What is a Dental Prophylaxis?

By Ashley Schwartz CVT

A dental prophylaxis or prophy for short, is the term for the prevention or protection from disease.  Most people don’t know that a routine dental prophy actually consists of multiple procedures designed to prevent dental disease through diagnostics, therapy, and post therapy follow up.  For this procedure to be performed safely, the animal must be examined under general anesthesia.

There are six parts to a complete prophylaxis.  The initial oral exam, gross scaling of tartar, removal of deposits below the gumline, polishing, irrigation, and the post prophy exam including home care instructions.

1.       The Oral Exam- before opening the animals’ mouth, the face is examined for swelling or unevenness which may be a sign for an abscessed tooth.  The gums are then examined for discoloration, swelling, growths, missing or fractured teeth, attachment loss of teeth, and the amount of calculus (mineralized plaque).  All the teeth are examined one by one, checking for fractures, checking the periodontal pocket depths, and checking for mobile teeth.

2.       Supragingival Scaling-is the removal of tartar and calculus from the enamel of the crown of the tooth or from above the gumline.  At our clinic this is performed by using an ultrasonic power hand scaler which works by using vibrations to “knock off” the calculus.

3.       Subgingival Scaling-is the removal of deposits below the gumline.  The ultrasonic scaler cannot be used under the gumline because it produces heat and tooth is more sensitive below the gumline, where it is covered with a layer called cementum.  Hand instruments are used in this step.  An explorer is used to find calculus subgingivally and a curet is then used to gently scrap up along the tooth in a certain way to remove the calculus without damaging the sensitive root.

4.       Polishing-both ultrasonic and hand scaling procedures create tiny scratches on the enamel and cementum surfaces.  To remove these imperfections, the teeth are polished with a slightly abrasive prophy paste by an air driven headpiece. The goal of polishing is to get the surface of the tooth as smooth as possible so plaque does not have gouges in the tooth to build up on.

5.       Irrigation-the teeth and periodontal pockets are flushed with water to remove debris from the prophy procedure.  This removes potentially harmful irritants from the gum pockets.  Radiographs, extractions and fluoride treatments can be performed at this time.  Fluoride, like in humans, is shown to help reduce the incidence of cavities, strengthen enamel, and aid in plaque prevention.

6.       Post Prophy Exam-the patient’s medical chart is recorded of the therapies used which will help the doctors and technicians on later dates.  It also includes a dental chart describing how the mouth looked on initial exam and dental care performed.  This chart will help set a baseline for future dental cleanings and to track periodontal disease progression.  Every patient’s owners are sent home with instructions, depending on what was performed, and home care tips and dental product samples.  Remember, brushing daily is the best way to prevent periodontal disease in your furry friend!