FAQ

What we do	Referrals	Appointments
Payments	Your Pet’s Procedure	Estimates

What does the Veterinary Dental Specialist do?

Board certified veterinary dental specialists are trained to evaluate genetic as well as acquired problems. Advanced diagnostics, including dental radiology and laboratory evaluations, allow proper diagnosis of the oral health and related medical problems prior to treatment planning. Since the veterinary dental specialist is trained in surgery, medicine and dentistry, a wide range of special treatment options can be implemented. Patients with oral health problems usually require general anesthesia for evaluation and treatment. Veterinary dental specialists receive extensive training in the safe and effective use of anesthesia and pain management. AVDC diplomats are prepared to implement appropriate therapeutic programs to improve oral health and the general wellness of their patients.

Do I need a Referral?

Appointments are made by referral. It is preferable that the primary care veterinarian fills out and sends a referral form to our office in advance of the office visit. Pre-anesthetic blood work is not required for pets under 6 years of age but is for all pets 6 years of age and older. Although blood work can be performed in our office it is preferred that all pre-anesthetic work-ups be performed at the primary veterinarian’s office and faxed to us in advance of the scheduled appointment. Only dental and oral surgical procedures will be performed.

When Can I make appointments?

Appointment/consultation times are provided on weekday mornings. Oral procedures are performed in the afternoons. In most cases, patients stay with us for the day. Unless a major surgical procedure is performed, patients will be discharged to their owners the same day.

Please plan on arriving for your appointment 5 to 10 minutes early to that you have time to complete paperwork necessary for your registration. You will have an allotted 30 minute appointment for your pet’s oral exam and Dr. Chamberlain’s consultation with you.

Dr. Chamberlain will discuss your pet’s condition with you during the consultation. You will be advised of the preliminary diagnosis and what treatment options are available for you to consider. Anesthetic and procedural risks will also be discussed. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Although an initial diagnostic impression may be given from the consultation exam, a thorough oral assessment of your pet’s condition is not complete until an exam is performed under anesthesia. This typically requires intra-oral radiographs. Many conditions are more involved than what the owners or referring veterinarians may have perceived. It is our policy to inform you before we perform any work on your pet that was not discussed at the consultation. If additional problems are discovered (not previously discussed), while your pet is anesthetized, you will be contacted by phone to discuss the new findings and treatment options. It is essential that we be able to communicate with you. Be certain that we have an appropriate home or cell phone number where you may be reached. Any treatment, not previously discussed, will not be performed if you cannot be contacted or unless you have provided us with specific permission to address any problems we deem necessary in the best interest of your pet’s health.

Estimates:

Because of the variability of clinical presentations and degrees of difficulty, set fees cannot be established. It is our policy not to give estimates over the phone. Fees are based upon the specialist’s skills, education, length of procedure, degree of difficulty and equipment required. At the office visit/consultation, an oral assessment will be made and treatment options will be outlined and explained. A written estimate of fees will then be provided.

What about Payments?

Full payment is due when services are rendered. We do not provide financing. We accept cash, local checks, Visa, Discover and MasterCard.

Your Pet’s Procedure:

About 30 minutes before anesthesia is induced, “preanesthetic medications” are administered. Although a variety of medications may be used depending upon the patient’s health status and the anticipated procedure to be performed, these “pre-drugs” are designed to sedate the patient, preemptively treat potential pain, lower both physiologic and behavioral stress and allow for reduced dosages of the more potent anesthetic drugs. After these medications take effect, an intravenous catheter is placed in the patient and general anesthesia is induced. Most general anesthesia is maintained with Isoflurane gas and all patients receive calculated intravenous fluids. The following parameters are monitored by our Licensed Veterinary Technician while our patients are under anesthesia: pulse quality, heart rate, respirations, capillary refill time, patient color, blood pressure, ECG, carbon dioxide levels, oxygen levels, body temperature, After an oral exam is completed, intraoral radiographs are taken. Once all diagnostic information is collected, appropriate treatments are commenced.

You will be contacted after your pet has recovered safely from the anesthesia and will be provided information as to what time you should arrive back at TLC for discharge of your pet. At the time of discharge, Dr. Chamberlain (unless unavailable) or one of our technicians will meet with you to review and discuss your pet’s condition, treatment, homecare instructions (post-anesthesia and post-procedural), and any necessary medications. Written instructions will also be provided and you will have ample time to ask questions. If appropriate, photographs and radiographs will be reviewed with you.

The actual duration of most of our oral surgical and dental procedures is between 45 minutes and two hours, however, the average time between the administration of preanesthetic medications to complete anesthetic recovery is 3 hours. Unless there are new diagnostic findings discovered or the patient’s status changes, we will not make phone calls during the procedure. This is primarily for our patient’s anesthetic safety and to minimize flow interruptions.

Please remember that your pet will still have some sedative effects (this is not “anesthetic”) in his/her system at the time of discharge. It is important to follow all discharge instructions that are related to your pet. These will be reviewed verbally with you, and written instructions will also be provided.