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How Much Do You Pay For Dental Cleaning?

15K views 44 replies 20 participants last post by  DukeCharlie 
#1 ·
Our vet tried to sell us a $560.00 package for an anesthetic teeth cleaning prodedure. I almost fainted. Cody has very good teeth. He has the usual amount of tarter for a 4 year old Poodle mix. Nothing bad. I just can't see not only paying that much, but risking putting him under. There is a risk every time a dog goes under anesthesia, albeit a small one, that they won't come out.

I would feel horrible if I lost my dog so unnecessarily that way. One vet that saw him explained they don't normally do it until the dog is about halfway through their life. In the case of a small breed Poodle, at about 7 years. That made a bit more sense. However, he never quoted me a price. I got my teeth cleaned, along with X-Rays and a checkup from the dentist for only $90.00. And I'm supposed to pay over 6 times as much for my dog??? Have any of you had this done? And if so how much did they hit you for?
 
#2 ·
It's more expensive where I live. It's around $700 depending on the size of your dog and if you get x-rays or need extractions. We're about to have my parents golden mix's teeth done as she may have an infected canine (haven't done x-rays yet). We're hoping that's the only tooth that needs extraction and will be getting her teeth cleaned while she's under. It's expensive.
 
#3 ·
You can ask for an itemized estimate, actually you should be given one explaining all the charges. Anesthesia, pre-surgery blood work and extractions are what costs the most.
 
#4 ·
It's 800+ for a 8.5 pound dog with no extractions and mild tartar.
I have had it done about 4 times I think on my 11 yr old mini poodle and he has ALL his teeth to show for it. Never needed one extraction.
Neglecting your dog's teeth now could set him up for a life time of painful teeth and gums, multiple extractions at a relatively young age, and internal issues caused by constantly swallowing the horrible bacteria coming off of the disgusting build up on the teeth.

Now, in saying that, my old vet would often recommend getting my dog's teeth done before they needed to be done. She was a little bit money grabbing in her vet work, but being in a dog profession and so being quite knowledgeable I knew when I could wait and when it was time to get it done. So it depends on if you feel you vet is money grabbing or not. If you feel she is, I would seek out a second opinion or at least try to get pics of the teeth and post them here for another opinion.
 
#8 ·
It's 800+ for a 8.5 pound dog with no extractions and mild tartar.
....if there are over 5 years the vet makes me have blood work, then it runs about 245.00 with a couple extractions. If no blood work or extractions 165.00 my friend just had hers done.
Thanks for all the replies. $800.00+ to $165.00??? This "all over the map" pricing concerns me. That's an ungodly large swing in price for the same procedure. I would like to get this done. But from where I'm sitting now, reading through all of this, I think this vet is overpriced.

I got an itemized breakdown of the service. It's all listed. Blood work, X-Rays, anesthetic, etc. But in all honesty, how long can this possibly take? If it runs 2 hours, (which I doubt), that's $400.00+ an hour at the high end.

I'm going to check around with other vets in my area. There are certainly enough of them to choose from. And I'm going to wait until Cody is at least 7 years old. I check his mouth all the time. His gums are not sensitive, and have a nice pink color. As I said, he has some mild tarter, but nothing abnormal for a 4 year old dog.
 
#5 ·
I don't pay for dental cleanings on mine because I work at a vet and do them myself, but $600-800 depending on where you live and the size of your dog sounds about right. That's for full bloodwork,IV catheter, dental X-rays, constant monitoring during the procedure with multiple different machines and at least 1-2 techs. If you want a cheaper price you need to look for a discount clinic. It should be around half that if not less, but your dog will not be monitored fully, most likely won't have and IV or blood work done, and definitely will not have X-rays done. It will be very basic, general anesthesia, scale, and polish no extras.
 
#6 ·
I've paid around $200 give or take a tad in the past for a dental around here, including pre-blood work. (not x-rays though) I can't believe those prices. Boy, I would go to another state sooner than pay them those outrageous prices.

Now my dogs are on a prey model raw diet and the plaque stays off their teeth so I don't foresee needing to do a dental at all, at least not for a very long time, if ever. Their front teeth don't get quite as much scraping from bone as their back teeth, so I'm not sure how it will play out. But over all, they have marvelously white teeth and healthy gums. I don't worry too much about anesthesia anymore. They've come a long ways in the last years. You can brush the teeth every day with a doggie toothpaste and small tooth brush. That will help postpone a dental I think...at least to some degree. Nothing like a raw meaty bone to maintain clean teeth though.
 
