What is a Medical Prophy and what is it all about?
When you walk into the exam room here at Buckeye and see one of our veterinarians or credentialed veterinary technicians may talk about that ferocious feline breath or that disgusting doggie breath. If this is the case, the conversation will turn into a recommendation for a Medical Prophy or a dental procedure. Let’s discuss what this means in a few key areas, first will be pre-procedure testing, then the procedure itself and finally home care.
Pre-Procedure Testing
Any patient who is cared for here at Buckeye will have a few options depending on breed, age and medical history. All patients have base blood work to ensure that their organs and immune system are in a healthy state to process anesthesia and pain medications that accompany the procedure. Our testing includes verifying that your dog is free from Heartworm diseases or your cat is cleared from Feline Leukemia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and Heartworm Disease (FELV, FIV & FHW). Once all our testing is completed the veterinarian makes a protocol for the needed medications and anesthesia is readied.
Procedure Time
All patients will receive a pain medication combination specific for them. This will make them relaxed and less anxious so we can place an IV Catheter and start fluids into their body. We will start to administer anesthesia and place an airway for them to breathe oxygen and anesthesia during the procedure. All patients have a dedicated team member (veterinarian or technician) monitoring heart rate and rhythm, respiration rate, blood pressure, body temperature, oxygen levels, pain response and physical comfort.
A second dedicated team member (technician) starts the procedure by digital x-rays of all the teeth, then a digital close up of the teeth. They do this by applying a cleaning gel. After that, they will start the physical process of scaling by ultrasonic methods the entire tooth surface, including under the gum line followed by charting and polishing. Once we are done, we take a shiny pearly white digital close up photo.
The veterinarian will review the digital x-rays of the teeth looking for signs of hidden disease and infection. Should these be a concern, the Veterinarian will perform Oral Surgery to remove the diseased, damaged or infected teeth. When a tooth is removed a second set of digital x-rays are performed for the “after” verification of a healthy extraction! Then the team takes the final close up digital photos and we start the recovery process.
Home Care
Our patients go home on pain medications and antibiotics. Working in the mouth is a delicate area and gum tissue is sensitive; pain control as well as infection control is key to quick and healthy recovery of gum tissue and bone! We will also provide you with a home care plan which may include brushing, chews, water additives and/or dental diets. This will help your pets Medical Prophy benefits last longer and therefore spread out the time between needed procedures!
Financing
Finances unfortunately come with the responsibility of pet ownership and the Medical Prophy Procedure here is an in-depth day procedure so here at Buckeye. We do not want the price to be a stopping point.
Links & Resources
Check out where we get our annual training by the Veterinary Dental Forum
Video: Periodontal Disease, from one of our great mentors Dr. Brook Niemiec, DVM (Some images in this video might be considered graphic)
Video: Stomatitis, an oral disease commonly seen in cats (Some images in this video might be considered graphic)
Video: Real Client Communication “Our Patients Don’t Show Pain” from another mentor of ours, Dr. Brett Beckmann