Safety of dental anesthesia

valentine319

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I was hoping someone could give me some advice. My girl is 12 and we need a dental visit. anyone know how safe anesthesia is. We’ve done bloodwork and all is fine.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi
I'm not a vet, but I kept up with Poppycat's dental cleanings and resorptive dental issues all of his life. To me, the risk of anesthesia was a lower priority. He had a lot of health problems going on during his last few years although no heart or other respiratory problems, and I wanted to try to keep it that way. The rest of the body especially the heart is at quite a lot of risk from bacteria in the mouth when things are going wrong there.

That said, we lost Poppycat and have since adopted another cat who has mild dental issues. My vet suggested to try a Purina product designed to help for his low level of teeth problems and we'd have another look in about six months or so. You could wonder if the clinic is getting a kickback in some way, although I didn't purchase the product through them. However, if we can avoid a cleaning, or at least cut down on the number of them over the rest of his lifetime I'm all for it, not least because his voice has already been somewhat ruined from previous intubation, and he's a very chatty talker. I want to keep that as intact as possible :).
 
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valentine319

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Thank you. She’s on raw due to allergies to chicken and fish. I feel she needs a dental and blood work was good. I’ll take her in for a visit and discuss it. I’m an over worrier.
 

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If I were you, I'd talk to the vet about your concerns. I'd read several times that members with older cats or those with compromised respiratory systems are able to have a "lighter" anesthesia used.
 

neely

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I was hoping someone could give me some advice. My girl is 12 and we need a dental visit. anyone know how safe anesthesia is. We’ve done bloodwork and all is fine.
It's good that they did bloodwork and I'm glad the vet told you all is fine. 👍 We've had several cats over the years diagnosed with FORL and, if it helps, they did find under anesthesia. However, I would ask what type of anesthesia they are using. Our cats were Persians and because that means they are a brachycephalic breed we learned that there are different types of anesthesia. Best of luck and please let us know how your cat's dental works out.🤞
 
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valentine319

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It's good that they did bloodwork and I'm glad the vet told you all is fine. 👍 We've had several cats over the years diagnosed with FORL and, if it helps, they did find under anesthesia. However, I would ask what type of anesthesia they are using. Our cats were Persians and because that means they are a brachycephalic breed we learned that there are different types of anesthesia. Best of luck and please let us know how your cat's dental works out.🤞
Thank you. I never thought to ask the type of anesthesia. I’ll be sure to ask and check.
 
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valentine319

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If I were you, I'd talk to the vet about your concerns. I'd read several times that members with older cats or those with compromised respiratory systems are able to have a "lighter" anesthesia used.
it was never mentioned. That’s why I’m on here and doing research. I’ve never heard of lighter anesthesia. Thank you. I’ll add to my list of things to discuss.
 

silent meowlook

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Hi. 90% of all veterinary anesthetic deaths occur in recovery. It is as important to know how the patients are monitored after an anesthetic as it is during the procedure.
Ask what they do for monitoring and what kind of anesthetic is used. Also make sure they have dental radiographs. Ask who preforms the dental and if the vet is there the entire time. Usually it is a tech or assistant doing the dentals.
 
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valentine319

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Hi. 90% of all veterinary anesthetic deaths occur in recovery. It is as important to know how the patients are monitored after an anesthetic as it is during the procedure.
Ask what they do for monitoring and what kind of anesthetic is used. Also make sure they have dental radiographs. Ask who preforms the dental and if the vet is there the entire time. Usually it is a tech or assistant doing the dentals.
Thank you!
 

my_money_pit

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Hi. 90% of all veterinary anesthetic deaths occur in recovery. It is as important to know how the patients are monitored after an anesthetic as it is during the procedure.
Ask what they do for monitoring and what kind of anesthetic is used. Also make sure they have dental radiographs. Ask who preforms the dental and if the vet is there the entire time. Usually it is a tech or assistant doing the dentals.
Hi, can you elaborate on the kind of anesthetic used during dental work? Are there ones that are more toxic than others? Or ones that have a higher risk of death after or during the procedure?
My cat has a bit of gingivitis. I am taking him for a dental cleanup next month or so but i am not sure what i'm supposed to ask the dentist in order to rule whether it's worth the risk or not. If it's too risky, I might just ask for xrays and if any tooth needs pulling than it's worth taking the risk.
 

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I am taking him for a dental cleanup next month or so but i am not sure what i'm supposed to ask the dentist in order to rule whether it's worth the risk or not.
Just to mention, don't forget that when this sort of thing begins to develop, it can turn into other issues plus the extra bacterial load can have negative effects on other organs in the body such as the heart.
 

my_money_pit

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Just to mention, don't forget that when this sort of thing begins to develop, it can turn into other issues plus the extra bacterial load can have negative effects on other organs in the body such as the heart.
that's true! we are now in the process of transitioning from dry food to homemade once this is established and the stress is gone he will be getting a dental cleanup. I think it will be a good way to start on better quality food with healthy and clean teeth :)
 

silent meowlook

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Hi. There are many different anesthetic induction agents used and the usually isoflurane or sevoflurane are the gas anesthetic agents used to maintain anesthesia.

More important than the induction agent is the monitoring of the patient during and after the procedure, as well as what is monitored. Blood pressure is an important parameter to watch as is everything else such as heart rate , respiratory rate etc. Most important is that there is an experienced tech dedicated to just monitoring the patient while another person preforms the dental. In most places the vet isn’t present for dentals. They are in the hospital but not standing by watching.
 

my_money_pit

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Hi. There are many different anesthetic induction agents used and the usually isoflurane or sevoflurane are the gas anesthetic agents used to maintain anesthesia.

More important than the induction agent is the monitoring of the patient during and after the procedure, as well as what is monitored. Blood pressure is an important parameter to watch as is everything else such as heart rate , respiratory rate etc. Most important is that there is an experienced tech dedicated to just monitoring the patient while another person preforms the dental. In most places the vet isn’t present for dentals. They are in the hospital but not standing by watching.
thank you so much for all the info. I will make sure the clinic has what it takes and is on top of everything before I book him a spot for a dental cleanup.
 
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