Gingivitis

So Griffey went to get his annual checkup today and the vet told me that Griffey has Stage 1-2 gingivitis. Seems a bit odd considering he's only two and a half. Anyway, he recommended he go in for a cleaning (they use anesthesia). I'm not real familiar with the dental treatments for canines, but he quoted me a price of $350-$450 for everything. This seemed a bit high to me, so I called around to another vet I'm friendly with and they told me they have a company come once a month that does non-anesthesia cleanings for $230.

Here's a picture (not of Griffey) of what his gums sort of look like. They have that brownish color on his teeth and some puffy gums.

Is surgery really necessary at this point? Also anyone familiar with these two procedures and which one would be better for my corgi?

Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Jen on October 22, 2010 at 12:23pm

Our non-corgi gets dental cleanings twice a year and they always put her out for it. I think, personally for our dog, that this is a win-win. She doesn't stress out because someone is messing with her mouth and the vet doesn't have to worry about her biting. Also, if they need to pull a tooth, she's already out for it.

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Permalink Reply by Nicola Porter on October 22, 2010 at 12:33pm

Our dogs always get a cleaning but a new vet we have actually did do the non anesthesia cleaning on Bootsie. If it is less expensive then I would go that route. BTW if I can remember correctly that price for anesthesia cleaning is about on target because they like to do bloodwork before hand and that can be around 50-70 bucks, though of course they don't demand you have the bloodwork done.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on October 22, 2010 at 12:54pm

I think that when they clean they don't totally put them out, just gas them a little to get them out. They still do the breathing tube I think, but don't use the IV anesthetics, which are the ones that usually cause problems. I think that the first price is high, but it matters where you live. Here in Iowa, my vet charges around $250 total for everything. I've gotten the C.E.T. chews that my vet recommends, and they keep the teeth wonderfully clean. It actually brightened up and took a lot of tarter off my dogs teeth. Gave us another year before having to do the cleaning.

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Permalink Reply by Avery on October 26, 2010 at 10:26pm

Ok, now it is much better to go for the dental cleaning with anesthesia. Many dogs do not stay still and medical staff who do awake dentals do not clean underneath the gumline where the tartar is causing the gingivitis. Gingiva is the name for the pink gum tissue and "itis" means inflammation. That blood line above the tooth is where the problem lies, and once gingivitis starts, unfortunately it cannot be reversed. If the tartar is left one, bacteria can get into the bloodstream and potentially cause heart problems. With a proper dental cleaning, the teeth are scaled (tartar cleaned off), gumlines are probed to make sure teeth are not infected or abscessed, and thoroughly polished. Without polishing, the tartar comes back faster from the microscopic scratches the scaler leaves. Now most dogs just do not stay still for all of this awake and can cause themselves injury from struggling with the instruments. I would question both thoroughly to know the procedure. Many times, what you pay for is what you get. Ask and make sure they also have an ultrasonic scaler, which is best, (same thing human dentists use). After teeth cleaning, be sure to get him used to brushing his teeth daily otherwise he is going to need yearly or every other year dental cleanings. Hope this helps!

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Permalink Reply by Junior and Griffey on October 27, 2010 at 1:59pm

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

From everything I've gathered I think he is going to need a cleaning just for this one time (due to the tartar under the gumline) and then I'll start the brushing his teeth and incorporate some other items to keep his teeth clean.