Is dental prophylaxis just a fancy term for dental cleaning? Not quite. In veterinary dentistry, the terms prophylaxis and dental cleaning are closely related, but they aren’t always exactly the same.
In this article, we’ll explain the difference between the two in plain language, so you know what your vet means if they say your pet pal needs one or the other.
What is Dental Prophylaxis for Pets?
The word “prophylaxis” literally means prevention. Dental prophylaxis in pets refers to a preventive dental procedure. Simply put, it’s a professional cleaning of your pet’s teeth to prevent dental disease.
According to veterinary dental guidelines, a professional dental cleaning (a.k.a. prophylactic cleaning) is performed on a pet that has plaque and tartar on the teeth but an essentially healthy mouth or only mild gingivitis.
The goal: clean off any plaque and tartar before serious problems like periodontal disease take hold.
Your vet might use the term “prophy” (short for prophylaxis) or simply call it a professional dental cleaning.
In practice, a dental prophylaxis involves the same steps as a standard cleaning:
- Scaling the teeth to remove plaque and calculus (hardened tartar)
- Polishing to smooth the tooth surfaces
- A detailed exam of the whole mouth
The intent is to leave the teeth spotless and the gums healthy.
Prophylaxis is not a corrective procedure, for example, if your pet has developed a dental issue. If your pet already has problems like deep gum pockets, loose or infected teeth, or lots of inflammation, the procedure is no longer purely preventive, it’s also treatment.
In those cases, your vet might say “periodontal therapy” or COHAT (Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment).
Prophylaxis and dental cleaning are essential! Dental disease is often cited as the most common clinical condition in adult dogs and cats. More than 80% of dogs and 70% of cats show some degree of gum disease.
As shown in the chart, a staggering 73% of cat owners and 43% of dog owners say they never brush their pet’s teeth. Even fewer are brushing daily, which is the gold standard for preventing plaque buildup. This lack of routine brushing reinforces just how essential professional prophylaxis and dental cleanings are to keep your pet’s mouth healthy.
What Does a Professional Veterinary Dental Cleaning (Prophylaxis) Involve?
When you take your dog or cat for a professional dental cleaning at the vet, it’s a far more thorough process than any quick scrape or brushing you could do at home or at a grooming salon.
Here’s what typically happens during a professional pet dental cleaning:
Pre-exam and bloodwork: The vet will first perform an awake oral exam of your pet’s mouth, looking at the teeth and gums as much as your pet will allow. This gives a general idea of any obvious issues and lets you discuss your pet’s oral health and ask questions. Additionally, your vet will likely run blood tests ahead of time to make sure your pet is healthy enough for anaesthesia.
Anaesthesia and monitoring: Unlike humans, pets won’t sit still and “open wide” for a deep teeth cleaning. To keep your pet pain-free and still, the vet team will administer a general anaesthetic. Your pet will be carefully monitored (often with a technician dedicated to tracking vitals like heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and oxygen) throughout the procedure.
An endotracheal tube is placed in the airway to deliver oxygen and gas anaesthesia and to prevent water or debris from entering the lungs. While anaesthesia always carries some risk, modern protocols and monitoring make it safe.
Oral exam and dental X-rays: Once your pet is asleep, the vet can do a comprehensive oral exam. They will inspect each tooth, the gums, tongue, and all oral tissues in detail. They will also take radiographs (dental X-rays) of your pet’s mouth to see cavities or issues below the gum.
Many painful conditions can be caught on X-rays – for example, broken tooth roots, abscesses, dead teeth, or bone loss from periodontal disease that you can’t see just by looking.
Scaling above and below the gum line: After any assessments and diagnostics, the technician or vet will scale your pet’s teeth, removing the accumulated plaque and tartar (calculus) from the tooth surfaces.
Source: VCA Animal Hospitals
They use special instruments, both ultrasonic scalers and hand tools, to carefully clean all surfaces of each tooth. This includes the visible part of the tooth (the crown) and critically the area under the gum line.
Cleaning below the gum line is where the real preventive (or treatment) benefit lies, because that’s where periodontal disease gets its start; specifically, bacteria hide in plaque under the gums, causing infection and loosening of the teeth.
Polishing: Once all the tartar is scaled off, the vet will polish your pet’s teeth. Polishing uses a special paste (just like the gritty toothpaste polish humans get at the dentist) on a rotating soft rubber cup. This buffs the tooth enamel to a smooth, shiny surface.
Polishing is important because scaling can leave microscopic scratches on the tooth enamel; a polished tooth is smoother so that plaque bacteria have a harder time latching on and reforming tartar.
Treatment of any dental problems: If the exam or X-rays uncovered any issues, such as a tooth that is severely loose, fractured, or infected, the vet will address them while your pet is under anaesthesia. If anything unexpected or major comes up, your vet will discuss it with you, either beforehand or sometimes via a phone call during the procedure, to get consent for additional treatments.
The priority is your pet’s comfort and health. The vet will not simply “clean” a tooth that really needs more intervention. For a true prophylactic cleaning on a healthy mouth, typically no extractions or surgeries are needed.
Recovery and home care instructions: After cleaning and any required treatments are complete, your pet will be woken up from anaesthesia and moved to recovery. They’ll be monitored as they come around.
Most pets go home the same day, a bit groggy but generally back to normal by the next day. Your vet will give you a report of what was found and done, kind of like a “report card” for your pet’s teeth, and recommendations for home care.
This often includes advice on brushing, dental diets or chews, or medications if any infections were treated. They will also let you know when your pet should have their next dental exam or cleaning.
Source: Estimated reduction in risk of early death based on a study; PubMed
Are “Prophylaxis” and “Dental Cleaning” the Same Thing?
To put it simply: all prophylaxes are dental cleanings, but not all dental cleanings are prophylaxes. If it’s preventive, it’s a prophylaxis. If it’s to treat existing problems, it’s a dental cleaning with treatment (often just referred to broadly as a dental procedure or COHAT).
In everyday conversation, many vets and pet owners use “dental cleaning” and “prophylaxis” interchangeably. If your vet says, “Bella needs a dental prophylaxis” or “It’s time for a dental cleaning,” they often mean the same thing: your pet should get a professional cleaning of the teeth under anaesthesia.
However, technically speaking, prophylaxis implies prevention. It means we are doing the cleaning to prevent disease in a pet that does not already have significant oral pathology.
Many vets will still use the shorthand “dental cleaning” for both scenarios when talking to clients, since it’s easier to understand. The important thing is not so much the terminology, but understanding whether your pet’s procedure is purely preventive or also tackling existing issues. Your vet will clarify this in the treatment plan.
In summary, the difference between prophylaxis and dental cleaning lies in your pet’s condition, not in the actual cleaning process itself.
The cleaning steps (exam, scale, polish, etc.) are very similar regardless, but calling it a prophylaxis usually means your pet’s mouth didn’t have serious disease to begin with, whereas a “dental cleaning” might be part of treating diagnosed dental disease.
Is Your Pet Overdue a Dental Cleaning?
If your pet hasn’t had a professional dental cleaning in the past year, they could be silently suffering from gum disease, infection, or chronic pain. Professional cleanings can identify oral issues and even broader health concerns.
Speak to us or email us to schedule a check-up for your pet, and understand next steps for your pet. We accept vet and self-referrals. We offer financing options, too, ensuring you never need to compromise on your pet’s health.
