What happens when you leave your dog or cat for the day to have his/her teeth cleaned?  This explains the step by step process that we go through with your pet.  This follows Scooter through his day with us.

This is Scooter.	As you can see, there is severe dental calculus accumulation on his teeth.

Scooter gets a hug to start his day.	An EKG is performed to check his heart rhythm and blood is drawn to check organ function before anesthesia.		Scooter is given a pre-anesthetic injection for relaxation and pain control.

The dental area is prepared.  Heating blankets are used to maintain body temperature.	After the pre-anesthetic has had time to work, we place an IV catheter.  This is for giving fluids, and for drugs that may need to be used under anesthesia.  The leg is shaved, cleaned, and once the catheter is in, it is taped into place.  An injection is given to make Scooter fall asleep very quickly so we can start the procedure.

A tube is placed into the airway, so inhalant anesthesia and oxygen can be given.  Because Scooter cannot swallow, it also prevents any fluids from entering his lungs.	Scooter is placed on the table on a towel and anesthesia is started.	Many monitoring devices are attached to Scooter.  They monitor his breathing, the level of oxygen in his blood, his blood pressure, and heart rate/rhythm. He also receives fluids through the IV catheter.

Jennifer and Stephanie (two Certified Veterinary Technicians) attend to Scooter's every need.  Jen is performing the cleaning while Steph monitors his anesthesia.	An ultrasonic scaler is utilized to remove the calculus from the enamel surfaces.	Each tooth is hand scaled to remove tartar under the gum line.

Each tooth is probed for gingival pockets.	The teeth are then polished.	Before the cleaning.	After the cleaning.

Any tooth suspected of having problems is radiographed.	Three examples of radiographs taken of Scooter's teeth.

After the cleaning, teeth are checked by a doctor and treatments are performed.  Here, an infected tooth is being removed.	The site of the malpositioned tooth.	The site after extraction of the tooth.

After cleaning and all treatments, the teeth are flushed with an antiseptic rinse that decreases bacterial growth.	Then, a fluoride foam is applied and then blown off with air.	Lastly, a dental barrier product is applied.

Anesthesia is turned off and Scooter breathes pure oxygen.  When he is able to swallow, the tube is pulled.	An animal assistant provides tender loving care to Scooter as he wakes up.	Scooter is snuggling under a blanket with hot water bottles.  When he is more awake, the IV catheter is pulled, and then he is fed a small amount of food and walked outside.