The title made me a bit uncomfortable but as the metaphor played out it was clear the authors had a strong point to make. As with shopping for a car, clients want to compare the Lexus style with that of the Kia. However, actual dental services represent a wide continuum of services depending, at least, on the age, size, and breed of the pet. To the client, however, it often comes down to three types of service:
- anesthesia-free dentistry; not supported by AAHA standards or the American Veterinary Dental College
- a basic dental service using anesthesia, which might be called the Kia level of service
- a higher-quality service, which might be called the Lexus level of service
Source: Trends, February 2017. (article compliments of AAHA)
Debbie Boone, BS, CCS, CVPM says that she finds it strange that “US pet owners spent $32 million in 2010 on clothing for their pets, yet we still struggle to get them to comply with dental cleanings, radiographs, and home care. In fact, studies showed that two-thirds of pet owners do not provide the essential dental care that is recommended by veterinarians.”
INSIGHTS: The article provides a group of resources for veterinarians to utilize in establishing, marketing and building a quality dental practice. Home care is also important to the health of our animals. AHD sponsor Addison Laboratory recently introduced an easy-to-demonstrate and easy-to-use product for at home dental care; MAXI/GUARD® Oral Cleansing Wipes. Veterinary dentistry teams should consider discussing how to include this unique product as a take-home or pre-dental cleaning product with local distributor reps.