How much will my pet’s dental cost?
It is one of the most reasonable—and most common—questions pet owners ask us.
Unfortunately, it is also one of the few veterinary procedures where the completely
accurate answer is often:
We need to examine the mouth properly before we can know.
That can be frustrating when you are trying to budget. At Summer Hill Village Vet, we
believe owners should understand why dental costs can vary and what they are
actually paying for.
A pet with mild gingivitis that needs a professional clean is very different from a pet
with several painful teeth, infection below the gumline or significant loss of the bone
supporting the teeth.
And unfortunately, much of that difference cannot always be seen while your dog or
cat is awake.
Why can’t my vet give me an exact dental price from looking at the teeth?
An awake dental check gives us a great deal of useful information. We can assess
visible tartar, gum inflammation, obvious fractures, loose teeth, bad breath and other
abnormalities.
But it is only the first part of the assessment.
Much of every tooth lies below the gumline. Periodontal pockets, root disease, bone
loss and other painful problems may be invisible from the surface. Research cited in
our veterinary dental resources shows that teeth appearing normal to the eye can
still have clinically significant abnormalities on dental X-rays.
A proper periodontal examination requires general anaesthesia so that each tooth
can be examined and probed, the area beneath the gums can be cleaned and dental
X-rays can be taken where required. The Australian Veterinary Association also
states that a complete professional dental examination cannot be performed in a
conscious dog or cat.
That is why a veterinarian may be able to give you a starting estimate before the
procedure, but not necessarily predict every diseased tooth before the full
examination has taken place.
What affects the cost of a dog or cat dental?
There are several parts to veterinary dental treatment.
First is the professional dental procedure itself: the anaesthetic, monitoring, full oral
examination, dental charting, cleaning above and below the gumline and polishing.
Some pets also require pre-anaesthetic blood testing or additional assessment
because of their age or an existing medical condition. Anaesthetic plans are
individualised according to factors such as age, breed, size and health.
Dental X-rays may then be needed to evaluate the roots and supporting bone that
cannot be seen from the surface.
Finally, if diseased teeth are identified, the time and treatment required depends
on which teeth are involved and what is wrong with them. Removing one loose,
straightforward tooth is very different from surgically extracting several large multi-
rooted teeth.
So two dogs of the same size—or two cats that appear to have a similar amount of
tartar—can ultimately require very different treatment.
Is a dental clean just removing the tartar?
No, and this distinction matters when comparing dental prices.
Visible tartar is only the part owners can see. Periodontal disease develops around
and beneath the gumline.
Removing only the visible tartar may make teeth look cleaner without treating the
disease underneath. Proper professional cleaning involves removing plaque and
calculus above and below the gumline, followed by polishing and a thorough
assessment of the mouth.
This is also why anaesthetic-free teeth cleaning is not an equivalent alternative. The
Australian Veterinary Association advises against anaesthesia-free dentistry
because a complete examination, subgingival cleaning and dental radiography
cannot properly be performed while the animal is conscious.
The aim of a veterinary dental is not simply whiter teeth. It is to create a healthy and
comfortable mouth.
Why do dental X-rays add to the cost?
Because they can change what we do.
A tooth can look perfectly reasonable above the gums while its root or surrounding
bone tells a completely different story.
Dental X-rays may reveal bone loss, infection, retained root fragments, fractures or
tooth resorption. They can also confirm that apparently questionable teeth are
healthy enough to remain in place.
In other words, X-rays are not simply an additional service. They help us make better
decisions about which teeth need treatment and which teeth should be
preserved.
They are especially important in cats, where painful tooth resorption frequently
involves structures beneath the gumline.
Why does Summer Hill Village Vet use staged dental treatment?
One of the reasons we developed our staged dental approach was to make
treatment planning clearer for owners.
Our Stage 1 dental allows us to anaesthetise your pet, thoroughly examine and
chart the mouth, professionally clean and polish the teeth and undertake the
diagnostic imaging that is indicated.
If further treatment such as extractions is required, we can then formulate a Stage 2
treatment plan based on what is actually present, rather than trying to guess the
extent of hidden disease beforehand. This staged approach is part of SHVV’s
established dental model.
For pets requiring more extensive treatment, it can also avoid trying to complete an
unexpectedly long dental procedure simply because the true extent of disease was
impossible to determine from an awake examination.
How much does a pet dental cost at Summer Hill Village Vet?
Because prices change over time, we recommend checking our current pricing page
rather than relying on an older blog article for a dollar figure.
Our website lists the current starting prices for dog and cat scale-and-polish
procedures, together with current dental X-ray fees. It also makes clear that these
are minimum starting points, that extractions are additional and that some patients
require blood testing.
Most importantly, every animal requiring a dental has a dental check first, so that
we can assess the visible disease, discuss the likely treatment and provide the best
estimate possible before proceeding.
Will treating my pet’s teeth earlier save money?
Sometimes—and it can certainly make treatment simpler—but we would never
promise that an early dental guarantees a lower bill.
What we can say is that gingivitis is the early stage of periodontal disease. At that
point, inflammation has not yet caused the irreversible loss of the tissues and bone
supporting the teeth.
Once periodontitis develops and that support is lost, simply cleaning the tooth cannot
replace it. More advanced treatment or extraction may then become necessary.
So our goal is to identify dental disease before a mouth full of relatively
straightforward problems becomes a mouth full of complicated ones.
That is better for your pet’s comfort—and very often better for the owner too.
Start by finding out what your pet actually needs
You do not need to diagnose your pet’s teeth yourself, and booking a dental check
does not commit you to treatment.
If you are in Summer Hill, Ashfield, Haberfield, Lewisham, Petersham, Dulwich Hill,
Croydon, Leichhardt or elsewhere in Sydney’s Inner West, we are happy to take a
look and explain what we can see.
Until 30 September, Summer Hill Village Vet is offering free dental checks for
dogs and cats. If your pet needs a dental clean under anaesthetic, we are also
honouring last year’s dental prices for eligible procedures booked by the end
of September.
Come in, let us look, and then make an informed decision.
