Low Cost dental cleaning

[JulietteTruong]

My kitty is 7, and has never had a dental cleaning. Her vet recommends frequent brushing, but that is not realistic. There’s no way she’ll let me near her mouth. The last time she had a vet exam, she said there was minor buildup but nothing serious.

now that she’s getting up there in age, I’ve been thinking a lot about having her teeth cleaned next year or so, just for peace of mind. I was doing some research, and Jesus Christ the costs!
I live near LA, and there is a low cost clinic that offers dental care, called Spay Neuter Project of Los Angeles (SNPLA). Does anybody have experience with low cost clinics with dental stuff, and is it trustworthy?

 

[MissClouseau]

My kitty is 7, and has never had a dental cleaning. Her vet recommends frequent brushing, but that is not realistic. There’s no way she’ll let me near her mouth. The last time she had a vet exam, she said there was minor buildup but nothing serious.

now that she’s getting up there in age, I’ve been thinking a lot about having her teeth cleaned next year or so, just for peace of mind. I was doing some research, and Jesus Christ the costs!
I live near LA, and there is a low cost clinic that offers dental care, called Spay Neuter Project of Los Angeles (SNPLA). Does anybody have experience with low cost clinics with dental stuff, and is it trustworthy?

This is just personal opinion but I don't think teeth cleaning only is effective enough to justify the risk of anesthesia. Just like humans, teeth will continue to get tartar on it without brushing so how much difference does it even make to get it cleaned at once at the clinic? How long the effect would last? I would rather give dental treats like Greenies daily and use water additives, no-brush tooth gels if brushing really is not an option.

With that said, a whole lot of cats need tooth extraction and that's discovered with an x-ray when they are under anesthesia. (There could be some signs like bad breathe, dental pain, signs of gingivitis etc but it doesn't tell which tooth/teeth are bad. X-ray is needed for that you know.) I don't know much about the low-cost clinics at the USA but if they don't take x-ray and they only do cleaning, it's not worth it in my opinion.

 

[fionasmom]

SNPLA website does say that they use anesthesia and may take radiographs. I do have to agree with MissClouseau that if they don't look for other dental issues you are not getting what you need entirely. Try to ask what the criteria is for "may take radiographs" and how much screening they do. Also, what do they do if they open your cat's mouth and realize that extractions are needed? Second appointment? Call you and proceed on the spot? I have never used them myself.