Your local independently owned veterinary clinic in Old Ottawa East offering personalized pet care.
04/06/2025
What is a COHAT?
A Complete Oral Health Assessment and Treatment is what many would call a 'dental' or a 'teeth cleaning'. This procedure requires patients to be under anesthesia so we can scale (clean) every surface of the tooth and clean under the gumline where infection waits. Polishing is done afterwards to remove any small scratches to the enamel which prevents tartar from accumulating more quickly in the future. Dental x-rays also are done to evaluate the tooth that lives under the gumline/in the bone. Finally, the veterinarian will assess the mouth by reviewing the x-rays and manually inspecting each tooth - they also look at the back of the mouth and under the tongue for concerns we wouldn't easily see any other time.
Each step is important and we do each one for every COHAT we perform!
While anesthesia free cosmetic cleanings seem like a good or safe alternative, without anesthesia and cleaning the whole mouth, you aren't treating the disease, and gingivitis wins. This leads to smelly mouths, painful teeth and untreated disease. Friends don't let friends have cosmetic 'cleanings' done for their pets!
If you've made it this far - please ask our team any questions you may have about dental health and how you can help keep your pet's teeth healthy!
