Pet Smiles General Veterinary Dentistry

Let’s break that down and discuss the important components of the COHAT:

Pre-surgical Consultation

First, at the pre-surgical consultation, we not only evaluate your pet’s oral condition to the best of our ability, but we also perform a thorough physical exam, and depending on your pet’s age, history, and medical conditions, may also perform bloodwork. This helps us form a complete picture of your pet’s overall health and their candidacy for anesthesia. This pre-surgical appointment can reveal many, though not all, dental problems, as we are limited by what the patient will allow us to examine during the exam, and what we can actually visualize. It is impossible during this appointment to discover ALL of the pathology that may be present in a patient’s mouth, as much of the pain and disease we diagnose in pets is discovered with dental radiographs (x-rays) at the time of their procedure. At the end of the consultation, we will give you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the problems your pet is experiencing, the different treatment(s) available, and address any potential concerns you may have. We will provide you with a treatment plan, which will cover the estimated cost of treatment for the pathology we have discovered at the time of the appointment, and, with your permission, we can then go ahead and schedule their procedure at that time. 

The Procedure

The second component of the COHAT is the procedure itself, which we will typically schedule at the end of the consultation. The COHAT procedure requires general anesthesia, and as such, your pet will need to come in early in the morning after being fasted overnight. 

Our COHAT procedure includes:

• General anesthesia, which is required to fully evaluate your pet’s oral health and to obtain full-mouth dental radiographs so that we can visualize, clean, and treat any existing dental disease, both above and below the gum line. We work as a team to minimize your pet’s anesthesia time and take the best possible care of your pet. 

• We are highly experienced in pet anesthesia and use only the safest anesthetic protocols, including IV fluids and monitoring equipment. Your pet’s anesthesia will be individualized to their specific needs and your pet will be fully monitored throughout the entire dental process. For information on why we do not utilize anesthesia free dental cleaning, please visit our position page.

• Once your pet is anesthetized, we will perform a comprehensive exam of your pet’s mouth, gums, and teeth. We utilize diagnostic X-rays to visualize under your pet’s gum line and identify any occult disease we cannot see with our eyes, for example, tooth root abscesses, and evaluate the severity of bone loss around roots (periodontal disease).

• We will perform a thorough professional teeth cleaning and polishing using advanced dental equipment, making your pet’s teeth more resistant to plaque retention, as it is difficult for plaque to adhere to a smooth tooth surface. After polishing, we will rinse your dog’s teeth and mouth thoroughly. 

• After cleaning, we will assess for bone loss, using a probe around each tooth to find pockets of periodontal disease. An abnormal probing depth indicates that periodontal disease is likely present. Additional treatment may be necessary.

• At this point, if there is any change to the treatment plan provided at the conclusion of the pre-surgical consultation because additional pathology was discovered during the procedure, we will call you to discuss and obtain your authorization for the additional treatment and its corresponding cost. 

• We will perform any treatments necessary, including local blocks to assist in pain control, to restore your pet’s mouth to a healthy and comfortable status.

• We will contact you once the procedure has been completed, and the patient is recovered. During this call, we will schedule their discharge appointment, during which we will explain how to administer any medications or perform any treatments that you may need to provide at home, what to feed and what to avoid, what you should look out for in the post-op period, and schedule any follow-up appointments that are required.

• If your pet did not require any significant oral surgery, they will be discharged with a plan for home care you will be asked to provide in between COHATs, to keep their mouth as healthy as possible, and when to schedule their next COHAT to maintain their oral health and comfort.

It is important for your pet to have a COHAT, at minimum, every 6-12 months to prevent (or, if already present, manage) periodontal disease, and to find and address any causes of oral pain or discomfort that pets are, unfortunately, so very good at hiding.

Dogs and cats need regular professional dental exams and cleanings. Many people are surprised to find out that dogs and cats have dental and oral problems similar to what we experience, and require many of the same types of dental treatments we do. In fact, just like in humans, your pet’s oral health is a key component to their overall general health and happiness. Your pet may have dental issues that are causing them oral pain or health problems.

If your pet has not had a dental examination in the last year, please give us a call today to schedule an appointment.