Full Dentistry Service 

Brandywine Hospital for Pets promotes pet dental month every February, but we strive to encourage pet owners to have their pet’s mouths cared for year round. An Oral ATP (Oral assessment, treatment, prevention) is a lot more than just having your pet’s teeth cleaned. It is a very thorough evaluation of your pet’s mouth (including X-rays of all your pet’s teeth).

Dental x-ray (Dental Radiography) is an invaluable diagnostic tool used to detect and properly treat otherwise unknown detrimental oral disease(s). We have invested in dental radiography knowing that we are truly providing our patients with highest standard of care. 

Severe bone loss in advanced Periodontal Disease.

After dental radiographs are obtained, a trained technician will carefully probe and chart each tooth to evaluate for bone and gum tissue loss.

The treatment phase begins with ultrasonic and hand scaling of the teeth and below the gum-line. Now that the teeth are free of tartar and calculus, they are polished smooth eliminating rough tooth where bacteria love to live.

Now that your pet's teeth have been x-rayed, probed, charted, cleaned, and polished your veterinarian will evaluate if oral surgery is warranted. If surgery is deemed appropriate, he/she will call during your pet's procedure to discuss his recommended oral treatment plan (extractions, pain control, antibiotic therapy, follow up care, etc) 

Your pet will be monitored during recovery from anesthesia to ensure adequate pain control and is recovering without complication. In most cases your pet will be discharged the same day. 

The final step is prevention. Home oral care is important, and we can help design an individualized approach that works well for you and your pet.  Daily brushing for your pet’s teeth is ideal, but sometimes this is unrealistic due to the nature of the pet or the time constraints under which many of us struggle. 

It is important to understand that all Oral ATPs are done under general anesthesia because we need to have the pet completely still to do a thorough, effective job. It would be easier if we could get them to sit back in a dentist chair and say “Ahhh” but that just doesn’t happen. Take time to listen to the discussion regarding pet anesthesia below. 



At Brandywine Hospital for Pets, we take every precaution to ensure safe anesthesia and we have invested in state-of-the-art technology to monitor their heart beat, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body temperature and respiration. We individualize our anesthetic plan for each patient based on physical exam findings, lab work, and any known pre-existing medical conditions. The fear of general anesthesia should not deter you from having your pet’s teeth cared for. It is much safer than allowing a disease to run rampant in your pet’s mouth. With modern anesthetic drugs and monitoring the benefits of an Oral ATP and proper dental disease treatment far outweighs the risks of general anesthesia.

Call us day to schedule your appointment!