Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- A complete dental cleaning, called a COHAT, requires general anesthesia so your vet can scale and polish the teeth, examine every tooth, and take X-rays of the whole mouth.
- Cleanings done without anesthesia can make teeth look and smell better, but they cannot show or treat the disease below the gumline.
- Starting dental cleanings early, around 3 to 4 years of age, can help your pet keep their teeth for life and keep future cleanings less extensive and less costly.
If your vet has recommended a dental cleaning for your dog or cat, you may have questions about anesthesia. You may also have seen anesthesia-free cleanings offered as a cheaper, simpler option. Understanding why pet dental cleanings require anesthesia starts with understanding what a complete cleaning actually involves.
To explain, we sat down with Dr. Christie Long, Chief Medical Officer at Modern Animal.
What Is a COHAT in Pet Dental Care?
A COHAT is a complete oral health assessment and treatment. It is the full dental cleaning your vet performs under general anesthesia, and it includes both examining your pet's mouth and treating any disease found. At Modern Animal, every dental cleaning is done this way.
Dr. Long explains that the name is deliberate. "That word complete is really important because we believe that the only way we can do a complete and thorough job of not only assessing your pet's dental health, but also treating it, is by using general anesthesia."
What a COHAT includes. According to Dr. Long, a complete cleaning involves "a full ultrasonic scaling, a full polishing, a full examination of each tooth and full X-rays of every tooth in the mouth." Scaling removes plaque and tartar from the teeth, including below the gumline. Polishing smooths the tooth surfaces so plaque has a harder time building back up. The tooth-by-tooth exam and X-rays show your vet what is happening beneath the surface.
Assessment and treatment together. "All of those things are required in order to not only clean fully, but assess the tooth and decide what we need to do, if any treatment is required," Dr. Long said. If a tooth is badly damaged or diseased, removing it may be part of the treatment.
Why Do Pet Dental Cleanings Require Anesthesia?
Pet dental cleanings require anesthesia because dogs and cats cannot stay still for the scaling, tooth-by-tooth exam, and X-rays that a complete cleaning needs. Anesthesia makes it possible to clean below the gumline and find disease that is not visible from the outside, while keeping your pet comfortable.
Dr. Long compares it to a visit to your own dentist. "It's really hard and impossible, in fact, to get a dog or a cat to sit still," Dr. Long said, for that level of care.
Much of dental disease is below the gumline. Periodontal disease often develops under the gums, around the tooth roots and the bone that holds teeth in place. A tooth can look clean on the surface while the root is infected or the surrounding bone is breaking down. Dental X-rays are the only way to see those problems, and your pet has to be completely still for them.
Cleaning below the gumline needs a still, comfortable patient. Scaling under the gums means working close to sensitive tissue, which cannot be done thoroughly or comfortably on an awake animal. Under anesthesia, your pet feels no discomfort, and a breathing tube protects the airway from water and debris during the cleaning.
Anesthesia as a diagnostic tool. "At Modern Animal, it's really important that we use general anesthesia as a tool to help us diagnose and treat all the disease that's there."
What Is the Difference Between Anesthetic and Non-Anesthetic Dental Cleanings?
A non-anesthetic dental cleaning removes visible tartar from the surface of the teeth while your pet is awake. An anesthetic cleaning also cleans below the gumline, examines every tooth, and includes X-rays of the whole mouth. The first improves how teeth look, while the second can find and treat disease.
"Many places do cleanings without anesthesia, and it's important to think of those as really just a cosmetic treatment approach," Dr. Long said. "The teeth look better, maybe the breath even smells better afterwards, but we just don't have a full picture of everything that's going on with the teeth."
Why a cleaner-looking mouth can be misleading. Removing tartar from the visible part of the tooth can make a mouth look healthy even when disease remains under the gums. That can give owners the impression that dental problems are handled, which may delay the care a pet needs.
Other limits of cleaning an awake pet. Without anesthesia, there is no way to take full dental X-rays, probe around each tooth, or treat a problem once it is found.
Is Anesthesia Safe for My Pet's Dental Cleaning?
