I go to a really high quality vet. The cost for a dental is $295, which I think is cheap for the quality. I do have preanesthetic blood work done. Pets get safe anesthesia meds, x-rays, pain medicines, are continuously monitored (lots of sensors) during the whole procedure, are kept on human warm air circulating pads that help regulate body temperature (but can’t burn like a heating pad or hot water pack).
I get called by the vet during surgery to discuss findings and costs of extractions, etc. I get a 30 page report with pictures (of cavities etc) after the dental and pain meds to provide orally for the next few days. My vet also provides the pulled teeth (wow, they look yucky with neck lesions) so you can see them and keep them for the cat tooth very if wanted ;). Of course, extractions, etc can really increase the price.
My vet recommends approximately 1x yearly teeth cleaning for most cats, but will recommend more or less based on problems noted at check ups. For my cat with cardiomyopathy dentals became unsafe, so he has had his teeth hand scraped for the last 4 years. He is a very cooperative cat though and it was not ideal as we could not check for underlying problems that were not visible to the naked eye.
The thing about cats is that they can get neck lesions (the equivalent of REALLY painful cavities) that are typically below the gum line and cannot be seen by the naked eye (hence the x-rays). By the time you can see them, blood at gum or falling out tooth it can be really really painful.
I have had very, very old and decrepit cats have dentals after never having one in their lives (cats I rescued). One was on the verge of death with no appetite and looking starving. After the dental (and on pain meds) she gobbled up so much canned cat food even though she had lost a lot of teeth. Her quality of life only went up from there, she became fat and happy and lived 3 very good years as an elderly cat.
I do think dentals can really improve the quality of life for pets. Keeping their teeth clean by brushing is also something my vet strongly recommends to decrease the frequency of intense cleanings. Most pets adapt to it just fine if introduced slowly with some nice beef or chicken flavored tooth paste. The goal at first is to accept the brush and lick off the toothpaste, nothing more. My family has several pets between us that look forward to teeth brushing time and come running. It’s more the commitment on the owner’s part that can be hard and the consistency of it…it’s adding another being that needs their teeth brushed daily to the tasks of daily life.
All that said, I am lucky and have a wonderful vet who works at a multi-vet practice but specializes only in dentistry at this point in his career. The equipment is human grade, the anesthesia is top rated for safety even if it costs a bit more than cheaper alternatives, and they have staff monitoring the pet and monitors at all times. With a healthy pet, frequent dental work doesn’t scare me at all with this quality of dentistry. With a not as healthy pet (such as my cat above), we adapt as we need to.
I think it is great that you took your cat in for dental work. I too have not heard of the anesthesia lasting so long, but I do know that cats (maybe even more so than dogs) are adept at not showing pain and when it gets to the point that they are obviously in pain, they are in a lot of pain. I think you did your cat a great favor by taking him in quickly.
Lots of people don’t get dentals for their pets and they do okay for most of their lives, but preventative care really does make a difference and even one dental can go along way to help for older pets.
One last point is to try to be really careful about picking a vet to do dentistry. Sometimes a cheap price will not give you the best deal. My vet gets to “fix” all of the problems created by less qualified and caring vets when their owners notice that not all is right. I had a friend go to a cheaper (and not all that much cheaper place) where many of her cats teeth were removed. This was an older cat and she asked good questions but not in great detail. Cat did not recover well from dental and did not regain appetite. Back into my vet. Other so called good vet had “broken” off many of the teeth leaving exposed roots under the gum. Teeth must be carefully extracted to fix problems with gum flaps, etc. to make sure mouth health is preserved. Teeth are part of the jaw and pulling them out without skill, care, and knowledge can compromise the integrity of the jaw if not careful. Many vets are very qualified to do this, but obviously, just “any” vet won’t do.
Good luck! It sounds like you are on good track to having a healthy mouth for your cat and with work, I bet you could reduce need for cleanings with careful brushing :).
); the vet said that he got an x-ray, blood work and fluids (don’t know if they were IV or sub-q). I’m giving him one pill twice a day for 10 days–I think it’s an antibiotic? Again, the prescription is in Korean.
. I was pretty surprised by the condition he was sent home in, but cats are not common here at all and I’m not sure how experienced the vet was with cats.