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Keeping your B's teeth clean is a really important thing to do, where that's by daily brushing, periodic dental cleanings at the vet, or, for the truly bold, scaling them yourself at home (believe it or not, my Jedediah actually tolerates this very well, though I can only do on or two teeth at a time before he loses patience with the whole thing). While keeping the teeth clean definitely keeps them looking good, prevents premature tooth loss, and keeps their breath from getting too gross, the most important reasons are to prevent long term severe negative effects on the kidneys and other organs. When the teeth are not taken care of and tartar is allowed to accumulate, dogs get gingivitis and periodontal disease like humans. The mouth is full of bacteria and in a mouth with chronic dental disease and inflammation these bacteria are able to penetrate into the blood stream and maintain a constant low level of bacterial infection in the blood itself over long periods of time. This allows these bacteria to infect other parts of the body, and there appear to be very strong connections between chronically neglected teeth, kidney failure, and infection of heart valve leaflets (endocarditis). Basically, neglected teeth represent a slowly ticking time bomb. As for the expense of dental cleanings, it can definitely start getting high if one takes all the precautions available. At the clinic I work at, the cleaning itself is about $75, but costs add quickly if one chooses to do preanesthetic blood work (up to $60), place an IV catheter and run fluids during the procedure ($35), and if antibiotics are necessary before or after the procedure(variable cost). These other things aren't part of the dental cleaning itself, but each of them provides an extra margin of safety. The blood work will help identify preexisting problems that might represent a significant anesthetic risk and may help catch some serious problems early before they become clinically apparent. The IV catheter and fluids help maintain the animal's blood pressure, help keep the kidneys well hydrated, and provide an emergency access port directly to a vein in case there is a crisis of any sort (such things are rare, but do occasionally happen and can be very serious-- I personally always recommend placement of a catheter prior to anesthesia). Antibiotics are always a good idea if the teeth are particularly bad, or if the dog has a preexisting kidney or heart condition. Article copyright © 2001 by Jennifer Yearley, DVM |