Hidden Profits: The Value of Regular Pet Dental X-rays

Beneath the Surface: How Routine Dental X-rays and Cleanings Improve Pet Health and Your Bottom Line

In the busy life of a veterinary practice, we know it can be easy to place dental health on the back burner.

After all, pets coming in for vaccinations, surgical procedures, or more obvious pain management often seem more urgent.

Prioritizing dental health through regular teeth cleaning and routine dental X-rays can benefit your patients' well-being and your practice’s financial health.

Let’s talk about why this is a worthwhile investment and why these procedures are essential to our standard of care.

The foundation of good health starts with routine dental cleanings.

Periodontal disease is among the most common health issues in dogs and cats, affecting around 80% of pets over the age of three.

Yet pet owners often underestimate the impact it can have.

Poor dental hygiene doesn’t just affect the mouth, it affects the entire body, leading to issues such as:

• Chronic pain

• Behavioral change

• Weight loss

• Systemic infections

Regular cleanings under anesthesia and using a well-equipped dental cleaning station allow us to remove tartar and plaque before they cause these more significant health issues.

They also allow us to discuss pet dental care with clients, which helps improve long-term compliance with at-home care.

Regular cleanings can extend pets’ lives and improve their overall quality of life.

After seeing their pet healthier and more comfortable, our clients often feel reinforced trust in our recommendations and the value of our services.

By encouraging routine dental care, our patients can experience benefits like:

• Pain-free eating and play

• Prevention of systemic disease

• Fresher breath

• Enhanced energy and comfort

• Lower risk of dental complications

Dental X-rays are an underestimated diagnostic tool and offer an indispensable view of dental health.

Around 60% of dental disease is hidden below the gumline, making it impossible to assess a pet’s oral health without imaging fully.

A tooth may look healthy on the outside, but dental X-rays often reveal hidden problems like:

• Root abscesses

• Bone loss

• Retained roots or resorptive lesions

When we skip these X-rays, we risk missing pain-causing issues that erode the pet's health and comfort over time.

If we avoid routine dental X-rays due to time, cost, or anesthesia concerns, our patients are the ones who ultimately suffer.

Undetected dental disease can progress until it’s obvious enough to require a more aggressive intervention, such as multiple extractions or management of a full-blown abscess.

At that point, the patient has already experienced unnecessary pain and discomfort, and the client faces a larger treatment bill than if the issue had been caught early.

Without early intervention, periodontal disease can lead to chronic infections that eventually spread to other organs, adding further complications to the pet’s health.

For older pets, untreated dental disease may contribute to a shortened lifespan.

Investing in dental health and digital imaging is an opportunity to enhance the health of your practice.

Clients who understand the long-term benefits of preventive dental care and regular checkups will likely invest in these services.

This is especially true when they recognize the care your practice offers—thanks in part to digital imaging technology.

In many cases, veterinary practices that establish clear dental protocols, including routine X-rays, report increased client retention and an expanded service portfolio.

When clients see the advanced diagnostics and appreciate that you’re doing everything possible to prevent disease, they tend to return and spread positive word-of-mouth referrals!

If your practice is ready to integrate or expand digital dental imaging, here are a few tips to ease the transition:

• Demonstrate the Importance: educate clients by using examples of cases where X-rays uncovered unseen issues. This helps to give a real-world understanding of what’s at stake.

• Offer Dental Packages: Consider bundling dental cleaning and x-ray services for a comprehensive approach. This encourages pet owners to embrace both as part of a complete care package.

• Train Your Team: Ensure your entire staff knows the value of digital X-rays and dental cleanings to discuss these services with clients confidently.

Incorporating regular dental care isn’t just about filling appointment slots. It’s about providing your patients with the highest level of care and adding a consistent revenue stream that reflects the value you bring to patient care.

Essential Parts of a Veterinary Dental Machine Explained

Key Components of a Veterinary Dental Machine to Know

Understanding all the parts of a veterinary dental machine will help keep the equipment in good shape to provide optimal patient care. This knowledge can also come in handy when it’s time to buy a new system or for troubleshooting when your dental unit malfunctions.

Here are the key veterinary dental machine parts with which veterinary team members should be familiar, and a few tips for maintaining the equipment in good working order…

Power Equipment of a Veterinary Dental Machine

Dental equipment used during cleaning, polishing, and procedures like extractions include…

• Ultrasonic scaler. An ultrasonic scaler is used to quickly and efficiently remove large amounts of dental calculus. They’re powered by electricity and convert sound waves into physical vibrations. 

