Thank you for entrusting us with the care of your pet. At Animal Medical Center, your pet’s safety is our first concern. All patients will receive a thorough examination and pre-operative blood work prior to your pet’s prophylactic dental cleaning. If abnormalities are detected, your doctor will contact you. Please make sure that you are available by telephone throughout the day.
Peace of Mind
We assure you that each pet receives tender care during their hospitalized stay at Animal Medical Center. All of our patients are treated as individuals, which means each pet’s treatment protocol has been personally tailored to each pet’s needs. Cats are not just small dogs. Big dogs do not necessarily need twice as much anesthetic drug as small dogs. Our standards of care are high and we believe that you have made the right decision in allowing us to care for your pet.
The Dental
We are very proud of the advanced level of dental services that we provide our patients. Our doctors and certified veterinary technicians have trained under the direction of a board-certified dental specialist, Dr. Cindy Charlier of Fox Valley Veterinary Dentistry & Surgery. Under the direct supervision of a Veterinary Doctor, your pet is anesthetized and the teeth are carefully cleaned by one of our certified veterinary technicians using a combination of an ultrasonic water scaler and hand instruments. Each patient’s vital parameters are closely monitored in our state-of-the-art dental suite.
The Oral Examination
After the teeth are cleaned, the doctor will perform a complete oral examination, which includes inspection and evaluation of each tooth and surrounding gum tissue. During this comprehensive examination, your doctor may detect fractured teeth, cervical line lesions (erosions in the enamel), gingival masses and/ or loose teeth. A dental radiograph (x-ray) may be needed to evaluate the tooth root below the gum line.
Price of Prophylactic Cleaning and Polishing
A routine Dental at Animal Medical Center includes placement of an IV catheter, peri-operative pain medication, general anesthesia, monitoring, dental cleaning, polishing, fluoride treatment and oral examination by your
doctor. The base price for a routine dental procedure is based on the anticipated length of the procedure and volume anesthetic agents used. You have received an estimate for today’s procedure. A routine dental does not include post-operative pain medication, antibiotics, and pre-operative blood work.
Extractions or Additional Services
The dental exam may reveal a need for dental radiographs, periodontal treatment or extractions. At Animal Medical Center, each extracted tooth is surgically removed by your veterinarian. The oral surgery begins with a nerve block to desensitize the area. Then, a gingival flap is made: two small gum tissue incisions are made to expose the tooth’s roots. Using a high speed dental drill, the roots are sectioned into individual pieces. With a hand held dental elevator, each root is removed. The incision is closed with dissolvable sutures. Your doctor or certified veterinary technician will call you during the procedure if any dental extraction(s) or
additional services are needed.
Pain Medication and Antibiotics
At Animal Medical Center we take the comfort of our patients very seriously. Extractions and other surgical procedures are often painful. We include Bupivicaine nerve blocks in all our patients requiring extractions to prevent him/her from experiencing pain upon waking. In certain cases, we may apply a pain patch (Duragesic Patch) to the skin to provide 3-5 days of pain relief. In many cases, we dispense oral pain relief medication for the patient. It is never acceptable for a patient to be in
pain. Cost of post-operative pain medication and antibiotics will vary greatly depending on your pet’s weight and prescribed antibiotic. At your request, we will provide the actual cost for these charges prior to dispensing them.
Hospital Updates
We will call you at the end of the dental procedure to provide you with details of the dental procedure. During your pet’s hospitalization, please do not hesitate to call the dental technician for an update.
Discharge
Most patients are discharged between 5 PM and 7:30 PM. Occasionally; a dental patient with significant oral surgery may stay over night. Your discharge consultation will be with either a certified veterinary technician or your doctor to review the discharge instructions and any questions you may have.
Follow-up Care
One to two weeks after your pet’s oral surgery day, we routinely schedule a follow-up appointment at no charge. This visit allows the doctor to evaluate your pet’s healing process and ensure that everything is going
well. During this visit we will review with you home dental care: daily brushing of your pet’s teeth, tarter control diets and enzymatic gels to reduce plaque and bacteria. It is an honor to treat your pet.