#7 ·
I am not worried about the dog getting put to sleep never had a problem with any of mine, if there are over 5 years the vet makes me have blood work, then it runs about 245.00 with a couple extractions. If no blood work or extractions 165.00 my friend just had hers done. I got some gel and some water additive that really has controlled the tarter and bad breath
One is Tropiclean Fresh Breath Plaque Remover Pet water additive
and Tropicilean Fresh Breath Plaque Remover Pet Clean Teeth Gel

Petedge.com has the best price, I found Amazon higher, I accidentally ordered from both places

After they eat I use Petkin Plaque Toothwipes

It is best to take of them as I did not know all this with the first poodles I had and bath teeth can effect other organs and the pets health. I do find that price excessive
 
#9 ·
Small dogs can have terrible teeth, though. Zooey had two dentals by the time she was 4 years old (she is a Maltese). I would get another opinion or two if I were you. And I agree that the prices are outrageous compared to our dental care, not to mention inconsistent across the country. The most I will pay is $500 for a vet I trust.
 
#12 ·
I agree small dogs normally do not have teeth like larger dogs. All of my toys have had dental work, I take them for check up every year and most of the time, they are scheduled for a cleaning. I gave then chew bones but never brushed their teeth, have since change. I try to have the dental work done with other procedures. My vet will not do teeth when spaying, he says in case the digs licks and bacteria would get in the wound.
 
#14 ·
The no bells or whistle version of a dental in my area was about $500, Canadian. So you're quote doesn't seem too off. We have a standard and I don't know if there is a difference with the size of dog/teeth. With all the brushing I did, Chanter still had grade 3 or 4 gingivitis but after his dental he teeth looked amazing. For us, it was worth it.
 
#16 ·
Not sure about other clinics Tiny poodles but our clinic uses the same, Isoflurane gas. The only better anesthesia I know of is Seveoflourane which many high priced hospitals and most specialist use because it is very pricey. Since we are a discount clinic we typically don't charge the right amount for anesthesia anyway so I can't say the price for sure but it can be expensive. Especially if the procedure last longer than 30 mins additional anesthesia has to be added on. Again we don't normally charge for extra because our cliental have a hard enough time coming up with the $110-$135 for the basic procedure.
 
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#17 ·
Well my vet offers a deal in February, they call it dental month $250 for base cleaning with anesthesia, bloodwork etc , extractions are priced per tooth. It's a good deal. The rest of the year its double to triple that.
 
#19 ·
I pay around 250 - 300 here depending on extractions... That is of course before my vet got a dental x-ray machine...I haven't gotten the bill yet for my latest dental. I didn't do any blood work so that will save me $100 or so.

There are vets in the area that do charge around $500 or more...but I don't use them so I can't say I know what that includes. I used to work for my vet so I know a typical dental there includes: cleaning, extractions if necessary, pain meds, polish, anesthesia, nail trim and a bag of greenies. They keep blood work optional to encourage people to actually do the surgeries/procedures they recommend to keep their pets healthy instead of citing cost and walking away.

It is a lot of money, but toy breeds are notoriously bad when it comes to teeth, and when you say your visit was $90, you probably have dental insurance, something our pets don't have.
 
#21 ·
Sophy's was just under £100/$150, and that included trimming her nails while she was dozing - bloodwork would have been around £30/$45, but after discussion we decided it wasn't needed and would just stress her unnecessarily. She was sedated but not anaesthetised, but as the same staff were there and everything set up in case she needed to be put right under (including an IV catheter) the cost was much the same. No extractions, which would have increased the price.
 
#22 ·
I think we pay about the same for Sadie's once a year. $130 to $150. She had gingivitis when we adopted her five years ago, so teeth cleaning for her has been a regular yearly expense. They extracted two back molars last year that were always a problem to keep clean. The other three Poodles haven't had dental cleanings yet, but we brush their teeth and use a hand scaler at home. Our vet recommended we get one. Rosie may need a dental cleaning soon, but I worry about that since she does have seizures.
 
#23 ·
I just had my 18-month old standards teeth cleaned when he was at the vet for boarding. He had moderate tartar build-up...now, every single teeth is glistening white. I do brush his teeth twice a week but was not regular at it in the beginning. I paid $375. And i'm not sure what other vets do, but my dog did NOT receive general anesthesia (which is what some people are worried about; i.e. their pets not coming out of it). He received "conscious sedation" which is just some meds to calm him down while they cleaned. If "anesthesia" is a concern for you, ask your vet alternatives.
 
#24 ·
Interesting, every vet that I have had adamantly refused to do it with conscious sedation, even a veterinary dentist at a specialty hospital.
By the way, I have read that just like humans, tarter on dog's teeth will begin to harden in 24 hours - and I think it is true, back when I would brush my dog's teeth 3-4 times a week, they still developed tarter over time. Now that I do it 6-7 days a week, they are perfect, no tarter formation at all. (Really I was so pleased when I was reading Timi's ER vet report a few weeks ago and read "teeth entirely absent tarter"!
 
