From the AVDC (American Veterinary Dental College):
Owners of pets naturally are concerned when anesthesia is required for their pet. However, performing NPDS on an unanesthetized pet is inappropriate for the following reasons:
1. Dental tartar is firmly adhered to the surface of the teeth. Scaling to remove tartar is accomplished using ultrasonic and sonic power scalers, plus hand instruments that must have a sharp working edge to be used effectively. Even slight head movement by the patient could result in injury to the oral tissues of the patient, and the operator may be bitten when the patient reacts.
2. Professional dental scaling includes scaling the surfaces of the teeth both above and below the gingival margin (gum line), followed by dental polishing. The most critical part of a dental scaling procedure is scaling the tooth surfaces that are within the gingival pocket (the subgingival space between the gum and the root), where periodontal disease is active. Because the patient cooperates, dental scaling of human teeth performed by a professional trained in the procedures can be completed successfully without anesthesia. However, access to the subgingival area of every tooth is impossible in an unanesthetized canine or feline patient. Removal of dental tartar on the visible surfaces of the teeth has little effect on a pet’s health, and provides a false sense of accomplishment. The effect is purely cosmetic.
3. Inhalation anesthesia using a cuffed endotracheal tube provides three important advantages – the cooperation of the patient with a procedure it does not understand, elimination of pain resulting from examination and treatment of affected dental tissues during the procedure, and protection of the airway and lungs from accidental aspiration.
4. A complete oral examination, which is an important part of a professional dental scaling procedure, is not possible in an unanesthetized patient. The surfaces of the teeth facing the tongue cannot be examined, and areas of disease and discomfort are likely to be missed.
End excerpt.
So many dogs and cats have had to suffer in silence - with painful teeth - because people sign up for anesthesia-free dentistry and I find that very sad.
I remember a very interesting lecture where the speaker put up pictures of two dog mouths.
Dog #1....VERY clean looking teeth but once under anesthesia, it was found that he had a lot of problems under the gum line and needed several extractions.
Dog #2...HORRIBLE looking mouth...huge hunks of tartar but when the teeth were cleaned up and *probed* under general...the dog needed no extractions.
You just can't tell until you get in their with your sharp...painful...probes to look for deep pockets under the gum line and for that, the animal must be fast asleep.
I also remember a FDMB board member who lived near me. He took his cat to a friend of mine for dentistry. This man had signed up for anesthesia-free dentistry for the past many years of the cat's life. The cat's mouth was a mess and needed multiple extractions.
