Average cost for teeth cleaning?

I'm taking Bill in to my vet on Thursday to have his teeth cleaned. The vet told me b/c he is young and healthy, he wouldn't need the pre-op blood work? Is that common to skip this? He quoted me $85 for the cleaning, which includes the anesthesia charge. This sounds sort of low to me (geez, who ever complains about that) and I'm worried he's going to stick it to me when I go to pay with some hidden charges. I understand that if any extractions are needed, that won't be included. See, if it really will be $85-$100, I can get both Bill AND Reggie in for their teeth cleanings at the same time. I spent an hour last night convincing my fiancé that we needed to do both and he scoffed at the idea of spending $180, but agreed. I don't know what I would do if the vet stuck me with a $300+ bill and their office does not do payment plans. Ugh. Should I just be honest with the vet and tell him my concerns? What have you paid for just the cleaning and no extractions/bloodwork?

It's really low for the area that I am in but the price of dentals varies a lot.  I always went ahead and got blood work even when they got spayed/neutered at six month.  The vet told me it was optional but I went ahead and got it done.  Both of my cats also got extractions with their dentals so the price wasn't just for the cleaning.  One was around $600 and one was $1300 but I am in an urban area and I think vet prices are higher than they are in a rural area or small town.

Holy crap! I would have rather traveled to another state than pay that much for my kitties dental! Heck you could have taken them on vacation with you, taken them to a cheaper vet AND make it back home for less! I'm kidding of course, but my lord!

The cost of dentals can vary greatly from region to region and also what is involved in the cleaning. At my vet, the anesthesia and extractions are the most expensive, with canine extractions being astronomical. The cleaning itself isn't that bad. I, personally, would not get a dental done without pre-dental/pre-anesthetic bloodwork. If a kitty has underlying issues, putting them under could be critical.

I think you should be honest with your vet and open up to him about your concerns.

I think I decided that I am just going to take Reggie in first (he needs it more), see how it turns out for him and if I really do get out of there spending less than $100, I will just make another apt for Bill soon after. I only have one carrier anyway, so taking in both at the same time might prove to be too much of a headache. That way if the vet slaps me with a $200 bill, I will be prepared to cover the entire expense one at a time. I hate conflict! lol

I live in a high COL area and I was quoted anywhere from 800-1500+ for a routine teeth cleaning. I'm traveling over an hour away to the middle of nowhere tomorrow with my kitty Marble to get hers done in the 300-500 range.

We charge $215 for a straight-forward feline dental. That includes presurgical exam, sedative/anesthesia, hospitalization for the day, and of course the cleaning itself. $85 WITH anesthesia sounds super low, but it might be normal for your area.

I recommend blood work and an IV catheter for every patient going under anesthesia, regardless of age. A decent percentage of people will skip the blood work (we don't require it until they're 7+ years old), but I always feel better knowing that every precaution is being taken for safe anesthesia.

Wow. How can people afford something like this annually?

It usually isn't annually.  Some cats have underlying health issues that require frequent dentals but most it isn't an annual thing.  My cats are each 10 years old and they have each had 1 dental.

jazzygemmy said:

Wow. How can people afford something like this annually?

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Tell me about it. I have six, five of whom just turned three and have not had dentals yet. I keep checking teeth and gums. Pipsqueak is my seven year old and has had one dental. It cost $175.00 and that included the simple pre-op blood test. He needed no extra things done other than a cleaning. My dog's have had dentals with extractions and the most I paid out for that was close to $400.00 with two extractions. I loved my vet back in IL and don't have any idea what my new vet would charge for dentals. Perla is going to need a dental soon. I just checked her gums yesterday and they are red. She is my only one that won't eat raw though. None of my other five have red gums like hers. Poor baby princess.

I have found from talking to relatives, friends, co-workers, etc., that most don't even know how awful a cats teeth can become and how much care they really do need. Yes, it is an extremely expensive part of owning a cat and taking proper care of them. I have pet insurance but my plan does not include dental care. The monthly insurance premium for coverage for dental is quite high.

Good luck to Reggie. :cross:

Thanks guys :-) I agree about the not understanding feline dental care and that they need it. Like many of us, I grew up in a family where the pets got whatever food was on sale at the grocery store and vet visits were only for EMERGENCIES. So, having cats now and actually taking care of them properly makes me realize how expensive they really are! Reggie has especially been a million dollar cat. When we brought him home from the shelter, we realized he would NEED to have a lion cut done (he was too matted for brushing), so we took care of that ($100), then we found out he had NOT had his vaccinations for a couple years (he had been at the shelter for almost a year, sigh), so we took care of that ($100), then at the vets we find out his teeth are in bad shape (still waiting on that cost!) And last, but not least, he got outside the second week he was home with us and when I caught him to bring him back in he freaked out and went to town biting and scratching my hand/arm. I had to go to the ER for that one and including the initial ER visit and follow-up care from a secondary infection that bill came out to $2200. I don't have insurance. All this and I still haven't begun to bond with him. I know in the end, it will all be worth it. He will probably be one of my favorites, who knows ;-)

Last dental for gurl kitty was quoted as $200 with no exteactions. Dental with extractions for her brother $191 not including extractions, which we know is two right now (FORLs).
We got a small discount with the girl because she had a cancerous tumor removed and they did the dental while she was under.

We never thought to do anything with our dogs or cats teeth and never had any problems that we knew of back in the day but now it is super common. For our old Pug I know it is going to cost well over $1000 so we will be saving for a while and he's just the first of 5 animals that we want to get in.

Pets can cost more than kids in some cases and be just as stressful!

I'd just let your vet know how much you can spend, they should be able to let you know if there needs to be additional work and how urgent it is. I hope it stays on the cheaper side of things for you and your kitty does fine with procedure! Best of luck!

I have dental tools. How hard can it be to do the cleaning myself?

I have been watching youtube and really seriously considering trying to clean my cats teeth myself.