By the time a dog or cat is three years old, the AVMA estimates that 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some form of periodontal disease. The visible tartar on the crown is the part you can see. The actual disease — bone loss, root pathology, periodontal-pocket infection, pain on chewing — is mostly below the gum, where you can't see it and your pet can't tell you about it.
This is the most-skipped preventive in companion-animal medicine. Owners hear "dental cleaning" and they hear "anesthesia" and they hear "two thousand dollars" and they wait another year. We understand. We are also the people who see what happens when the cleaning is waited on for five years. We would rather have an honest conversation about it now.
Dr. Hannah Beckett's clinical focus is small-animal dentistry. She joined Maplewood Animal Hospital in 2022 and built the dental program into something we are quietly proud of. In 2024 we added a dedicated dental suite with two tables, a high-speed dental delivery system, and full-mouth digital dental radiography. Every dental case at Maplewood now gets x-rays. Treatment-plans are built from the films, not from the visual exam.
What a full dental cleaning includes.
- Pre-anesthetic bloodwork
- Required on every patient. CBC, chemistry panel, and (in seniors) thyroid + electrolyte panel. Helps us anticipate anesthetic risk and adjust the protocol.
- IV catheter & fluids
- Placed on every patient before induction. Maintains hydration and gives us immediate venous access if it's needed.
- Monitored general anesthesia
- Intubated, on inhalant anesthesia with active warming. A dedicated technician monitors heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, ETCO2, and core temperature throughout. No anesthetic-monitoring shortcuts.
- Full-mouth digital x-rays
- Every patient, every cleaning. This is non-negotiable at our clinic. Periodontal disease, root resorption, abscesses, and bone loss are not visible on a visual exam — they are only visible on x-ray.
- Scaling above & below the gum
- Ultrasonic scaling above the gumline, hand scaling below. Below-the-gum scaling is what actually treats periodontal disease.
- Polishing & sealing
- Polishing smooths microscopic scratches from scaling so plaque has nothing to grip. Fluoride sealant on selected patients.
- Treatment-planned extractions
- If indicated by radiograph. We do not extract opportunistically. We call you during the procedure to discuss any extractions before proceeding.
- Written dental report home
- Includes dental chart, radiograph summary, extraction record, home-care plan, and a follow-up oral exam scheduled at no charge two weeks post-procedure.
What does a dental cleaning cost?
Routine dental cleaning, small dog with no extractions: starts at $485. Average dental on a 7-year-old dog with mild dental disease and 1–2 extractions: about $720. Cat dental with multiple feline-resorptive-lesion extractions can run $1,200 to $1,450. Complex cases involving multiple surgical extractions are estimated case-by-case.
You receive a written estimate after the exam. We update the estimate by phone during the procedure if x-rays reveal extractions we couldn't see on the exam. We do not perform extractions without telling you.
"The clean teeth are the easy part. The reason to do it under anesthesia, with x-rays, is to find and treat the part you couldn't see."
Why we don't do anesthesia-free cleanings.
Anesthesia-free cleanings — sometimes offered by groomers or stand-alone "non-anesthetic" dental services — can scrape visible tartar off the visible part of the crown of the tooth. They cannot clean below the gumline. They cannot probe gingival pockets. They cannot take radiographs. They cannot diagnose, let alone treat, the periodontal disease that is causing your pet pain. They look like dentistry. They are not dentistry.
We do not recommend them, we do not perform them, and we are willing to lose business over this position. The American Veterinary Dental College has a position statement on this if you want to read further; we are happy to send you the link.
Home care between cleanings.
Brushing is the gold standard. We will demonstrate at any appointment. The trick is daily — two times a week is barely better than zero. For dogs and cats who refuse brushing, the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) accepts a short list of dental chews, water additives, and prescription dental diets that are proven to slow plaque accumulation. We hand out the list at consultation. We are dubious about most dental treats not on that list.
Dental cleaning FAQ.
Why does dental anesthesia worry me?
Reasonably. Modern small-animal dental anesthesia in a well-monitored setting is very safe, but anesthesia is not zero-risk and we will never tell you it is. Pre-anesthetic bloodwork, IV catheter and fluids, dedicated technician monitoring, and post-op observation in our wards are all included. For senior or compromised patients we'll sometimes recommend additional cardiac workup before scheduling.
What if my pet needs extractions?
Extraction decisions are made from the radiograph, not from visual exam. If extractions are warranted, we call you during the procedure to discuss before proceeding. Single-rooted teeth average $45–85 each; multi-rooted molars with surgical extraction can be $145–225.
How often does my pet need a cleaning?
It depends. Small-breed dogs with tartar-prone genetics often need one every 12–18 months. Cats vary widely. We grade dental disease at every wellness visit and recommend based on findings, not on a calendar.
What's the difference between your cleaning and the groomer's "anesthesia-free" cleaning?
A lot. Anesthesia-free cleanings can scrape visible tartar but cannot clean below the gumline, cannot take x-rays, cannot diagnose or treat actual periodontal disease. They are not dentistry. We do not recommend them.