Nonprofessional dental scaling (NPDS), also known as anesthesia-free dentistry, is gaining popularity with an increasing number of pet owners. These are well-meaning pet guardians who may be fearful of anesthesia or may not be able to afford professional veterinary dental care. They want to provide some form of oral care for their pets, so they opt for NPDS.

However, anesthesia-free dentistry is essentially a cosmetic procedure that addresses only the parts of your pet's teeth you can see. The question many pet healthcare professionals are asking is whether NPDS procedures are doing more harm than good. One of the biggest concerns many veterinarians have with just scraping teeth is that the mouth is full of blood vessels, which can launch oral bacteria into the bloodstream. Once the bacteria is in the bloodstream it can infect other organs like the valves of the heart, resulting in a disease known as vegetative valvular endocarditis. (Read the American Veterinary Dental College's (AVDC) position statement on dental scaling without anesthesia.)

Why Anesthesia is Used for Dental Procedures

The fact is, a truly thorough oral exam and cleaning can't be accomplished on a pet who is awake. Anesthesia has several benefits when it comes to caring for your pet's mouth, including:

• Immobilizing your cat to insure his safety and cooperation during a procedure he doesn't understand and is stressed about.
• Allows for a thorough exam of all the surfaces inside the mouth and the taking of x-rays.
• Allows for scaling below the gum line where periodontal disease is most active.
• Pain management.

A pet who isn't sedated simply won't tolerate a thorough inspection of his mouth. He'll move around a lot, making the use of sharp instruments extra dangerous. Cleaning below the gum line of a fully alert animal is something that should never be attempted. Pets won't stand for it because not only does the procedure cause tremendous stress, it's also extremely painful. And if tooth extractions are necessary, they are out of the question for un-anesthethized pets.

How Anesthesia-Free Dental Procedures Might Do More Harm than Good

Non-professional dental scaling can potentially give pet owners a false sense of security about the state of their dog's or cat's oral health.

Even though your pet's teeth - what you can see of them - may look clean and fresh after an anesthesia-free dental procedure, what you can't see is actually more important. Problems like tartar buildup below the gum line and gingivitis aren't addressed during a procedure that only scrapes and polishes the teeth. Most oral disease happens below the visible surfaces of your dog's or cat's mouth.

NPDS is an aesthetic procedure that doesn't deal with gum problems or other risks to your pet's overall health that can develop from disease that starts in the mouth. It doesn't allow for probing of the gums to look for the presence of deepening periodontal pockets or bone destruction resulting from gum disease.

The majority of older pets that have undergone anesthesia-free dental procedures for years wind up with significant dental disease requiring multiple extractions as they age.

With all that said, there are certainly situations in which I remove plaque and tartar from a pet's teeth without using anesthesia. Each pet and situation is different. I don't do it in lieu of a thorough dental exam, and I don't do it on pets for which I have no dental history. But if, for example, I have a pet with a large chunk of tartar that is irritating his mouth, I'll remove that tartar without anesthesia if I can do it easily and without stressing out the patient.

When Putting Your Pet 'Under' is a Concern

The prospect of making a beloved pet unconscious with anesthesia is a distressing worry for many people. If you are among them, Dr. Brett Beckman, writing for dvm360, offers this advice:

"Veterinary practices that routinely perform dental radiography and probing on all dental patients practice at an advanced level of care. They're also likely to be well-equipped to safely monitor patients and handle any problems they encounter.

Administration of pre-medications and nerve blocks enables patients to be kept at anesthetic depths consistent with that of a light general anesthesia. This keeps patients close to waking, even when extractions or other invasive procedures are needed, thus maximizing cardiac output and tissue perfusion and maintaining blood pressure."

For more information on the safe use of anesthesia in pets, read my recent article What You Must Know Before Your Pet Goes Under.   

Don't Forget All Important At-Home Care!

You can help maintain your pet's dental health with

• Regular brushing
• A balanced, species-appropriate raw diet

Ingredients (15 small bites)

• 1 cup whole raw almonds
• 120 grams pitted Medjool (not honey) dates (about 8)
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cherries
• 3 tbsp dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Camino brand)
• 1/4 cup raw pecans
• Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Instructions

• 1. In a food processor, process the almonds until finely chopped. It's ok if some bigger pieces remain. Just be sure not to pulverize it into a flour as you want some texture.
• 2. Remove 1/3 cup of the processed almonds and set aside for the final step.
• 3. Now, add the pitted dates in (along with the almonds already in the processor) and process until finely chopped and sticky. A dough will start to form. Add cherries and process again until combined. The mixture will likely form into a large ball. If this happens, break it up with a spoon and process more if necessary.
• 4. Add in the chocolate chips and pecans and process until they are just chopped. Add salt to taste. Pulse in the reserved 1/3 cup almonds for texture being careful not to process them too much. Roll into small balls. Place in a container or baggie and store in the fridge or freezer. Oh yea, don't forget to pop a few in your purse!
• Nutritional info (makes 15 small balls, per ball): 108 cals, 7 grams fat (1 g sat fat), 40 mg sodium, 13 grams carbs, 3 grams fibre, 9 grams sugar, 3 grams protein.
• Note: if for some reason your mixture isn't sticking together, try processing it a bit longer. If that doesn't work, you can add a tiny bit of water to help it come together. It shouldn't be necessary though.

Angela Liddon is the author of Oh She Glows, a healthy vegan recipe blog, which chronicles her life, favorite recipes, photography, and motivational musings on body-image, career happiness, and self-love.

Photo (c) Angela Liddon