Dental Costs in Your Area?

lavishsqualor

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My feline only vet (whom I love) is no longer doing dentals at her practice. She's referring them all out to a veterinary dentist who charges--take a deep breath and hold onto your wallet--$975.00! That prices includes a $75.00 office visit fee plus $125.00 for the pre-anesthesia blood work.

I understand that specialized care is more expensive, so if we were talking about extractions or a kitty root canal I'd be more accepting. But $975.00 to just scale and polish a cat's teeth? That's highway robbery, especially when you consider that I have three cats and they weren't willing to offer a multi cat discount. Plus, I brush my cats' teeth every night so it's not as if they have mountains of tartar.

My vet charged $350.00 which I though was high enough, but after calling other local vets the cheapest I've found was $485.00. I was wondering, just out of curiosity, what your local vets charged when your cats underwent dentals.

Thanks!
 

jersharocks

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Our kitties just had dental work done in January. For both cats, our total was $1473.73 and that also includes a $25 charge for a sanitary trim and anal gland expression done on Contessa. They both had pre-anesthesia bloodwork, x-rays, scaling/polishing, and IV fluids during the entire procedure. Contessa had 1 extraction. Juliet had 3 crownectomies.

Excluding the extraction, antibiotics, and pain relievers, we were charged $491.75 for Contessa. Excluding the 3 crownectomies, antibiotics and pain relievers, we were charged $456.50 for Juliet. The extra charge for Contessa was for a nerve block, I guess for the extraction?

$975 definitely seems really high for a single cat. Could you ask for an itemized quote and see if they're charging for extras that you don't need/want?
 

Willowy

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That's crazy! I know vet costs here are somewhat lower but I wouldn't expect that kind of price anywhere!

My vet charges $105 for a dental, pets over 7 must have bloodwork @$75, optional for younger pets. $5 per removed tooth, no x-rays for routine dental.

I had a stomatitis cat get a full-mouth extraction in 2015, and it was $1100 altogether (x-rays, pain meds, etc.)
 

Kieka

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My rabbits dental work is $400-600.... but that is a rabbit who need dental grinding and filing. No blood work for the rabbit, just the procedure itself with the price range being based on how long it takes once they start. I haven't needed to do dental work for the cats yet. I did just do a senior blood panel which was $235 for a cat, I think the regular basic blood panel is around $100-150.
 
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lavishsqualor

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Could you ask for an itemized quote and see if they're charging for extras that you don't need/want?
Good thinking but I already asked. That $975.00 includes the office visit an pre-anesthetic blood work. Nothing else. :argh:

That's crazy! I know vet costs here are somewhat lower but I wouldn't expect that kind of price anywhere! My vet charges $105 for a dental, pets over 7 must have bloodwork @$75, optional for younger pets. $5 per removed tooth, no x-rays for routine dental. I had a stomatitis cat get a full-mouth extraction in 2015, and it was $1100 altogether (x-rays, pain meds, etc.)
WOW! Those are really amazing prices. The full-mouth extraction for stomatitis is especially awesome. I see so many cats who either suffer horribly with that disease or are put to sleep because their owners can't afford the extractions.

My rabbits dental work is $400-600.... but that is a rabbit who need dental grinding and filing. No blood work for the rabbit, just the procedure itself with the price range being based on how long it takes once they start. I haven't needed to do dental work for the cats yet. I did just do a senior blood panel which was $235 for a cat, I think the regular basic blood panel is around $100-150.
I had no idea a rabbit's dental work could be so costly.

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I appreciate them.

:D
 

lutece

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The last time one of my cats had a dental was in 2019 and it cost $988.95 for a routine dental evaluation and cleaning under anesthesia. This price included $275 for an X-ray, but did not include the pre-dental blood work which I had to do the week before for an additional cost of $355.
 

Bird

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My vet charges the same, around $975 for the whole thing. In my area (Boston metro), I get charged these high prices consistently. Based on pricing I have seen around the US, I tend to pay double or triple what others pay for any vet-related thing.
 

Maurey

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Wow, these prices are crazy! I live in a place with faily low GDP and vet care here is generally cheaper than decent human care.

