Dog and cat dental cleaning in Spokane

A dog dental cleaning at Glenrose, in Spokane on the South Hill, is a full cleaning under anesthesia: scaling above and below the gumline, polishing, and a careful tooth-by-tooth check, with extractions only when a tooth is causing pain or harm. We clean cats' teeth the same way. Most of our dental work is done by Dr. Owen Marsh, who has a special interest in dentistry.

Teeth are the problem nobody sees

If Karen could get one thing across to every owner, it would be this: let us look in the mouth at every visit, and believe us when we say something is wrong in there. Animals hide mouth pain. They eat on the other side and get on with it.

"A Lab came in for a routine checkup and the owner mentioned, almost in passing, that he'd started dropping kibble on one side of the bowl. Fractured molar, the root exposed. After the extraction the owner said he was playing with toys he'd ignored for a year. Dogs don't cry about teeth. They just quietly change how they eat."

Dr. Owen Marsh

What a dental cleaning includes

1. A check before the day. We look at the mouth while your pet is awake and give you a written estimate, including what could change it.
2. Anesthesia and monitoring. A proper cleaning needs your pet fully asleep. Your pet's breathing and heart rate are watched from start to finish.
3. Scaling and polishing. Tartar comes off above and below the gumline, where the disease actually is, then the teeth are polished smooth.
4. A tooth-by-tooth check. Each tooth is examined for fractures, loose roots, pockets in the gums, and in cats, painful lesions.
5. A phone call if anything changes. If we find a tooth that needs to come out and it was not on the estimate, we call you before we do it.

The AVMA explains why cleanings need anesthesia and what a good one covers. For brushing products and chews at home, the Veterinary Oral Health Council keeps a list of the ones that have earned its seal.

Signs your dog or cat needs a dental

• Bad breath that does not go away
• Chewing on one side, or dropping food
• Red or bleeding gums, or brown buildup at the gumline
• Pawing at the face, or not wanting the head touched
• A cat that suddenly prefers soft food

None of these mean surgery is certain. They mean it's time for a look.

Pain control is not optional

We won't skip pain control to make an estimate look smaller. If extractions are needed, your pet gets pain relief during the procedure and medication to go home with, and you get a call that evening to walk through the night ahead.

Between cleanings

Brushing a few times a week does more than anything else you can do at home. Ask us to show you how at your next checkup; it is easier with a demonstration. If an extraction or oral surgery turns into something bigger, see how surgery at Glenrose works.