#27 ·
With daily brushing, I am hoping the same thing, but I am wondering if at a certain age you just do it anyhow? Teaka's were sparkling clean at age ten, but she had a dental because she began having pain when eating. Turned out that she had several fractures and several teeth with attachment loss that had to come out. That did teach me not to give Timi anything hard to eat so as to avoid the fractures, but I still wonder if maybe they deserve to have an under anesthesia exam and X-rays when they get to a certain age - before they get to the age where the procedure would be too dangerous....
 
#32 ·
I do a home version of the same thing. It is just a scaler and I don't use a sedative. I worked on getting Swizzle use to this as a puppy and while he does not enjoy it he is very good. When he sees me get the scaler out he comes up to my lap and let's me go to work. The hardest part is getting the one at the back of his mouth especially if it is the tongue side. I make sure to add in lots of cuddles.
 
#34 ·
It's been quite a while since I've had dogs, but I remember the last time we took Kaydee in for teeth cleaning, it was just right around $265, and that included the full blood work panel done on her. I just always figured that was about what all vets charged. Of course if there were any extractions, the charge would be more.
 
#35 ·
I looked at all the entries on this subject and was surprised that I didn't find an entry that mentioned non-anesthesia dental cleaning. I used to take my dog to a lady that did non-anesthesia cleaning, and it cost about $300.00. As long as there's no serious decay or any other problems this is the best option. It's not available everywhere, and you have to do research to find someone that does it. The lady that I went to was from Southern California, and she travels all over the west coast to do this work. It takes a LONG time to get an appointment for obvious reasons.
Other than that I brushed my dog's teeth. He hated it, and never wanted to cooperate.
 
#37 ·
Here's an interesting story for you:
When I discovered anesthesia-free dental cleaning I was so excited. I actually know a doctor that does acupuncture on humans that can't handle anesthesia for dental work, so I was familiar with the possibilities. So, I cancelled the appointment I had with my regular vet, and scheduled the anesthesia-free dental cleaning with the holistic vets office. Well, the regular vet's office called me and asked why I had cancelled the appointment. When I told them they were surprisingly upset with me. They told me what a mistake I was making, and went on to relate all the negative things about anesthesia free dental cleaning you can imagine.
My response (to myself) was: "Methinks thou dost protest too much!!"
Marcello went on for years having the anesthesia-free cleaning from a lovey woman for many years.
I would highly recommend it.
 
#38 ·
I'm starting to think this is all nothing more than a big, expensive racket. It's no different with people getting their teeth cleaned. Have you ever seen, or heard of a dental hygienist working out of their home? Or having their own office? No, because the dental industry won't allow it.

Dentists get a cut of every mouth a hygienist cleans. Not to mention they always "inspect" her work. And when they do they usually find something. A cavity that requires a filling, or perhaps a crown. Dollars, always the dollars.

If dental hygienists were allowed to work on their own, more people would get their teeth cleaned. Simply because it would be cheaper, faster, and easier. But no, because that would cut the dentists out of the loop.

It's no different with these vets. They don't want these people cutting into their profits. By controlling the industry, they control the prices. They don't like it if someone can mildly sedate a dog, and clean their teeth for $165.00 to $250.00, when they can charge $600.00 to $1,200.00+ to put the dog under to do the same thing easier. You are exactly correct about their over protesting these people. Why else would they care?

Ethically they should welcome these people with open arms. Because it means more people would get their dogs dental requirements met. And let's be honest. With today's totally rancid economy, how many individuals can afford to spend $1K+ on a pet dental cleaning, when over 68% of Americans don't have $1,000.00 cash put aside for an emergency? Very few. The result is there are a lot of dogs out there with bad teeth, because these vets have not only managed to price themselves out of the market, but condemn anyone who can produce a more economically viable solution. Sad.
 
#39 ·
I think the anesthesia free cleanings are a good inbetween option but should never be an instead of option. There are so many things that can't be done on an awake dog that need to be done. Sure you can make the outside pretty on an awake dog but you will never be able to see what's going on underneath, no matter what sedative you give. The type of deep cleaning a general anesthesia dental does, produces pain and that would be awful to inflict on a dog not receiving proper analgesic and anesthesia. My girls have dental cleanings done with full anesthesia every six months and they are perfectly fine. We do regular yearly dental cleanings on dogs with all sorts of problems including but not limited to heart, lung, trachea, problems. Anesthesia free dentals are a great inbetween option but should never be used instead of full general anesthesia cleanings.
And I'm sorry about the pricing but, you expect to get paid for the work you do when you go to your job every day right? Well I do too. We also have to pay for the supplies that we use during those dental cleanings, and the use of the machines and the maintenance for those machines. You wouldnt want your precious Fido monitored on a faulty machine would you? Everything adds up and it adds up quickly resulting in the prices that you see. I like to think of it like the training method mentioned on this forum quite often, Nothing In Life Is Free.
 
#40 ·
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