Island Veterinary Hospital ::

Maintaining excellent dental health in your pet can substantially increase the quality and duration of their life. Poor oral health contributes to many diseases: heart, liver, kidney and joint disease (arthritis) for example.

80% of dogs and cats over the age of 3 have dental disease requiring professional attention.

Gum disease is common and it hurts. Just remember: if it would hurt you, it hurts them. “But they eat just fine” is never a good guide for you; their instincts are to eat regardless of the pain. Pets are much better at hiding pain than we are. The changes we see in our patients’ health and behaviour after dental work is amazing and we are proud of our results.

We conveniently offer basic pricing models for 3 different grades of dentals and we also include them as part of our wellness plans for even more savings to you. Contact us today to arrange an appointment to assess your pet’s dental health.

An Island Veterinary Hospital Dental uses the following principles as a basis of care for your pet.

	2 Qualified and Licensed Professionals	One to administer the anesthetic and one to perform the procedure. Our licensed Veterinarians and Registered Animal Health Technologists (RAHT) have completed additional training in dentistry and anaesthesia and are well-qualified to provide safe and outstanding dental care.
	Pre-Anesthetic Blood Work	Just as in human medicine, this is done prior to any anesthetic procedure to help detect internal organ dysfunction. The results of these tests enable us to tailor our anesthetic protocol for your individual pet and reduce the risk inherent with any anesthetic. The type of blood work required will depend on your pet’s age. We will schedule this on a day shortly prior to the scheduled dental prophylaxis (cleaning).
	Pre-Anesthetic Exam	A complete physical exam on the morning of the procedure is performed to detect any conditions that may complicate the procedure or compromise your pet’s safety.
	IV Fluids	Intravenous fluid therapy helps to maintain blood pressure, hydration and proper functioning of kidneys and liver. An added bonus: IV fluids aid in a faster, more comfortable recovery.
	General Anesthesia and Monitoring	General anesthesia is always necessary for dental procedures. It is accomplished with inhaled gas anesthetic that puts your pet into a sleep-like state. We monitor your pet’s vital signs the entire time using a blood pressure/heart rate monitor and fine-tune the amount of anesthetic to keep them at just the right level. Our anesthetics are exclusively administered by either our Veterinarian on duty or a licensed RAHT.
	Dental Scale and Polish	The heart of the package. Your pet’s teeth will be thoroughly cleaned by manual scaling and using our ultrasonic scaler. We also hand-scale below the gum line (where 60% of dental disease exists), removing harmful plaque and tartar. Each tooth will be polished with a pumice paste to smooth the microscopic etching that occurs during scaling to help retard re-formation of plaque. We will complete a detailed dental chart, noting any abnormalities or areas of concern for future reference.
	Sterile Instrument Pack	The instruments we use are sterilized before every procedure. Your pet will not be exposed to oral pathogens from any other patients.
	Dental Procedure Report/Discharge Appointment	You will be given a complete report with findings and recommendations, as well as detailed homecare instructions on how to best care for your pet and his/her new “pearly whites.” The type of follow-up required will also be discussed.