The Ultimate Guide to Veterinary Dental Cleaning Stations

A comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment (COHAT), also known as a veterinary dental procedure, is an important consideration for any pet’s long-term health.

Keeping the mouth healthy helps protect a dog or cat’s teeth and contributes to a pet’s overall wellbeing. And, it can be a source of revenue for the veterinary practice.

Here are some of the common components of a dental cleaning station, and the roles they play during a COHAT.

The Equipment Needed for Scaling and Polishing

Even for pets who need significant extractions, the dental procedure typically also involves scaling and polishing the remaining teeth, to clean them, keep them in good health for as long as possible, and avoid further tooth loss. 

So, it’s safe to say that scaling and polishing are an important part of any dental procedure.

Dental scaling and polishing are often delegated to skilled veterinary technicians and nurses. So, when it comes time to invest in a new dental cleaning station, it’s a good idea for veterinarians and practice managers to review the equipment available and see what is required to meet their practice’s needs.

These common tools on a dental cleaning unit play a role in scaling and polishing:

• Ultrasonic scaler. Hand scalers are still used, too, especially for tight spots that need extra attention. And curettes are needed for subgingival cleaning. However, it’s hard to beat an ultrasonic scaler for speed and efficiency when removing large amounts of dental calculus above the gumline. Many include a built-in LED light for easy visualization of the area being cleaned.

• Polisher/Low-speed handpiece. This tool is crucial for smoothing over any small defects or microabrasions in the tooth enamel caused during scaling. In other words, polishing should ALWAYS follow scaling. Recent AAHA dental guidelines recommend using disposable prophy angles and individually packaged, fine-grit prophy paste with a polisher.

• Air/Water syringe. This tool is useful for flushing away bits of tartar and other debris as you’re working, for drying a tooth prior to applying a sealant, or for irrigation and inspection of any visible subgingival areas after cleaning.

• Suction tool. Weak suction can be a convenient way to remove excess water and saliva during a procedure.

Equipment for Drilling and Extractions

Many extractions require drilling into alveolar bone to expose the tooth root or divide the tooth into segments. This allows for safe and efficient extractions, with less risk of leaving root tips or fragments behind.

For this reason, a high-speed drill is an essential component of any veterinary dental cleaning station. The drill should have several burs to choose from, too, since veterinarians see patients of all different sizes and since different bur shapes (rounded or tapered, for example) serve different purposes.

In addition to the drill, hand tools—such as elevators, luxators, extraction forceps, and suture kits—will be used. 

Other Factors to Consider In a Dental Cleaning Station

In addition to the tools available on the dental station, here are some considerations that may affect a veterinarian or practice owner’s decision to make a purchase…

• The size of the unit. Practices with small spaces may prefer a compact cleaning station, while others might not have a size restriction.

• Easy storage and access to tools. No matter the size of the station, it should be easy to store and access the tools right when you need to. No veterinary team member wants to fumble while reaching for a tool or accidentally drop something because it’s difficult to put back.

• Water reservoirs. No one wants to run out of water (which is used for many of the tools, including drilling and ultrasonic scaling) during the middle of a procedure, then put things on hold as the reservoir is refilled. For that reason, it may be beneficial to look for a station with a larger distilled water reservoir capacity.

• Service, maintenance, and warranty. It’s important to protect any equipment investment and to make sure it’s easy to keep the machine running so a veterinary practice can avoid canceling procedures due to equipment issues.

Also, remember to invest in high-quality complementary equipment. In addition to the dental cleaning station and other dental tools, a complete dental procedure also involves dental x-rays, appropriate anesthetic protocols and equipment, personal protection equipment, and anything else needed to perform a COHAT safely and effectively.

Veterinary dentistry can be a rewarding way to provide excellent patient care and generate income for a veterinary practice—a win-win scenario. To make sure these procedures run as smoothly as possible, it’s important to choose the equipment that’s the best fit for your practice’s needs.

Additional resources:

2019 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats: https://www.aaha.org/globalassets/02-guidelines/dental/aaha_dental_guidelines.pdf 

Editor’s Note:

Currently, we offer a complete veterinary dental cleaning station at an affordable price including shipping, delivery, and a 3-year warranty. 