These scalers are especially valuable for supragingival use but can also be used subgingivally with a periodontal tip. 

The most popular types of ultrasonic scalers are probably piezoelectric and magnetostrictive. The former pairs with tips, while the latter requires an insert. They must have water flow to function properly and reduce heat injuries, and some include built-in LED lighting.

• High-speed handpiece. A high-speed handpiece offers rapid rotations for use with dental burs (also known as “drill bits”). Uses include surgical extractions (removing alveolar bone, exposing tooth roots, and sectioning teeth) as well as softening sharp bone edges prior to closing a surgical extraction site. 

There are many different kinds of burs available for different purposes, not to mention different sizes. Water flow is necessary to prevent overheating. 

• Low-speed handpiece. A low-speed handpiece is used with a prophy angle for polishing the teeth after scaling. 

• Air/Water syringe. The water aspect of this tool is used for irrigating any areas being worked on (such as an extraction site) or flushing debris in general. The air component can be used for drying as needed, although it’s recommended to avoid using it in open surgical sites (to prevent air embolism). 

• Suction tool. Some dental units offer a suction component. Weak suction can be a convenient way to remove fluids such as water, blood, and saliva.

• Air compressor. A compressor pressurizes air for use with handpieces or other components that are air-powered. 

Some compressors require oil (which must be changed at regular intervals), while others are air-cooled. Either way, it’s good to drain moisture out of the system each day it’s used, and to check for air leaks from time to time.

• Water bottles. A reservoir is required for the distilled water that flows through some of the tools, such as the ultrasonic scaler, the drill/high-speed handpiece, and the water/air syringe. Have refills available during procedures. And allow the unit to dry when not in use.

Additional Veterinary Dental Equipment

In addition to the dental unit components mentioned above, the following equipment is important for dental procedures…

• Hand tools. While ultrasonic scalers are great, hand scaling is still part of any dental cleaning. This includes hand scalers for reaching calculus in tight spots or anything the ultrasonic scaler missed and curettes for subgingival work. Also think of mirrors, probes, and anything else that might be needed. 

Have several sizes available, based on the types of patients your clinic sees.

• Suture kit. A suture or minor surgery kit is helpful for dental extractions, especially when a gingival flap must be created. This could include things like forceps, gauze, scissors, etc.

• Extraction tools. Think of elevators, luxators, extraction forceps, and burs in various sizes (and shapes, in the case of dental burs). Autoclave in packs when it makes sense to do so, or separately for items that are used less often.

• Replacement parts. A quick online search reveals a wealth of replacement parts available for veterinary dental machines: everything from turbines for high-speed handpieces, to hoses and connections, to replacement switches, gaskets, and o-rings. 

Depending on the knowledge and comfort level of the veterinary team, it might make sense to keep some of these replacement parts on hand in case an urgent replacement is needed (so dental procedures don’t need to be canceled in case of a mechanical malfunction that can be easily corrected). 

• Manual. It’s probably best to locate the instruction manual for your practice’s dental unit (and all its many parts) BEFORE anything happens. That can allow for a better overall understanding of the machine, including how to properly clean and maintain everything so they’ll last longer and perform better. 

If the manual is lost, contact the manufacturer or search online—there are “libraries” of manuals for all sorts of equipment available online.

Keeping Your Veterinary Dental Machine Happy and Healthy

Get to know your machine and all its components. Each component might come with its own unique instructions for maintenance and optimal operation. For example, this might include specific cleaning instructions, knowing when to replace worn tips and burs, and knowing how to sharpen hand tools after each use. Keeping a log can help. 

See if there’s a technically-minded team member who is comfortable doing minor repairs or parts replacements. Or, if technical support from the manufacturer isn’t available (or is subpar), see if you can find a local repair person to help. 

Becoming familiar with all the components of a veterinary dental machine can help prevent frustrations as much as possible while maximizing efficiency and delivering excellent patient care. 

Written by: Dr. Tammy Powell, DVM

Veterinary Dental Cleaning Techniques in Dogs

Dogs come in many shapes and sizes, but all of them can be affected by dental and periodontal disease.

Here are some important things to consider for dental cleanings in dogs…

What’s the Normal Dentition for a Dog?

While it’s important to recognize what’s abnormal, it’s just as important to know what’s NORMAL when it comes to a dog’s teeth.

