What happens when your pet comes in for a dental assessment or procedure. Did you know 80% of pet’s aged 3 years and over on the Central Coast are suffering from dental disease, smelly bad breath, loose teeth and can be reluctant to eat. Our vets at Coast Animal Health Lake Haven offer a free dental assessment for all animals, dogs, cats and rabbits too. Sam was admitted into Coast Animal Health – 231 Wallarah Road Kanwal for a dental procedure. Sam suffered from smelly breath from the plaque and tartar build up on his teeth, as well as gingivitis (inflammation of the gum tissue) Dental Assessment During a dental check our vets will advise you if your pet requires a dental clean and if any extractions are expected. An estimate of costs will be provided for the expected treatment. During the procedure we will thoroughly examine the mouth, clean the teeth and we will extract any disease teeth. Dental Procedure On the day of the procedure a nurse will admit your pet. They will perform a pre-anaesthetic exam taking all the vital signs such as heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature prior to starting. Surgical patients including dentals, are admitted into hospital in the morning usually between 8-10am and surgery happens between 11am and 3pm. This allows time for your pet to settle into its hospital bed, have their pre-anaesthetic exam, any blood drawn for pre-anaesthetic tests if required, have an intravenous (IV) line placed and supplementary fluids started prior to surgery where required. We give a sedation which allows for a smoother anaesthetic induction and also provides pre-operative pain relief. A vet will formulate an anaesthetic plan best suited to your pet. Pre-anaesthetic blood tests are not mandatory but are highly recommended, particularly in older patients which are more likely to have underlying diseases. The results of the blood tests will allow us to tailor the anaesthetic plan, any other medications, and overall treatment plan specifically for the