the appointment. In animals over 7 years of age, it is advisable to have the results of a biochemical blood test within a period of no more than 2 months. This is necessary in order to eliminate possible risks associated with anesthesia.

Complete and detailed removal of tartar can only be achieved using special dental equipment. Until recently, tartar was removed with dental hooks. This in itself is painful and quite traumatic procedure does not guarantee one hundred percent removal of the stone.

Today, doctors remove tartar with a special device - an ultrasonic scaler, which generates ultrasonic vibrations. The removable attachments of the device carefully clean the surface of the tooth without injuring it.

Tartar removal occurs not only due to the nozzle touching the tooth surface, but also due to the cavitation effect - strong turbulence of the liquid.

The cavitation effect is also useful because when removing tartar, oxygen is released from the water, which disinfects the treated area. In addition, mechanical cleansing of the root and gum surface occurs. Tartar is removed completely, without any residue.

This device is successfully used in our clinic.

Ultrasonic scaler

Cost of preparation for cleaning a dog's teeth

If the dental procedure is performed without anesthesia, preparation will not require any costs. The animal will need to stop feeding 8 to 12 hours before brushing its teeth. 4 hours before the manipulation, stop giving him water. On the day of ultrasonic cleaning, your pet should be given a good walk. Tired after a walk, the animal will behave calmly.

If ultrasonic cleaning of a dog’s teeth is carried out under anesthesia, the pet will need to undergo a preliminary veterinary examination. Thus, the veterinarian will rule out whether the patient has contraindications to the procedure. These include:

• young age (the period of teeth change has not been completed);
• female pregnancy;
• head and limb injuries;
• chronic diseases in acute form;
• infectious diseases.

The veterinarian may refer the patient to undergo ECHO heart screening, urine and blood tests. All this is not included in the cost of cleaning the teeth of animals and is paid according to the price list of the veterinary institution.

Caries and periodontitis

In small domestic animals, caries is much less common than in people, but caries still occurs.

In dogs and cats over five years old, periodontal disease can be detected - a destructive change in the tissues of the tooth and gums, and often an irreversible disease of the dental apparatus - periodontitis (this is an inflammation of all tooth tissues). Pulpitis, an inflammation of the pulp (the living part of the tooth where the blood vessels and nerves are located), is quite common.

The danger of these diseases for your pet is not only debilitating pain and unpleasant odor from the mouth. From the root of a diseased tooth, the infection spreads through the bloodstream to the internal organs and causes inflammatory and degenerative processes in them. Research by American veterinary dentists shows that in dogs with severe periodontitis, disorders in the tissues of the kidneys, heart muscle and liver are much more common and are much more severe than in dogs with healthy teeth and gums. tartar

Mechanical teeth cleaning

This type of dental manipulation is performed using a special hook-shaped instrument – ​​a scaler. The veterinarian uses it to remove large deposits of tartar. The procedure is performed without sedation. During its implementation, deposits are removed only from the outside of the tooth; hard-to-reach areas (in particular, the root area) are not touched by the specialist.

Advantages: affordable price of the service, minimal list of contraindications.

Disadvantages: risk of damage to enamel, inability to clean teeth perfectly.

Note: The cost of this procedure starts from 150 rubles per tooth for dogs over 10 kg. We recommend asking your veterinary specialists whether this proposal is relevant.

How often is it possible?

Few dogs are enthusiastic about brushing their teeth. The ultrasound procedure is performed much less frequently than the mechanical one. It is not used for prevention.

Tartar removed in a timely manner is an excellent opportunity to preserve your dog’s teeth into old age. Therefore, postponing a visit to the doctor is not recommended.

There are no specific indications regarding the frequency of the procedure. As soon as alarming symptoms become noticeable, you should immediately go to the veterinarian; usually cleaning is carried out 1-2 times a year.

