Professional Dental Cleaning - how often?

How often should I have my cats' teeth cleaned/scaled by the vet? I try to brush their teeth once a week (with just water or pet toothpaste). Chloe's teeth are fine but one of Matilda's is chipped (I don't think that's an issue though).

Is every year necessary or could I get away with every 2 to 3 years or even longer? How much does it usually cost? I did some google searching and I came across the figure $50-80 per cat because of the anesthesia, does that sound about right?

And I don't think this matters at all but their diet is 1/2 dry and 1/2 wet.

I do them as needed...Stimpy hasn't needed one yet, but Nabu has had many dental cleanings over the years. Usually my vet tells me if it's needed at their annual exam. Hope that helps.

Most cats do not need an annual dental cleaning, remember it's usually done with general anesthesia and it can take them a day or so to get over it. Plus, it can be very costly. I paid $225 when all was said and done, and Stan didn't even have any extractions, just a cleaning/scaling. My vet is not expensive compared to others around here.

Stan has always had troublesome teeth (he's not that old ~2, but his teeth are those of a much older cat) probably due to some virus exposure he had early in life or allergies. My other cat is slightly older and she only needs brushing. It will probably be a few years before she needs a cleaning from the vet. Stan may need it much sooner.

My 14 year old has never needed a dental, so I can't be of much help.

Genetics plays a huge role in an animal's dental health.
I would simply judge on a per cat basis.
Is there a lot of tartar build-up? (brown to black on pets' teeth), do they have bad breath?

Spaz has yellow teeth (expected in an older animal) but she has no build-up and no bad breath.

WhiteCatLover has young cats though that are toothless because genetics dealt them a bad hand.

I used to have a vet that recommended a dental once every two years, but now I have one that recommends them only when needed.

Well, my oldest 17 yrs had her teeth cleaned only once, my 10 1/2 yrs old never and the 2 1/2 yrs had to have his teeth cleaned because the back teeth had lots of tartar and his gums were reddish... this was a couple of days ago, he had difficult eating so I checked his mouth and got an appointment immediately.
He is now eating as before...still a little reddish but I am giving him antibiotics for 10 days, as per vet's directions
I guess is bad genetics as he eats the same food as the 10 yr old just a little bit more...
I paid 50 euro (discount price for being vet's best client) normally they charge around 80-90 euro

It depends on their teeth's condition...my cat Wayne had a dental cleaning at about the age of 6, and lost half his teeth to extractions due to gum problems....that cost about $350 for everything...about 8-9 years ago.
Phoebe..had her teeth done last year, same Vet, no extractions.....all said and done..it cost $445.....Phoebe is 12 yrs old now.

Prices do seem to vary...I would ask the Vet about the cost including pre-op antibiotics, anesthetic, IV fluids, actual work, and post-op antibiotics...and any pre-op blood work that has to be done. Sometimes they will only quote the cost of the actual surgery...leaving out all the pre and post costs.

It is important that their teeth stay clean....it affects the gums and ultimately their bodies...bacteria from the teeth and gums can enter their bloodstream and affect their organs.