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professional dental cleanings for cats and dogs
We can help prevent advanced dental disease, tooth loss, and infection.
Professional dental cleanings evaluate your pet’s oral health. We clean above and below the gumline to help prevent or treat painful tooth and gum issues and other health concerns.
Getting your pet’s teeth cleaned can really help your pet
- Helps remove germy tartar
- Helps prevent gum disease
- Helps prevent infection
- Helps vets spot tooth troubles
- Can help manage truly stinky breath
Professional dental cleanings are done under anesthesia
- Dental cleanings clean above and below the gumline
- After an oral exam, we’ll let you know if we recommend a dental cleaning
- You’ll make a separate drop-off appointment
- Your team will do pre-anesthesia checks and monitor your pet throughout
- Keep your phone handy — your team may contact you with recommendations
- You’ll get instructions for pre- and post-procedure care
A quick guide to professional dental cleanings
You won’t be in the room with your pet during dental cleanings, so we’ll call you with updates.
- A complete “awake pet” oral exam
We start with an oral exam. Based on what we find, your veterinary team will let you know if we recommend a professional dental cleaning for your pet, since there are some parts of your pet’s oral health that we can only fully evaluate under anesthesia.
Because dental cleanings are done under anesthesia, you’ll make a separate appointment for your pet’s procedure. Your veterinary team will explain what to expect and will be in touch with your pre-procedure instructions. - Drop-off and tests
Your veterinary team will typically arrange for you to drop off your pet in the morning and pick them up later that day. Please keep your phone handy!
Your pet will receive a pre-anesthetic exam with blood testing, including a complete blood count, internal organ screens, and electrolyte testing.
If your veterinary team has any concerns about your pet’s pre-anesthesia tests, we may call to discuss running more tests or rescheduling your pet’s dental cleaning for a later date. - Anesthesia
Pets aren’t great at sitting still with their mouths open, so professional dental cleanings are always done under anesthesia. We constantly monitor your BFF’s vitals to ensure they are safe and comfortable during the procedure. - Let the cleaning commence
A typical professional dental cleaning includes ultrasonic cleaning, tooth polishing, and hand scaling above and below the gumline.
Removing plaque and tartar from your pet’s teeth helps us take a much closer look at your pet’s teeth and gums. We may find new concerns that we weren’t able to see during the awake exam.
If that happens, our team will contact you to recommend additional diagnostic tests or therapies. These may include additional dental X-rays, extracting diseased teeth, local anesthetic injections for pain (nerve blocks) for extractions, oral surgery, and a post-cleaning rinse with an oral care solution. - Time to go home
We’ll continue to monitor your pet through anesthetic recovery after the procedure, and a member of our team will call when your pet is ready to head home. We’ll also give you aftercare instructions for diet, activity, and pain relief as needed.
Visiting us soon?
Check out our step-by-step video on dental cleanings for your furball’s pearly whites. Watch the video on dental cleanings
Wondering about anesthesia during dental cleanings? We’ve got a video on anesthesia too
An Optimum Wellness Plan is a smart way to tackle teeth troubles
Our Optimum Wellness Plans® are affordable yearlong packages of essential preventive care. They're designed for different needs, ages, and lifestyles, and many include a professional dental cleaning that can help treat tartar and prevent advanced dental disease.
Talk to your Banfield vet to find out which package is best for your pet.
Mentioned in this article
Dental disease in dogs and cats
Danger signs that may mean pain or infection.
Signs of dental disease
Worried about your pet? Ping Pet Chat™!
Whether it's 3 a.m. or 3 p.m., connect with a real veterinary professional for immediate petcare advice. It's included in all Optimum Wellness Plans®!
Log in to start chattingHow Banfield can help with your pet’s dental care and oral health
Banfield can help prevent and treat dental disease in dogs and cats. Ask us about tips and tricks for brushing, guidance on dental health, and, if your pet could use a professional dental cleaning, to help eliminate tartar that regular brushing just can’t reach.
Regular physical and oral exams. We can help evaluate the overall health of your pet, including their mouth and teeth.
Regular professional dental cleanings. Professional pet dental cleanings can help tackle the buildup of smelly, sticky tartar on your pet’s teeth, helping your pet avoid painful periodontal disease, tooth loss, and truly stinky pet breath.
Does your pet absolutely refuse to have their teeth brushed? Reach out to your veterinary team. We can help suggest additional ways to help reduce plaque and tartar.