Ultrasound teeth cleaning

An ultrasound machine is used for this procedure. Under the influence of its waves, tartar is destroyed, and its remains are washed away. Teeth cleaning with an ultrasonic scaler is performed on animals under sedation. Considered to be of higher quality, it allows you to remove deposits from the outside and inside of your teeth, as well as treat your pet’s joints and gum pockets.

Advantages: the procedure is effective, painless for the dog.

Disadvantages: a large number of contraindications, high price.

Note: The cost of this procedure varies and starts from 140 rubles per tooth. Every dog ​​owner can clarify this regarding their pet by calling +7 (495) 797-18-05.

Advantages of ultrasound:

• without anesthesia
• painless (the stone is destroyed due to sound vibrations, and not due to mechanical impact)
• quickly (this means the dog will have time to get tired and will not be nervous)
• effective (ultrasonic cleaning allows you to reach the part of the tooth under the gum, preventing them from loosening and falling out)
• Ultrasound does not destroy enamel - You don’t have to hold your pet - professional craftsmen will handle it on their own

How much does it cost to brush your dog's teeth at home?

The level of cost is determined by the type of products used to maintain your pet's oral hygiene. Most often, pet owners purchase specialized toothpaste and brush. Special toys and treats can provide natural mechanical cleaning. The latter include chewy snacks, sticks, bones, rawhide boots, etc. and so on.

If the tartar is small, dog owners can use specialized sprays, gels and liquids to remove it. Each of these products is applied to the affected area for a certain time (see the annotation), and then removed using a soft cloth. It is also possible to have your pet's teeth professionally cleaned at home. Learn more about the service from veterinary specialists.

How to remove tartar from a cat and a dog - compare 3 methods

If the animal has already formed dense plaque or tartar, then there are several ways to get rid of them. Each method has its pros and cons - let's look at them.

Unfortunately, pastes and special preventive pads will definitely not help in getting rid of such a disease - they can remove only part of the light plaque that has formed during the day, but nothing more.

Not all methods of getting rid of tartar are effective and safe.

Tomato puree

To remove already hard plaque, many owners resort to such a well-known method as treating tartar with a tomato (it is obviously crushed into a puree-like mass). The owner’s task is to lubricate each tooth of his pet with this mass every 30 minutes during the day.

Usually, by lunchtime, a cat or dog is trying to hide from its beloved owner in any possible place. If you pass this difficult test to the very end without being bitten, scratched or in a bad mood, then now all that’s left to do is to remove the softened stone from the surface of each tooth with gauze napkins.

The only pity is that it still won’t be possible to remove the stone from under the gum, which means the inflammation won’t go away. In general, the method is good, but very exhausting for everyone and, in the end, not entirely effective.

Mechanical teeth cleaning

You can get rid of tartar mechanically by gently scraping each tooth with a dental spatula (you can purchase a small scraper designed for humans). Wrap a bandage around your finger in advance to wipe the spatula on it to remove scraped parts of the stone. Scrape and something will fall off. In conclusion, do not be lazy to treat your pet’s oral cavity with 3% hydrogen peroxide, because even minor injuries and minor bleeding of the mucous membrane will still occur. After the procedure, wash the instrument used well and treat it with alcohol.

True, this method has some disadvantages:

• You need to hold a cat or dog very tightly, otherwise it will bite, scratch and run away, and then also be offended. But don’t overdo it - pets have been brought to our clinic more than once with injuries such as dislocations and fractures of the jaw after strong restraint while brushing their teeth;
• with strong fixation, the animal experiences very strong stress, so the procedure should be short in time - do not test the work of your pet’s heart;
• Moreover, the instrument will again not be able to remove the stone that sits very firmly under the gum. More precisely, this can be done technically with a special dental weakly curved sharp hook, but it will be very painful for the pet - you still injure the gum in order to clean the tartar from under it without any anesthesia;
• unfortunately, after such cleaning, the re-formation of plaque will occur very soon, because with metal instruments you damage the enamel of the teeth - it becomes rough, which after the first feeding will lead to even closer contact of the enamel with food debris;
• and the last minus is that inflammation of the gums will remain as it was, and the damaged enamel will be actively attacked by pathogenic microflora.

