Dentistry & OralSurgery
Veterinary dentistry treats disease below the gumline that is invisible on an awake exam. At Surgery For Pets in Delray Beach, every dental includes full-mouth radiographs under anesthesia, ultrasonic scaling, and extraction of diseased teeth. Most patients go home the same evening and eat normally within a day or two.
What this involves
By age three most dogs and cats have some periodontal disease, and most of it sits below the gumline where it cannot be seen or reached without anesthesia. Dental radiographs routinely reveal painful root disease under teeth that look fine from above.
Symptoms
These are the signs owners most often describe before a pet is referred to us. Any one of them is worth a conversation.
- Bad breath that has become hard to ignore
- Chewing on one side, or dropping food
- Red or bleeding gums
- Pawing at the mouth, or shying away from face contact
- A tooth that is discoloured, fractured, or loose
How we approach it
- 1Full-mouth dental radiographs under anesthesia
- 2Charting of every tooth, pocket depth and root
- 3Ultrasonic scaling above and below the gumline, then polishing
- 4Extraction of diseased teeth with closed sutured sites
- 5Local nerve blocks in addition to systemic pain control
What to expect afterwards
- Home the same evening
- Soft food for 7–10 days if extractions were performed
- Most pets eat normally within 24–48 hours
- Sutures dissolve on their own — no second visit to remove them
- Home care plan tailored to what we found
Dentistry & Oral Surgery — information sheet
We can send you a written summary of this procedure — what it involves, how to prepare, and what recovery looks like at home.
What it costs
You will receive an estimate specific to your pet before treatment begins. For dental procedures, costs may change based on findings from oral X-rays and examination under anesthesia. If additional treatment is recommended, we will contact you with an updated estimate before proceeding.
Our full price list covers every procedure we offer, grouped by type and broken down by patient size where it matters.
See full pricingAbout dentistry
If yours is not answered here, call us — we would rather talk it through than leave you guessing.
The disease that matters is below the gumline, and reaching it means probing, scaling and radiographing every tooth. None of that is possible on an awake animal, and an awake 'cleaning' only removes visible tartar while leaving the painful disease untreated.
Yes. Pets manage remarkably well after extractions, including full-mouth extractions in cats, because the extracted teeth were already painful. Most eat softened food within 24 to 48 hours and are noticeably more comfortable within a week.
After-hours emergency
If your pet is in distress outside our hours, call us first — we will direct you to the right care immediately.
When your petneeds surgery, everydecision matters.
Send us the details and any records you already have. We will call you within one business day with a plan and a price — and no obligation to go ahead.
Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM · After-hours emergency by availability