Dental Cleanings

Professional Dental Cleanings for Dogs & Cats

At Pet Dental Center, we provide comprehensive, professional dental cleanings performed by highly trained veterinary professionals. Just like in human dentistry, proper dental care for pets involves much more than just removing visible tartar—it’s about ensuring the overall health of your pet’s mouth and preventing painful dental diseases.


What Happens During a Veterinary Dental Cleaning?

Every pet receives a thorough oral exam and full-mouth dental X-rays before their cleaning. Why is this important?Because more than 50% of dental disease occurs below the gumline, where it can’t be seen with the naked eye. By using radiographs (X-rays) and CBCT imaging, our veterinarians can evaluate the health of each individual tooth and determine if any require treatment beyond a standard cleaning.

Once the oral exam is complete, the dental cleaning process begins, which includes:
✔️ Ultrasonic scaling – Using specialized tools to remove plaque and tartar from above and below the gumline.
✔️ Hand scaling – A detailed approach to ensure a thorough clean in hard-to-reach areas.
✔️ Polishing – Smoothing the tooth surfaces to prevent future plaque buildup.

For pets with advanced periodontal disease, specialized techniques or periodontal surgery may be required to fully address deep infections or damaged tissue.


Is Anesthesia Safe for My Pet?

We understand that one of the biggest concerns pet parents have about dental cleanings is anesthesia safety. Rest assured, at Pet Dental Center, your pet’s safety is our top priority.

✔️ Customized Anesthetic Protocols – Every pet is different, which is why we create an individualized anesthesia plan based on their age, breed, medical history, and any underlying health conditions. This ensures the safest and most effective sedation for your pet.

✔️ Advanced Monitoring & Skilled Medical Team – While under anesthesia, your pet is continuously monitored by our highly trained veterinary team using state-of-the-art monitoring equipment.

✔️ Board-Certified Anesthesiologist on Staff – For pets with pre-existing medical conditions or those at higher anesthetic risk, we have the expertise of a board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist available to oversee and customize their care. This ensures the safest possible experience, even for pets with heart disease, kidney disease, or other complex health concerns.

Anesthesia in veterinary dentistry is very safe when performed with the appropriate protocols, monitoring, and experienced staff—all of which we provide at Pet Dental Center. If you have any concerns, our team is happy to discuss the process and answer any questions to give you peace of mind.


What Happens After the Cleaning?

After your pet’s dental cleaning, we take steps to maintain their oral health:
✔️ If oral surgery was performed, a temporary plaque barrier is applied to protect healing areas.
✔️ If no extractions or surgery were needed, we provide recommendations for immediate at-home care, including daily brushing and other preventive measures to keep your pet’s mouth healthy long-term.


What About Anesthesia-Free Dental Cleanings?

You may have heard about anesthesia-free dental cleanings, but these procedures do not provide the same level of careas a professional cleaning under anesthesia. While they may remove some visible plaque, they cannot address disease below the gumline, where the most serious problems occur. Additionally, without anesthesia, pets must be restrained, making the experience stressful and increasing the risk of injury.

For more information, visit the American Veterinary Dental College’s (AVDC) official statement on anesthesia-free cleanings: AVDC Position Statement on Anesthesia-Free Dentistry


At Pet Dental Center, we believe in providing the highest standard of care to ensure your pet’s dental health is thoroughly evaluated and properly treated. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a dental cleaning for your pet, contact us today!

For instructions on how to brush your pet’s teeth, click here to visit our bookshelf that includes tutorial videos.

Commonly Asked Questions

Does My Pet Need A Dental Cleaning?

Dental cleanings should be recommended based on each individual pet’s level of plaque and calculus build up and gingivitis. For some pets, cleanings may be necessary every 6 months, for others it could be every couple of years. More importantly, pets need to have routine oral evaluations with dental probing and full mouth dental radiographs no less than every 2 years and in some pets every 6 months. This includes pets who may have minimal plaque, calculus or gingivitis. It must be understood that clean teeth are not always healthy and therefore could be causing you pet pain or discomfort.

My Dog Has Bad Breath.

Bad breath is the number one symptom of advanced dental disease in pets. In most cases, bad breath in pets originates from disease causing bacteria. When pathogenic bacteria begin to flourish in the mouth, bad breath develops. It is important to have your pet’s oral health fully assessed with thorough oral examination and dental radiographs as soon as bad breath is noticed to prevent severe infections and tooth loss. These bacteria can also negatively affect other parts of the body and contribute to cardiac or renal disease.

My Pet Has Increased Risks For Anesthesia, How Can They Get The Dental Care They Need?

It is not fair to make a pet live with chronic dental pain and infection because they are considered an increased risk for anesthesia. At Pet Dental Center, we specialize in providing high level anesthesia care for geriatric pets and those with increased risks such as heart, kidney, liver, neurologic, diabetes and Cushing’s diseases. Because of our reputation for providing the highest level of anesthesia care possible, we average treating one high risk patient each day. Trust your pet with the ones who perform the most anesthesia procedures in high risk patients, Pet Dental Center.

Is It Normal For My Pet’s Teeth To Fall Out?

Baby or deciduous teeth are supposed to fall out when dogs and cats are teething, between 3 and 7 months of age. Adult or permanent teeth are present for the life of a dog and cat as long as they are healthy. If your pet is losing adult teeth there is severe dental disease. Advanced periodontal disease is the most likely cause for a pet losing teeth although dental fractures and tooth resorption are other likely causes.

What Kind Of Chews Are Good For My Pet’s Teeth?

Brushing your pet’s teeth is the best way to prevent dental disease at home and should be performed daily. When your pet does not accept brushing or for supplemental dental care in those pets who are getting their teeth brushed, dental chews can be a good choice. We recommend using dental chews that have the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal of approval. This verifies that the product has been tested in clinical trials and was shown to significantly reduce plaque or calculus. We also recommend slowly introducing dental chews by offering a reduced amount of the chew and observing your pet while chewing. This is to make sure he or she does not swallow a large portion of the chew that could lead to choking or digestive complications. Hard chew objects such as bones, hooves, antlers, thick rawhide products and plastic toys often lead to dental fractures and should always be avoided.