How Often Should Pets Receive Dental Exams?

Generally speaking, Vickie Byard, CVT, VTS (Dentistry), veterinary technician dentistry specialist at PetED Veterinary Education and Training Resources, says most pets should receive dental examinations annually.

We're dealing with different species of all different sizes, Byard says, so dental plans should be tailored to each individual pet. At her practice, Byard says she tailors each dental plan to what the pet owner is able to do at home and not able to do at home. As a generality, pets should be on the table for dental exams annually, but larger-breed dogs can probably wait a longer period of time while smaller-breed dogs should probably only wait about 6 to 9 months.