Absolutely, we will give pain medication. In addition, we do nerve blocks for numbing just as human dentists do. They're usually given some type of a narcotic for pain relief as well as oftentimes some medications to go home. We even have a newer form of pain medication that's a transdermal, it goes on the skin and provides four days of pain relief so that we don't have to medicate the cat personally.

Dental appointments usually take at least two-thirds of the day. We usually have multiple procedures to do during a day so after they're dropped off we set up the IV catheters, do blood work if necessary, give them fluids and get them prepared for the procedure. The procedure usually lasts somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour and a half. After the procedure, they have to be recovered from anesthesia, they're monitored for a while and then they usually go home in the middle of the afternoon.

Yes, we always protect the airway with an endotracheal tube or intubation. This is the tube that helps protect the airway, make sure that nothing goes down the wrong pipe, and also helps us to provide oxygen and the anesthetic gas that helps to keep the cat asleep during the procedure.

Absolutely, dental radiographs are of paramount importance with dental care. Just like when we go to the dentist to have our annual cleanings or biannual cleanings, the x-rays are mandatory to determine what kind of disease is going on underneath the gum line.

The cat is monitored continuously while under anesthesia with equipment such as EKGs, blood pressure monitoring, pulse oximetry which measures the oxygenation. There's also a hands-on person, either the veterinary technician or the doctor, who is monitoring all the vitals and recording those during the procedure.

Cats have very sharp teeth, and unlike humans when we're in for our dental cleanings and we keep our mouth open, cats don't know to say ah and they are not as willing and able to let us get into their mouth.

Keeping your cat healthy otherwise is probably the most important thing to do in preparation. We will certainly have guidelines and recommendations given specifically in preparation for the day of the dental.

We believe in full multimodal pain control with all of our dental patients. We usually give them some type of a narcotic pain medication and usually a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, unless there are certain medical conditions that prevent that. Pain medication is usually also given to be taken home for your dog.

A dental cleaning appointment involves coming in the morning usually between 7:30 and 8. The overall dental procedures last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, sometimes up to two hours. After the procedure, the patient needs to recover, so they're usually here for a good five or six hours.

Yes, all dogs get dental x-rays. It's an important part of evaluating the mouth because it allows us to see underneath the gum line and to look for things associated with periodontal disease such as bone loss.