Fraser Hale

To view educational articles/videos on dental and oral health issues, click here.

Why is board certification for veterinary dental specialists important?

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Board of Veterinary Specialties recognizes only medical and surgical specialists that have completed board certification through their specialty organization. In North America, there is only one AVMA recognized specialty college for veterinary dentistry in horses and pets: the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC).

A Board Certified Veterinary Dentist^TM and Board Certified Equine Veterinary Dentist^TM are titles reserved only for veterinarians who have successfully completed residency training through the AVDC and have passed the AVDC’s certifying examinations.

These dental specialists, called diplomates, are uniquely qualified to perform advanced dentistry and oral surgery for patients, teach in veterinary schools, and provide continuing education in dentistry to veterinarians in general practice.

How do I know that my pet’s dentist is a Board Certified Veterinary Dentist^TM?

Every Board Certified Veterinary Dentist^TMand Board Certified Equine Veterinary Dentist^TMcan be found in the AVDC directory provided on the AVDC website. To find your local Board Certified Veterinary Dentist^TM and/or Board Certified Equine Veterinary Dentist^TM, click here.

Diplomates of the AVDC are proud to serve our communities.

American Veterinary Dental College	Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry	Veterinary Oral Health Council	Veterinary Dental Forum
To find a veterinary dentist near you and a lot more information for owners and the profession.	Formerly the American Veterinary Dental Society and publisher of the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry	To find a list of products with credible evidence to back their claims.	The premier veterinary dental conference in the world is offered each fall somewhere in the USA.

AAHA Dental Care Guidelines	CVO's Position on Veterinary Dentistry	CVO Discipline Case June 2010	CVO Discipline Case Dec 2012
The American Animal Hospital Association published their first guidelines for providing veterinary dental care as of 2005. Here are the 2019 guidelines Is your veterinarian offering this level of care? Be sure to ask. AAHA_Dental_Care_Guidelines	The College of Veterinarians of Ontario published this position statement in 2008 on the provision of veterinary dental care in Ontario. All veterinarians in Ontario should be adhering to this policy. Does yours? Be sure to ask. CVO's_position_on_dentistry My explanation of this statement	Not all veterinary facilities provide the same level of dental care. As the owner, you have a right to know, so be sure to ask who does what. CVO Discipline Jun 2010	Despite the existence of the AAHA Guidelines and the CVO's position statements, some veterinarians are still behind the times. Buyer beware. CVO Discipline Dec 2012

Informed Owner Consent	Anesthesia-Free Dentistry	A new Facebook Page
Before any procedures are done on your pet, you must provide informed owner consent. At Hale Veterinary Clinic, you will be ask to sign this form: Consent In order for the consent to be valid, you must be informed of risks and benefits and also you must be informed regarding who will be doing what. At Hale Veterinary Clinic you will be asked to review this document on that issue: Who Does What If you have not been adequately informed, then the consent you provide is invalid. If you have any questions, ASK. You have a right to know and we have an obligation to tell you.	In Ontario, Anesthesia Free Tooth Grooming is not currently (2019) illegal. The logic in the court ruling was that since veterinarians do not offer this, it is not "practicing veterinary medicine without a license". Why do veterinarians in Ontario not offer this? Because it is considered malpractice to do so. So lay people with no valid training and no regulation are allowed to do this. What could possibly go wrong? Here is my statement on this situation written in January of 2018. And my video, recorded April 2020 The Ontario court ruling from 2017 with my comments. Regardless of jurisdiction or current regulations, it is a terrible idea and should be avoided completely. here is a clip from the Veterinary News Network and a position statement from the AVDC	I have started a new Facebook page: Built for Function and Fitness or BFF The goal is to celebrate and promote dogs and cats that are physically constructed in ways that will support desirable function and quality of life for the animal. My hope is to change what society values in favour of those features that are in the animal's best interest. They are our BFFs and they deserve to be BFF!