For most pets, the risks of anesthesia are low when it is planned around the individual pet and closely monitored. Your vet will check your pet's health before the procedure and tailor the anesthesia plan to them. Monitoring continues through the procedure and recovery.
Checking your pet's health first. At Modern Animal, pre-anesthetic bloodwork and a urinalysis are required before a dental cleaning is scheduled. These tests check organ function and look for anything that could affect how your pet handles anesthesia.
Monitoring throughout the day. Every pet having a dental cleaning at Modern Animal has a dedicated anesthetist monitoring their vital signs through the procedure and recovery. The cleaning also includes an IV catheter and fluids, pre-anesthetic medications, and anesthetic monitoring. You can read more about this in What to Expect When Your Pet Gets a Dental Cleaning at Modern Animal.
Older pets and anesthesia. Age on its own is not a reason to avoid a dental cleaning. What matters most is your pet's overall health, which is what pre-anesthetic testing helps your vet understand. If your pet has a health condition, your vet will explain how it shapes the plan.
When Should My Pet Have Their First Dental Cleaning?
Dr. Long recommends starting dental cleanings at a young age, possibly as early as 3 to 4 years old. Starting before dental disease becomes advanced keeps treatment simpler.
"The longer we wait to address dental disease, the more extensive and expensive the treatment becomes," Dr. Long explains.
The benefits of starting early. According to Dr. Long, a first cleaning at around 3 to 4 years of age can usually help in two ways: your pet is more likely to keep their teeth for their whole life, and the cost of cleanings stays lower going forward.
How your vet decides on timing. Some pets, such as small breeds with crowded teeth, may need dental care sooner than others. Your vet will look at your pet's teeth during their yearly dental consultation and let you know when a cleaning makes sense.
What Should You Expect on the Day of Your Pet's Dental Cleaning?
You will receive instructions before the procedure, drop your pet off in the morning, and pick them up after they have recovered from anesthesia. Your pet stays with the team all day so they can be monitored the whole time.
Before the procedure. "You're going to receive complete instructions from our team before the day of the procedure so that you're fully up to speed on how everything is going to go on that day," Dr. Long said. You will likely be asked to withhold food for four hours before you come in. If your pet takes daily medication, ask the team how to handle it that morning.
During the day. "We're going to keep your pet all day when we do this procedure, and that's to make sure that we are monitoring them throughout the entire day, even as they recover from anesthesia and get ready to go home," Dr. Long explains.
Staying in touch. The team keeps you updated through the Modern Animal app. "You'll probably even get a couple of pictures of your pet while they're here," Dr. Long said. "Know they're in good hands and we're taking great care of them."
After you get home. Your pet may be a little sleepy the evening after anesthesia. The team will send you home with instructions on feeding, medications, and what to watch for, especially if any teeth were removed. All Access and Essential members can reach our team anytime through 24/7 Virtual Care if questions come up.
How Much Does a Dental Cleaning Under Anesthesia Cost?
The cost of a dental cleaning under anesthesia varies by location and by what your pet's mouth needs. Your pet's size, age, and health history, whether additional diagnostics like bloodwork are recommended, and whether teeth need to be extracted all affect the final price.
Dr. Long explains how the pricing is structured. "The lowest level will be just for the cleaning and assessment and examination, and then it will go up from there depending on how many teeth need to be extracted."
Why the final price can change. X-rays often reveal problems that were not visible during an awake exam, so the full scope of treatment may only be clear once your pet is under anesthesia. Pre-anesthetic bloodwork and any pre-procedure medications are assessed individually for each pet.
For a full breakdown of service and test pricing at Modern Animal, visit modernanimal.com/pricing. Everything is listed transparently so you know what to expect before you come in.
The bottom line. Pet dental cleanings require anesthesia because it is the only way to fully clean, examine, X-ray, and treat your pet's teeth. Anesthesia-free cleanings can improve how teeth look, but untreated dental disease below the gumline can cause pain and tooth loss and has been linked to health problems beyond the mouth. If your pet is due for a cleaning, you can book an appointment at a Modern Animal clinic. For more pet health guides, visit our resource hub.