Pet Dental Care in Missouri City, TX, From Your Local Vet

Pet dental care at Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Missouri City starts with a mouth exam while your pet is awake, then a full cleaning under anesthesia when it's needed. During the cleaning, the team scales tartar above and below the gumline, takes dental x-rays, and treats or removes teeth that are broken or infected.

Most dogs and cats have some dental disease by age 3. It hurts, but pets hide it well and keep eating. If you've noticed bad breath and want a vet in Missouri City to take a look, start with a wellness or dental exam.

Call (832) 225-3315 or book online.

How do I know if my pet's teeth hurt?

Pets rarely stop eating from mouth pain. Look for quieter signs:

• Bad breath that doesn't go away

• Brown tartar, red gums or gums that bleed

• Chewing on one side, or dropping food

• Pawing at the mouth or rubbing the face on the floor

• A swelling under the eye (often a tooth root abscess)

• A cat who now prefers wet food or walks away from the bowl

Many pet parents are surprised at how much more playful a pet is after sore teeth are treated.

Why does my pet need anesthesia for a cleaning?

A real cleaning goes below the gumline, where disease does its damage. That isn't possible on an awake pet. Anesthesia also lets the team take dental x-rays, which show the roots and bone hidden under the gums. At our Houston-area clinics, more than 9 in 10 dental procedures included dental x-rays between Oct 1, 2025 and Sep 30, 2026.

"Anesthesia-free" cleanings only polish what you can see. They can make teeth look clean while infection keeps going underneath.

What happens on dental day?

1. Before: an exam and usually pre-anesthetic blood work.

2. Drop-off: follow the fasting instructions, and confirm a phone number for the day.

3. The procedure: anesthesia with monitoring, a full mouth exam, x-rays, scaling and polishing.

4. Extractions if needed: the vet calls you first if the plan changes. About 4 in 10 dog dental procedures at our Houston-area clinics over that year also used a local nerve block, a numbing shot in the mouth, for comfort.

5. Pickup: home-care steps, soft food if needed, and pain medicine.

Fear Free handling continues at drop-off and pickup, which helps pets who come in nervous.

Is my senior pet too old for a dental?

Usually not. Across our Houston-area clinics, about 4 in 10 dogs having a dental procedure were 10 or older over that same year. The vet checks the heart, kidneys and liver first. Leaving infected teeth in an older pet often causes more harm than the anesthesia. See senior pet care for more.

Dental cleaning costs

It depends on your pet's size and what the x-rays find. A cleaning alone costs less than a cleaning with several extractions. You'll get an estimate before any test or treatment. The final bill can differ if the plan changes during the visit, and the team calls you before adding extractions. PetfolkCare membership starts at $199 a year and includes savings on every visit.

Keep teeth clean at home

• Brush with pet toothpaste a few times a week. Never use human toothpaste.

• Start slow: let your pet lick the paste, then touch the teeth, then brush a few seconds.

• Dental chews and water additives help a little, but brushing helps most.

• Avoid hard bones, antlers and ice cubes, which can crack teeth.

Book a checkup about once a year to keep tabs on tartar. Bring your questions about toys and treats, and the team can tell you which chews are safe for your pet's size and teeth.

A broken tooth or swollen face

A tooth broken to the pink center or a swollen face needs a visit within a day or two. Bleeding from the mouth that won't stop, or a pet who can't close its mouth, needs a 24-hour emergency hospital such as VEG on University Blvd in Sugar Land.

Plan a dental visit

Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Missouri City is at 8225 Hwy 6, Suite 300, Missouri City, TX 77459. Call (832) 225-3315 to start with an exam.

Book a visit at Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Missouri City, or see all veterinary services in Missouri City.