On a wet Sunday in November I was busy learning how to improve my dental extraction skills.
My entire team attend lectures and courses regularly, and this winter we have been focussing on dentistry. To better help our patients every year, we are constantly learning and updating our skills.
We invested in brand new dental x-ray equipment 12 months ago, and we have had a specialist at the clinic training us all how to briskly take series of x-rays. We need to keep the anaesthetic time as brief as possible, as the majority of pets requiring dental care are middle-aged or older.
But getting the angles right requires practice.
The Benefits of X-Rays
Dental x-rays have already proven themselves to be such a bonus. Without them, all I can assess is the crowns of the teeth, and probe for any holes or cavities. This is an extremely crude method.
X-rays allow me to see the roots, as well as the quality of the crowns. And because they are digital x-rays, I can magnify the image for even better detail.
They allow me to quickly assess which roots are healthy and which require extraction. Some are so damaged that they have become re-absorbed into the bone of the jaw, and recognising this is especially vital, saving the time and trauma that an unnecessary attempt at an extraction could result in.
So now we would like to hone our skills.
Discounted Doggy Dentistry
If your vet has recommended that your dog needs dentistry, but you have not yet had it done, we have 24 slots to fill in February. Each dog will receive fixed price dentistry, including up to 40 minutes extraction time, and a whole mouth dental x-ray series, so that my team can hone their skills.
We will include their general anaesthetic, a scale and polish, a set of teeth x-rays, up to 40 minutes of extractions, plus any pain-killers, antibiotics and suture materials they might require.
Our usual price for this, without the x-rays, for a large dog is £598, and a mini dog £483
In February only, we will be charging from just £199.
To read more about this special offer click here or call my friendly team on 01444 456886 for more information.
Published in the Mid-Sussex Times on 2nd February 2017
