We have yet to meet a doggie or kitty who will sit in a chair, tilt their head, hold their mouth open and be still. Dental x-rays are absolutely necessary to evaluate teeth and are impossible to obtain in an awake pet. The most important area to clean teeth is under the gum line. Cleaning under the gum line is impossible in an awake patient. The quality and safety of anesthesia varies from practice to practice. Some practices rely on a nurse to administer, maintain, and monitor the anesthesia. Doctors at Carefree Dentistry and Oral Surgery for Animals are intimately involved with every anesthesia. Our doctors have specialized training in anesthesia and customize each anesthesia protocol based on our patient’s needs. In addition, we have years of experience in successful anesthesia in high-risk patients and we have state of the art anesthesia equipment. Generally, the risk of not resolving oral or dental disease is greater than the risk of anesthesia. Some people advocate non-anesthetic dental cleaning. Non-anesthetic does nothing to maintain or increase the health of the mouth and teeth. See more at the section on non-anesthetic dental cleaning.