The space-saving machine is designed for high-volume use. 

It features key tools that are crucial to any veterinary dental procedure—plus, a few exciting special features like advanced cooling for the high-speed drill, a scaler with an endodontics feature, an LED light on the polisher, and more!

Learn more, and contact us with any questions, here: https://newvetequipment.com/cleaning-station 

Written by: Dr. Tammy Powell, DVM

Dental Disease and Heart Disease: What’s the Correlation?

Dental disease is one of the most common health conditions affecting dogs and cats, even though much of it is preventable.

Estimates of dental disease prevalence vary, but many experts say that most (more than half of) dogs and cats over three years of age have some form of periodontal disease.

How Dental Disease Progresses to Periodontal Disease

The process begins with plaque, a thin, bacteria-containing film that forms on the teeth. Plaque can be removed by brushing. But if plaque is not removed, minerals in the saliva harden the plaque, which creates tartar (calculus). Tartar is much more difficult to remove, and it can build up to look like “concrete” deposits on the side of a dog or cat’s tooth.

Pet owners may or may not notice tartar on the crown of their pet’s teeth. But the biggest problem comes from the part they can’t see—the tartar that grows below the gumline.

This leads to periodontal disease, a condition that affects the structures that hold teeth in place. 

Consequences of Periodontal Disease

The early stage of periodontal disease is gingivitis, inflammation or infection of the gums that is often noticeable as red, swollen, or bleeding gingiva. Gingivitis is reversible if treated in a timely fashion. 

After that, further damages from periodontal disease are NOT reversible. This may include damage to the periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone. These three structures, together with the gingiva, are collectively called the ‘periodontium’.

As periodontal disease progresses, a pet may suffer from gingival recession, tooth loss, alveolar bone loss, and even jaw fractures in severe cases. And one ‘bad’ tooth may affect neighboring teeth, thanks to infection and damage to bone and other surrounding structures.

Bacteremia From Periodontal Disease

Tartar harbors a lot of bacteria, and a mouth affected by periodontal disease carries infections.

These bacteria may enter the bloodstream via areas of the mouth affected by periodontal disease, which may lead to negative health consequences for an affected pet. 

Studies demonstrate conflicting conclusions, so the association between bacteremia from periodontal disease and pathology of certain organs (especially the heart, liver, and kidneys) is not as clear-cut as it was once thought to be. 

For example, the common condition of MMVD (myxomatous mitral valve degeneration) in small dogs is no longer thought to be caused by periodontal disease. Instead, both are conditions that occur commonly in older, small breed dogs. 

The link between periodontal disease and heart disease is more firmly established in human beings. And in pets, there have been associations noted between periodontal disease and pathologic changes to the heart, liver, and kidneys on necropsy. 

Because of these associations with organ disease in other parts of the body, and since bacteremia can and does happen in dogs with periodontal disease, it makes sense to take extra precautions for pets with a condition that would make them more at risk from bacteremia. 

For example, immunocompromised patients, or patients with certain types of heart conditions may benefit from an injectable dose of prophylactic antibiotics during a dental procedure, whereas it might not be necessary for an otherwise healthy pet.

There’s some speculation that chronic inflammation is responsible for pathology to other organs just as much as (or more than) bacteremia. Maintaining good oral health is the best way to decrease the risks of both infections and inflammation from periodontal disease.

Preventing Dental Issues Is Good for a Pet’s Overall Health

So, what’s the conclusion to draw from all of this information, some of which is conflicting?

Of course, that’s up to each practitioner. But in general, maintaining a healthy mouth will always be a good thing. 

Having a chronic disease (such as periodontal disease) anywhere in the body can be a strain on a pet’s health. So appropriate dental care can only serve to improve the overall health of the pet and reduce any risks associated with bacteremia and chronic inflammation.

Additionally, good dental care can also improve quality of life by decreasing oral pain, preventing tooth loss, and decreasing halitosis that could interfere with the human-animal bond. So, preventive dental care is an important part of any pet’s health plan.

Written by: Dr. Tammy Powell, DVM