I paid just over 100 USD for my cat's teeth to be scaled AND have one of her teeth filed down and filled with a blue dental paste, essentially a kitty filling (she had a traumatic malocclusion, long story). And this was by a dental professional. If memory serves, it's around 40-50 USD for a routine dental, maybe a tad cheaper. Granted, Jum's vet dentist is very fastidious, and refuses to do any non-emergency procedures unless you have a recent ECG of your kitty proving their heart is healthy, so it works out a bit more expensive because of that, but its worth both going to this vet, and having the extra peace of mind re: the anaesthesia, as she's a Maine Coon. She's totally healthy, and negative for the breed-associated genes, but it always pays to be extra safe, imo.
 

Beholder

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When we went to our cat-only vet for teeth cleanings/extractions/yearly exams it was about 1,300 for two cats. This number included teeth cleanings, about 6 extractions, anesthesia, blood work, flea medications, 3 visits, and yearly vaccines for two cats. I live in Socal where everything is more expensive as well, and my cat-only vet specializes in dental. I can't believe they're trying to charge you that much!
 

artiemom

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I will have to go through this when it is time for Geoffrey's next dental. His vet left the practice. The new one, whom I have yet to see, does not do dentals. Geoffrey had 4 extractions, last dental. He also has resorbtive lesions. His vet at the time told me to expect to do a dental on him, every 2 years. At his yearly visit in December, all he had was a bit of gingivitis. His last dental was Jan 2020.

I was talking with someone, in the field. We both think dentistry is now becoming a specialty. Not many regular vets are doing them; especially the new Vets. I Do not know the reasons why.
They are referring them out to real veterinary dentists. This is now a speciality field.

There are not many Vet Dentists around. The waiting list is at least 6 months. It is really ridiculous.
And since dentists are few and far between, the prices for dentals have skyrocketed. It is a shame dentals are not covered by pet insurance. As far as I am concerned, it should be.
 

lutece

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In our area, all vet costs have been high for a long time. My cat had her dental at a regular clinic... not a specialty clinic. That's just how much it costs around here... and it probably costs even more now, since that was in 2019.

There is just a huge difference in vet costs from one area to another. The last time I called around for costs for a routine adult spay for example, all the vet clinics in our area were quoting around $950 (including required bloodwork etc.), but I know people in other parts of the country that can get this done for less than $150 at their regular vet clinic.
 

jersharocks

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I will have to go through this when it is time for Geoffrey's next dental. His vet left the practice. The new one, whom I have yet to see, does not do dentals. Geoffrey had 4 extractions, last dental. He also has resorbtive lesions. His vet at the time told me to expect to do a dental on him, every 2 years. At his yearly visit in December, all he had was a bit of gingivitis. His last dental was Jan 2020.

I was talking with someone, in the field. We both think dentistry is now becoming a specialty. Not many regular vets are doing them; especially the new Vets. I Do not know the reasons why.
They are referring them out to real veterinary dentists. This is now a speciality field.

There are not many Vet Dentists around. The waiting list is at least 6 months. It is really ridiculous.
And since dentists are few and far between, the prices for dentals have skyrocketed. It is a shame dentals are not covered by pet insurance. As far as I am concerned, it should be.
It's interesting that in your area new vets are not doing dentistry because at our vet's office, the new person (she just graduated college about a year ago) is the one doing the dentistry. They had a different person before her but they retired. I don't think we have any veterinary dentists in this area, it's hard to find veterinary specialists of any kind in this area actually.

FWIW Pumpkin pet insurance covers dental. I looked into it not too long ago. They don't cover routine cleanings but they cover extractions and dental disease. Most other plans don't cover anything dental so I was surprised that they did. I still haven't decided whether to get insurance for my girls but I'm definitely considering it.
 

Maurey

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And since dentists are few and far between, the prices for dentals have skyrocketed. It is a shame dentals are not covered by pet insurance. As far as I am concerned, it should be.
FWIW Pumpkin pet insurance covers dental. I looked into it not too long ago. They don't cover routine cleanings but they cover extractions and dental disease. Most other plans don't cover anything dental so I was surprised that they did. I still haven't decided whether to get insurance for my girls but I'm definitely considering it.
I was going to ask about non-routine dentals. It does make some sense that preventative care isn't covered, and emergency care is, even it it's not ideal. Where I live, most people don't have health insurance, much less their pets, as it's very much not a common thing here. In fact, there's only a single pet insurance company here that I know of, and it's so new that I have no idea whether or not it's legit, especially with how cheap it is, and how much it claims to cover (i.e. anything that isn't routine checkups/vaccines/dental scaling). I know someone who signed their cats up, might have to ask if they've had to use it.
 