For example, many clients ask questions like ‘how many teeth does a dog have?’. A quick and confident answer can help instill confidence in the veterinarian’s knowledge.

Also, during a dental procedure, knowing the expected number of teeth will help a vet know if any teeth are missing—an abnormal finding that warrants further exploration and dental radiographs.

It also helps to know how many roots each tooth has, as well as the approximate length and direction of each root. That way, a vet can plan for the most efficient way to extract a tooth, and it will be less likely that any root tips are left behind.

What Are the Most Common Dental Issues in Dogs—and in Specific Breeds?

Periodontal disease is, of course, very common, affecting more than two-thirds of dogs by three years of age. 

But while any breed can be affected, certain breeds are more prone to developing tartar and periodontal disease quickly. Often, this happens to small or brachycephalic breeds due to tooth crowding.

Big dogs, on the other hand, maybe more likely to suffer traumatic tooth fractures.

While it’s important to keep a lookout for anything that could be part of a disease process, knowing the common issues in each size and breed of dog could help a vet know where to look for issues and pick up on subtle or early changes.

When Should Dental Radiographs be Taken?

Dental radiographs are considered the standard of care for dental procedures. Some estimates state that dental x-rays can reveal about 40% more pathology than can a visual oral examination alone.

This leads to better patient care. Also, the x-ray images can help clients visualize their dog’s dental health status and therefore better understand the importance of the treatments a veterinarian recommends.

So, when and how should dental radiographs be performed?

Many experts recommend taking a full set of dental radiographs immediately after anesthesia induction. Usually, this task is performed by a skilled vet tech or nurse, along with anesthesia monitoring. 

Performing radiographs prior to the cleaning gives the vet a chance to review the radiographs. These findings, along with a visual assessment of the patient’s mouth (including charting), gives a lot of information to support a call to the owner, if needed for additional treatments.

Some veterinarians prefer to do radiographs after the dental cleaning is performed, so they can first remove large chunks of calculus that could interfere with radiographic interpretation. There’s nothing wrong with this, and every practice should do what works best for them. 

The most important thing is probably to have a consistent protocol, to improve efficiency.

It’s worthwhile to invest in training for this important skill. Consider sending team members to a conference or course, or asking the company that sold the dental x-ray equipment if they offer training. 

Since dogs differ greatly in size, it helps to have more than one size of film/plate/sensor available. In order to be diagnostic, x-ray images must show 2-3 mm of bone from the apex of the root. The crown of the tooth doesn’t necessarily need to be included. 

For routine cleanings, one set of radiographs may be all that is needed. But for patients who are receiving extractions or more advanced procedures, it’s beneficial to perform post-op dental x-rays. This confirms that everything was done properly and safely, in case any new concerns arise later.

Tips for Cleaning a Dog’s Teeth During a Dental Procedure

After radiographs and charting are finished, the typical dental procedure consists of scaling and polishing. 

Here are a few tips for the dental cleaning:

• Scaling of the enamel, above the gumline, can be done with an ultrasonic/and or hand scaler. 

• It’s recommended not to spend more than 10-15 seconds on a tooth with the ultrasonic scaler, to avoid overheating and damaging the tooth.

• Subgingival cleaning may be performed by hand, or via a special “subgingival tip” on the ultrasonic scaler that is designed to be used on a lower setting and is less prone to overheating the tooth. For simple dentals without significant gum recession, this may be all that is needed.

• If using ultrasonic scalers, many experts recommend following up with hand scaling for more detailed work or hard to reach places, to ensure no tartar is left behind.

• For periodontal pockets ranging from 3-5 mm with no other pathology (mobility, etc.), closed root planing and subgingival curettage may help to reestablish the health of the pocket and soft tissue attachments to the tooth.

• For pockets deeper than 5 mm where the tooth is being treated (rather than extracted), open root planing is recommended. Referral to a specialist may be best. 

• It’s important to stock tools in different sizes to accommodate different breeds of dogs. Having the right tools can make a veterinary team member’s life much easier and allow them to more easily reach and clean crevices or tight spots.

Due to the prevalence of periodontal disease, there’s no doubt that dental health is important for a dog’s wellbeing.

Client expectations are evolving. Many devoted pet owners research dental procedures online and expect a high level of care for their dog’s oral health needs.

By investing in dentistry—and then communicating the value of each step to their clients—a veterinary practice can bring in income while providing excellent care to their canine patients.

Written by: Dr. Tammy Powell, DVM