Mercer Island Veterinary Clinic 206-232-0333, Evan Crocker - DVM, Owner
http://www.mercerislandvet.com

I spotted your page on various vets in the Seattle area and what they charge for "dentals". I thought you might like to know a little more about the subject. This is definitely a get-what-you-pay for situation.

Over the past several years, I have radically re-structured the way in which our dentistry is performed here largely due to the fact that most Veterinarians are very poorly trained in even basic dental care. I am a 1996 WSU grad and I needed to spend a LOT of money on continuing education including wet-labs to understand how to provide top-notch dental care for our patients at our hospital. Then I sent all of my Licensed Techs and Assistants to be trained so they can perform high quality dental cleaning and polishing and we do not miss problems as a result of this training. We do all of the same steps that human dental hygienists do for their patients.

We examine and probe for pockets in 6 places per tooth (x42 in the dog and 30 in the cat), perform subgingival scaling using before and after disclosing solution (which highlights plaque and tartarin bright pink ) to assure that not a millimeter of debris is left behind due to the fact that some calculus is enamel colored! Once the ultrasonic scaling is finished, the technician then performs a manual scaling of all subgingival spaces to assure the subgingival space is smooth and clean. Then polishing is done properly with a high-quality unit that can operate at safe speeds and can polish below the gum line when used properly. Then fluoride therapy is applied. All of this is done under general anesthesia with a separate technician and doctor monitoring the pet's vital signs including blood pressure(very important) so that our patients are not harmed during the procedure.

Here is the problem, there are no standards for veterinary dental health care. If your veterinarian chooses, they can do cleanings with cheap equipment that is ineffective, poorly trained assistants (not Licensed technicians), no blood work, no catheter, no subgingival scaling, for very cheap. At a recent lecture that I attended by a Veterinary Dentist, he stated that if "dentals" are done without probing for disease under the gum line, without cleaning subgingivally (safely), and without taking intra-oral x-rays when needed then the clients are being ripped off and the patients may actually be worse off than if nothing were done.

If an office is not investing in training and equipment to do dentistry right, they probably are cheaper than others and results are likely not going to benefit the pet's health nearly as much as proper care. The client, however can be easily duped because the crowns are clean appearing for a while. Great! However, the most important steps may have not been done. You would not believe how many vets have no clue what disclosing solution even is or why it might be of use. If your vet does not have a high quality air-driven Dental Unit and the ability to do digital dental x-rays they are probably old-school and need to learn more tore-educate themselves for the pet's sake. They probably offer low cost services though!

We constantly strive to do it as well as the veterinary dentist's office does. They are at the top. They charge the most because they do more. I have chosen a High Standard of Care for my hospital and as a result our patients receive top quality care versus O.K. care or low quality care with questionable benefits(or in the worst case, actual harm!)

I feel that all pet owners should understand the level of care that their pet's receive from their veterinarian. Not educating ourselves or our clients is really a great way to being forced into providing low-quality care. If pet owners understand why it might be better to get better care for their loved ones then the bottom line becomes less important to cling to. These pets undergo general anesthesia, the benefits must outweigh the risks for it to be worth it for the pet. In our hands, it certainly is as we take great care to provide great care. Just my 2 cents.

By the way comprehensive cleaning, polishing, probing/charting, pre-anes. meds, Pre-anes blood work, anesthesia, day hospitalization is $370 for small dogs, $400 for large dogs, $360 for cats at our hospital. We also do comprehensive exams for $47 if not done within the last 30 days to assure the pet is a descent anesthesia candidate and doesn't have other needs.