artiemom

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I gave Pumpkin insurance a quick look.. did not crate a plan; just looked at the sample.
It seems like a good insurance, and something to consider. It is a new insurance company; created in 2020.
I think, I would put it into the category of one to seriously consider. I forgot if you have a regular Vet. I wonder if they have heard anything about this company.
 

di and bob

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I had one cat that needed teeth cleaning and it was 225.00, I thought THAT was bad. It was years ago though. More recently a few yera ago, My Casper needed a broken tooth removed and that was 150.00. I give my cats Oratene in their water every day. It must help!
 

Katdog

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lavishsqualor lavishsqualor thanks for asking this question! boy was I surprised by your pricing. glad everyone else provided the price range- though it seem like 900 wasn't that far off. I live in the states, Colorado to be exact. My primary vet, who's a general vet that sees all animals, does do dental work- thankfully as I'm not sure I can afford a dental specialist (per your pricing!). I just called them to ask bc I was curious, as dental health is one of my top concerns for my overly spoiled Korra, and they quoted me $80 for blood work. this is not optional at my vet, despite Korra being less than 5 year olds. the dental cleaning procedure is $360...which is high but def better than yours and others @ $900...though this doesn't include any extractions since she's still young and doesn't have any teeth issue right now; its definitely 100% preventative. so maybe thats why its lower than what everyone is getting.

the $360 includes:
Teeth Scaling
Pre-Surgical Exam
Feline Anesthetic Package
Preanesthetic Injection
Preanesthetic Injection
Dexdomitor 0.5 mg/ml
Buprenex 0.3mg/ml 1ml
Ketamine 100 mg/ml
Anesthesia-Sevoflurane
Electronic Monitoring
Feline Hospital Care-Observe
Pain Management Therapy
IV FLUIDS
Lactated Ringers
Iv Fluid Pump
IV Catheter
Nail Trim Courtesy

jersharocks jersharocks artiemom artiemom I have pumplin pet insurance, I vaguely recall seeing the dental procedure thing as well on there- which I also noted was different than most other health insurance I looked at. I ultimately went with them bc they have a 6 months clear for pre- existing condition items- which is also nonexistent for other insurance regarding pre-existing conditions. at the time, when I was investigating insurance, korra was diagnosed by her primary vet as having asthma but it turned out to be food allergies when I went to see a dermatologist- whew, food allergies has been much easier to manage than the brief cat asthma treatments I researched. while food allergies isn't gonna go away for 6 months or ever, but its good to know something like asthma could be disregarded despite it being on her record before I got the insurance. I haven't claimed anything with them yet though, so I'm still 100% skeptical. her coverage is $27/month-while not minimal, is a fair price to give me peace of mind. I almost had a Lilly poisoning situation with her a couple of weeks ago, which $27/month would have saved my ass if had anything did happen. thankfully not! grateful AF.
 

TardisDance

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I just received an estimate today of $660 to 900 today for Sango just today and I’m in the Upstate, NY area. She likely needs at least 1 tooth pulled and has gum lesions. X-rays, cleaning, anesthesia, etc. are all included. I adopted her a year ago from a hoarding situation and I’m quite surprised that they didn’t tell me all this when I took her to the same vet office within a month of adopting her! I remember specifically asking about her teeth last year. It’s hard to believe that this wasn’t apparent last time. When we make appointments, they always assign a random vet. A lot of vets in the area aren’t accepting new patient right now due to COVID so it’s tough.
 

TardisDance

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The shelter said 3 years old when we adopted her but since she was from hoarding situation, there’s no way of really knowing. So I would say maybe 4 years old now?
 

Katdog

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Wow that’s about how old Korra is. She was 2-1/2 when I got her (a year ago) but again how can you really know for sure. My vet didn’t quote us for an extraction or X-ray. So there’s a real Chance my quote could get to that $600 range. Maybe they’ll let us know when they see her for her blood work. Korras never had her teeth clean so I went ahead and booked an appt for her. Figured it was money now or more later. Guh!
 
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