In general, this method is acceptable at home, but it has a lot of negative consequences. Think carefully before embarking on such (let’s not be afraid of this word) cruel hygienic method - the procedure is not for the faint of heart.

Brushing teeth in a grooming salon

For many owners, visiting a grooming salon with their pet is a common thing: there they give dogs cute haircuts, and long hair and a lot of tangles are carefully shaved off cats. Often the masters in such salons offer an additional service - teeth cleaning. To which most owners gladly agree.

We understand, this is really very convenient - you don’t have to go anywhere else: get a haircut and brush your teeth in one place. But you should still be aware of the significant disadvantages of this convenience:

1. Most often, the animal is well fixed, after which mechanical cleaning is performed without anesthesia. We have already discussed what it is and what negative consequences arise a little higher in the article. Let us just remind you that this method is quite cruel.
2. Sometimes cleaning is carried out using an ultrasonic scaler (scaler). The option is already many times better due to the safety of the procedure in relation to the teeth and gums themselves. But here the question is again about anesthesia - if the procedure is carried out without pain relief, then it again becomes a difficult test for the animal, because again good fixation is needed, and the pain will not go away. But high-quality anesthesia is not carried out in grooming salons, since it requires strict control by a veterinarian.
3. Some masters are cunning - before brushing their teeth, they inject the dog or cat with a muscle relaxant (it does not have an analgesic effect). And now, when your pet is lying relaxed on the table, you can brush your teeth. Everything would be fine, but the big minus is that your four-legged friend is not sleeping, but simply immobilized, so he hears everything around and feels every touch on his sore teeth. And if the master tries to remove the stone from under the gums, then the pet becomes in unbearable pain. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to complain to you about this horror. Another huge disadvantage of using a muscle relaxant is the high risk of low oxygen levels in the body (hypoxia), and as a result, cessation of respiratory movements (apnea). The fact is that muscle relaxants relax all smooth muscles, including the diaphragm and heart. Every 4th cat or dog may not return home alive. Even if your pet is one of those 3 lucky ones, it’s too early to rejoice. You will be subject to daily observation of the animal - recovering from such a drug is extremely painful: shortness of breath, paws tangle and move apart, the pet does not eat or drink anything, and the first stool will only be in two or three days.

Thus, brushing your teeth in a grooming salon is a poorly performed procedure with a lot of negative consequences.

After teeth cleaning at the groomer.

Why is it necessary to brush your pet’s teeth?

Performed in veterinary clinics, the procedure prevents the risk of premature tooth loss in dogs. It helps maintain the health of the animal - preventing the development of dental diseases and diseases of the digestive tract.

It’s safe to say that ultrasonic teeth cleaning is not only a means of prevention, but also a saving tool. Thanks to her, the animal owner saves his pet from discomfort and pain, and himself from the likely costs of treating a sick four-legged friend.

Carry out the procedure in a clinic or at home in Moscow

The veterinary hospital "Doctor-Vet" offers on-site services for cleaning a dog's teeth without anesthesia at home with conditions convenient for owners. The specialist’s visit is carried out after clarifying the data on the condition and biometric characteristics of the animal and agreeing on a session time that suits the owner. The doctor takes the instruments and painkillers and antiseptics carried in a portable cooler.

Ultrasonic teeth cleaning in dogs takes place without gel or infiltration anesthesia, if the four-legged family member does not behave aggressively and does not have advanced diseases. He feels comfortable in a home environment, surrounded by the familiar smells of his territory. Only in case of severe pain and damage to the oral cavity will it be necessary to transport it to a pet salon. In the veterinary dentist's office, high-precision diagnostics are possible to make a decision on extraction or restorative therapy on teeth.

Our features:

• modern equipment and qualified medical staff;
• availability of round-the-clock veterinarian home calls and consultations;
• assistance in selecting optimal prevention;
• minimizing stress.