Dental treatment under anesthesia — is it safe for dogs and cats?

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Many owners postpone dental treatment for a dog or cat because the thought of anesthesia (anesthesia) scares. Is anesthesia a risk? Can teeth be cleaned without anesthesia?

We want Animal Hospital Sacrum to allay these fears by providing facts.

Why does “tartar removal while awake” not work?

Some entities offer tartar removal for an awake dog (so-called emmi-pet or cosmetic cleaning). In veterinary terms, this is only a cosmetic procedure.

• It removes tartar only from the visible surface.
• The most important area -- the gingival vessel -- remains uncleaned because it feels nasty to the dog.
• Inflammation continues to fester in hiding and destroys the tooth, although on top the tooth appears white.

This is how we make anesthesia safe

Modern anesthesia is very safe, even for old pets. At our veterinary hospital in Vantaa, we follow strict safety measures:

1. Preliminary examination and blood tests

Before anesthesia, the veterinarian checks the heart and lungs. We recommend blood tests (liver and kidney values) to rule out latent diseases.

2. Inhalation anesthesia and intubation

The pet inhales anesthetic and oxygen through a tube. This “intubation tube” is critical in dental care: it prevents water and bacterial mass from draining into the lungs, which could cause pneumonia.

3. Continuous monitoring

A trained nurse monitors the patient's heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and body temperature throughout the procedure. If there is a change in values, there is an immediate reaction to it.

The risk of untreated stomatitis is much higher for health than the risk of controlled anesthesia.

📍 Veterinary Hospital Sacrum, Porttisuontie 13, Vantaa