You’re in good hands for your pet’s dental needs.
Your pet will be in compassionate, highly skilled hands with our team. Dr. Gleason devotes her practice exclusively to referral and advanced dentistry and oral surgery, bringing with her decades of experience and a deep passion for dental health. She has previously owned and operated several veterinary dental hospitals throughout the Carolinas and is truly excited to continue caring for patients at Hambright Animal Hospital, right here in her home community of Lake Norman. She is excited to be seeing patients at Hambright Animal Hospital in her home community in Lake Norman.
In addition to seeing patients, Dr. Gleason has shared her expertise by teaching classes and lecturing throughout the country, helping other veterinarians and their teams elevate the level of dental care they provide. Her dedication to education and excellence allows us to offer advanced dentistry services with confidence and compassion to the patients who come from all over the Southeast for care.
Some of the common services we provide are:
Awake Oral Health Evaluations – Utilized to identify the disease and pain your pet cannot communicate.
Anesthetized Oral Exam and Digital Dental X-Rays – We use a state of the art digital dental sensor whose image appears instantly on the computer screen in our dental operatory. Your pet’s images will be interpreted immediately and, after an oral exam is performed, you will be contacted to formulate a treatment plan with an update on any cost changes. There will be no financial surprises as we work hand in hand with you prior to performing any treatments on your pet. We also stand by the quality of work and value of our dental services as an affordable advanced dentistry option in the Carolinas.
Root Canals – This procedure can be performed to save important fractured or abscessed teeth instead of extracting them.
Extractions – Sometimes there is simply nothing that can be done to save a tooth. In these cases your pet’s tooth will be carefully extracted and often a bone grafting material will be used to help the area heal more quickly. A post extraction dental x-ray will be performed to confirm complete extraction.
Crowns – Uninfected teeth not fractured into the pulp can be protected from future pain and infection by creating a silver titanium or tooth colored zirconium crown. Dr. Gleason has performed this type of dental work on pet patients and police/working dogs for the past decade and the materials are extremely durable.
Periodontal Therapy – Sometimes when there is evidence of periodontal disease or bone loss, particularly affecting the most important chewing teeth, we opt to perform open root planing and bone grafting (a procedure called guided tissue regeneration) to regrow the bone and offer stability to the tooth. The goal is to save the tooth and not have to extract it.
Oral Surgery – Procedures performed to remove cancerous oral masses, repair fractured jaws and treat complicated cystic lesions that are compromising the bony support in the mouth.
Many pets suffer silently due to the lack of optimal dental care.
One of the most common concerns pet parents have when considering dental care is anesthesia, and we understand how important it is to feel confident in your pet’s safety. At Hambright Animal Hospital we have partnered with a group of veterinary anesthesiologists to help fine tune our patients individually designed anesthetic plan. We carefully consider their medical history, lab work, and a thorough physical exam to create the safest approach possible. The anesthesiologists can also be virtually present throughout the procedure to help guide every step of the anesthetic plan. We use a gentle inhaled anesthesia, the same type commonly used in infants, to help ensure a smooth and controlled experience without the need to sedate patients as heavily as other gas anesthetics.
Throughout the procedure, your pet is continuously monitored using state-of-the-art equipment that tracks heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, breathing, oxygen levels, temperature, and carbon dioxide levels. To keep them comfortable, patients rest on a warm, circulating water blanket and are gently wrapped in a cozy Bair Hugger that provides soothing, heated air throughout their stay.
Most pets return home the same day, and one of the things we hear most often from families is how bright, comfortable, and alert their pets seem afterward. Often more so than after previous anesthetic procedures. Our goal is not only exceptional dental care, but peace of mind for you every step of the way.
Safe Pet Anesthesia
We partner with Safe Pet Anesthesia, a tele-consulting anesthesia service, to help ensure your pet’s safety during their procedure. If you choose, their team of Board Certified Anesthesiologists and Veterinary Technician Specialists in Anesthesia and Analgesia will create a personalized anesthesia plan and monitor your pet in real time via video call throughout the procedure. Additionally, a dedicated Veterinary Technician will be on-site, overseeing and managing your pet’s anesthesia at all times.
Becoming pain-free
Many times, it is not until a dental procedure is performed, including a thorough anesthetized oral exam and full mouth digital dental X rays, that hidden sources of pain and infection are discovered and treated. These problems often live below the gumline, where they cannot be seen during an awake exam, yet can have a significant impact on your pet’s comfort and overall health.
At the two week follow up appointment, which is included in the cost of the procedure, most families are already noticing meaningful changes in their pet’s demeanor. More energy, improved appetite, and a brighter personality are commonly reported. By addressing dental disease, we can also positively influence other chronic conditions such as diabetes and kidney, liver, and heart disease.
With careful planning and advanced monitoring, we safely anesthetize pets with concurrent medical conditions to eliminate dental disease that not only causes significant pain but can also make managing those conditions more difficult. Our goal is always the same, improved comfort, better health, and a happier quality of life for your pet.