South Florida & Southern California Lead the Pack in "Anesthesia Free" Dentals

I have always had a yearly Dental (Prophy) cleaning  for my Dogs' at the Veterinarian, but one thing has always put me off, Anesthesia! Placing a Dog under Anesthesia is never a pleasant experience for humans and and their pets. It's costly, there is a small risk factor and for some Dog's they actually panic from confusion when they begin to wake up and thrust themselves against the cage.(Could be a flight response). There are also Dog's that cannot go under Anesthesia because of neurological issues, age and other factors. Four years ago my Veterinarian notified me of a new service that he was offering, called an Awake Dental performed by a company called Pet Dental Services 

My Veterinarian explained to me that the procedure is done while the pet is fully awake in his clinic. My first thoughts were the possibilities of a tech getting bitten and the danger of a Dog squirming during the Dental cleaning and injuring themselves. But, this type of procedure greatly intrigued me as it meant the absence of Anesthesia. And I did have the perfect candidate, my very own Dog Babybear who was gentle and calm and wouldn't move an inch even if a large Asteroid hit the Veterinary clinic.


Let’s digress a bit; you see I have had a little bit of experience with my past Dog Buddy (pictured above) receiving an Awake Dental. I held Buddy at a friend’s Veterinary clinic while the Veterinary technician scaled him ultrasonically. The only time we had to pause was when Buddy had some excess water in his mouth. But he was no worse for wear after the procedure.  The reason I did this was that his health was impaired and as a Senior Citizen  I did not feel comfortable putting him under Anesthesia.

Back to Pet Dental Services.  I did some research, went to the web site and personally met the owner of the company, Josh Brazavilvazo (don’t try and pronounce his surname, it’s a tough one)

Josh performs the procedures himself along with his personally trained staff at Veterinary Clinics throughout South Florida & Southern California.  Josh has developed proprietary holds (to make sure the dog is held properly, firmly and humanely) and uses his own techniques to hand scale and polish. He also provides an oral rinse and a clinically tested protective dental sealant called Oravet.  So, after a barrage of questions, a discussion with my Vet, and, witnessing it being performed on someone else's Dog, I had a good comfort level and decided to book an appointment for BabyBear. The entire procedure took about 15 minutes and the bill was surprisingly low at $175 (Dental Cleanings with Anesthesia run around $350 ). Josh handed me a report card which notified me that Babybear had level 2 plaque and calculus and slight enamel stains. Josh even opened Babybear’s mouth to show me that the plaque had been removed and how clean  teeth were after the procedure.  Best of all Babybear was as happy as can be after the procedure. What really increased my comfort level of an Awake Dental was that Josh presented BabyBear to my Vet after the procedure because baby bleeds alot and my Vet prescribed an antibiotic preventatively.  

Pros

-Anesthesia free (in and out in approx 15-20 minutes with no side effects)

-Lowered cost (30-50% cheaper because there is no Anesthesia)

-Technicians are trained to identify issues and report them immediately to your Veterinarian

-Older Dog’s and Dogs that have impaired health are great candidates as Anesthesia can be too harsh for them

-Staff is usually vet techs or have some Veterinary background and his staff happens to be WONDERFUL!  Lisa who works in South Florida knows that I have a special needs Dog and actually drove to my vet’s clinic on a non scheduled day to do Babybear personally. Now that’s a commitment.

-I have spoken to about 50 people who have used this service and no one had  complained their Dog was either traumatized or injured

-They do Dentals on  well behaved Cats

Cons

-They will not work on aggressive Dogs, or, hyperactive Dogs unless mildly sedated and manageable

-Besides South Florida and Southern California you will not be able to find Pet Dental Services.     

- A Veterinary Dentist is much better equipped and trained to identify fractures and gingivitis below the gum line

-There’s more chance of cutting a Dog’s gum when they are awake

- You cannot be with your pet during the procedure as Pet Dental Services believes that pets misbehave in front of their owners
-With the increase in popularity of services like Pet Dental Services I have noticed that you have to wait a little bit longer for an appointment

Here’s something really cool, Pet Dental Services has the Universal Studios contract in California for their performing Dog’s and the owner Josh told me they also go the homes of quite a few really famous celebrities. (But unfortunately I am sworn to secrecy about the identities of the celebrities). I am not TMZ! (LOL)

The Final Word

 Pet Dental Services  does Awake Dentals in South Florida and Southern California.  If your Veterinarian does not use their services, suggest it. Veterinarians are open to Pet Dental Services particularly for Dog’s that have issues with Anesthesia. There are still Veterinarians who object to having their patients subjected to an Anesthesia free Prophy. But let’s face it most the time the clinics use Veterinary Technicians and not the Veterinarians for the Dentals So who would you rather have doing your Dog’s Dental? A Vet clinics Veterinary Technician who will have to put your Dog to sleep for the procedure, or, a more experienced Pet Dental Services technician that does this on a daily basis?

IMPORTANT -Make sure that companies like, Pet Dental Services work out of a Veterinary clinic as the Veterinarian will handle any medical crisis that arises from the procedure. Plus, your Veterinarian will be able to determine if your Dog can handle this procedure.

In my opinion once or twice a year would be optimum for an Anesthesia free Dental cleaning.

If you are out of the Pet Dental Services service region ask your very own Veterinarian if they offer the service, or seek out  an alternative Veterinarian at the AHVMA . There are a few other companies across the the U.S. offering this service. To find one do an online search using the following keywords, anesthesia free pet dentals (include your location)

Jessica Nicodemo’s  Pet friendly Dental Care just launched in South Florida. Jessica is the former partner of Josh Brazavilvazo  at Pet Dental Services and Jessica offers the same Anesthesia free Dental cleaning services at Veterinary clinics as well .