04/08/2026
✨ A satisfying transformation from today’s dental procedure! ✨
These photos show what can be achieved with a professional dental scale and polish under a general anaesthetic.
One question we get asked quite often is:
“Why can’t you clean their teeth without an anaesthetic?”
The simple answer is that the part of the tooth you can see isn’t the most important part when it comes to cleaning.
🦷 The brown tartar above the gumline is only part of the problem. Most dental disease occurs below the gumline, where bacteria cause inflammation, pain, bone loss and eventually loose teeth. This area can only be cleaned thoroughly using specialised instruments while the patient is completely still.
In this patient’s case, there was marked gum recession and bone loss, leaving parts of the tooth roots exposed. These teeth were no longer healthy or comfortable and required extraction. Trying to clean these exposed roots in a conscious dog would be extremely painful, which is another reason anaesthesia-free dentistry is not an appropriate or welfare-friendly option.
Anaesthesia also allows us to:
✔️ Perform a full oral examination. Checking under the tongue, and the inside of the teeth.
✔️ Take dental x-rays to assess the roots and bone below the gumline.
✔️ Clean beneath the gums where disease develops.
✔️ Safely treat or extract painful teeth if needed.
In contrast, anaesthesia-free teeth cleaning is purely cosmetic. It removes the visible staining and tartar but leaves the disease below the gumline untouched. It can even give a false impression that the mouth is healthy, delaying appropriate treatment while painful periodontal disease continues to progress.
Our pets can’t understand why they’re being asked to stay still while sharp noisy instruments are used in their mouths, and even the calmest dog can move suddenly. For that reason, it’s simply not possible to perform a complete, safe and pain-free dental treatment on a conscious patient.
Healthy teeth are about far more than a white smile—they’re about keeping our pets comfortable and pain-free for years to come. ❤️🐾
