Is something actually wrong with your pet? Grooming is not the right answer to a medical problem. If your pet has a wound, a hot spot, an ear that smells or is painful, a lump, a limp, a rash that is spreading, is scratching itself raw, or is in any distress, see a veterinarian first and come to us afterwards. We will happily groom around a healing problem once a vet has seen it, and we will tell you honestly when we think something needs a veterinarian rather than a bath.
Tooth brushing here is exactly what it sounds like: a soft brush and a dog-safe paste worked over the visible surfaces of the teeth for a few minutes, for $15, to freshen breath and lift the surface film that builds up between visits. It is cosmetic, and we would rather say that plainly than let anyone assume otherwise. A real dental cleaning is a completely different procedure — scaling below the gum line, performed under general anaesthetic by a veterinarian — and nothing done at this table touches the part of the mouth where dental disease actually starts.
You may have seen 'anaesthesia-free dental cleaning' advertised elsewhere, sometimes at a groomer, sometimes from a van in a parking lot. It is not the same service as what a veterinarian does under anaesthetic, however similar the name sounds, because scaling below the gum line on a moving, unsedated animal is neither thorough nor entirely safe, and we do not offer it here under any name. What we do is brush the surfaces we can safely reach on a dog that is comfortable holding still, and we tell every client that distinction plainly before the appointment, not after.
A mouth that smells noticeably bad, gums that bleed when touched, or a tooth that is visibly broken or loose is not something brushing here will fix, and it is not something we will guess about either. That is a veterinarian's job, and if we see any of it at your dog's appointment we will tell you plainly and suggest you call one that same day rather than wait for it to come up at a routine visit. We are groomers, not diagnosticians, and a clean-smelling mouth on the way out is the most this service ever claims to deliver.
What cosmetic tooth brushing actually is
Fifteen dollars of brushing for breath and surface film, and nothing described here goes further than that.
What is actually brushed
A soft-bristled brush and a dog-safe, dog-flavoured paste worked gently over the outer surfaces of the teeth and gum line that are visible and reachable on an awake, unsedated dog. It takes a few minutes, is done at the grooming table alongside a bath or a quick visit, and is aimed entirely at breath and the surface film that builds up between visits, not at anything happening beneath the gum.
Why we call it cosmetic and mean it
Cosmetic means it changes how the mouth smells and how the visible surfaces of the teeth look, and nothing more than that. It does not reach below the gum line, it does not remove tartar that has already hardened onto a tooth, and it does not treat or slow anything happening to the teeth or gums underneath. We would rather use the plain word than let the price tag imply something bigger is happening.
What a real dental cleaning actually involves
A genuine dental cleaning is scaling below the gum line, performed by a veterinarian under general anaesthetic, usually alongside dental X-rays and a full examination of every tooth in the mouth. It is a medical procedure with medical risks and medical benefits, decided and carried out by a veterinarian, and it is a different service in kind from anything offered at a grooming table, not simply a longer version of it.
Anaesthesia-free dental cleaning, and why we do not offer it
You may see this advertised elsewhere, sometimes by a groomer, sometimes from a van in a parking lot, and it is not the same procedure as a veterinary dental cleaning under anaesthetic, whatever the name suggests. Scaling below the gum line on a moving, unsedated animal is neither thorough nor without risk to the gum itself, and we do not perform it here under this name or any other.
Why we do not scale teeth at all
Removing hardened tartar from a tooth surface, or working at or below the gum line, needs an animal that is completely still and a level of visibility a brush and an awake dog simply cannot provide. We stop at the brush, on purpose, because doing more than that safely is not something a grooming table can offer, and pretending otherwise would only put your dog at risk for a cosmetic result.
What we look for while we brush
The brushing itself is cosmetic, but what we notice while doing it is not something we will stay quiet about.
A mouth that smells unusually bad
Ordinary mouth odour is common and brushing genuinely helps with it, but a smell that is sudden, strong or has changed noticeably from a previous visit is a different matter and is not something a brush and a few minutes will fix. We will tell you plainly if that is what we are noticing and suggest a veterinarian look at it, rather than brush on regardless and say nothing.
Bleeding gums
Gums that bleed when touched with a soft brush are not treated here and are not something we will attempt to work around by brushing more gently and continuing anyway. It is a sign worth a veterinarian's attention, and we will stop the brushing for that visit, tell you what we saw, and suggest you call one rather than wait for a routine check-up to come round.
A broken or loose tooth
If a tooth looks broken, chipped, or visibly loose in the socket, we stop brushing anywhere near it and tell you immediately rather than continuing around the problem. This is squarely a veterinarian's job, often an urgent one, and we would rather interrupt a fifteen-dollar service to tell you that than let you leave without knowing, however awkward the timing feels in the middle of an otherwise routine visit.
Why we never name what we see
We will describe exactly what we noticed — a smell, a colour, a loose tooth, a swelling — in plain terms, but we will not put a name to what is causing it. We are groomers, not veterinarians, and guessing at a diagnosis over a grooming table is exactly the kind of overreach that gets an animal the wrong kind of attention at the wrong time.
Today, not eventually
When we say a mouth needs a veterinarian, we mean that week, not whenever the next routine visit happens to fall. Dental problems in dogs do not generally improve by being left, and a short delay while everyone tells themselves it will keep is the single most common reason a small problem becomes a bigger one by the time it is finally looked at properly.
Keeping brushing part of a routine
Cosmetic brushing works best as one part of an ongoing routine rather than an occasional treat.
How often it is worth doing
Most dogs do well with brushing added to a grooming visit every four to six weeks, which keeps surface film from building up between appointments without needing a separate trip just for the mouth. Dogs who already come in that often for a groom or a bath usually add it on for very little extra time or disruption to the visit.
Pairing it with a full groom or a quick visit
Brushing is $15 whether it is added onto a full groom, a bath-and-brush, or booked entirely on its own as a quick visit alongside nails and ears. Most owners add it to whatever else is already booked, since your dog is already at the table and already comfortable with hands near its face and mouth, which usually makes the brushing itself go faster than a standalone visit would.
A dog who will not tolerate it
Some dogs, particularly ones with no history of having their mouth handled, will not sit for brushing the first time, and we will not force it through for the sake of finishing a fifteen-dollar service. We would rather stop, tell you honestly, and suggest a slower introduction over a few visits than fight a dog for a cosmetic result that was never going to be worth the stress it caused.
What this service is not a substitute for
Brushing here does not replace a veterinarian's dental examination, and it is not a way to avoid one if your dog's mouth actually needs attention. Think of it as maintenance for a mouth that is already healthy, not as a treatment for one that is not, and we will always say which situation we think your dog is actually in.
Ask us honestly what we think
If you are not sure whether brushing here is enough for your dog or whether it is time to have a veterinarian look at the mouth properly, ask us at the visit. We would rather tell you honestly that we think it is worth a veterinary opinion than take fifteen dollars for a brush that was never going to be the right answer.
Tooth brushing in western Queens
Cosmetic tooth brushing for breath and surface film, $15, and nothing more than that — this is not a dental cleaning, and we will tell you plainly when your dog actually needs one.
It starts the same way whatever you have booked: both hands over the whole animal before anything is switched on, so we find what is under the top layer rather than discover it halfway through. Then you are told the price and the finish time out loud, before you leave the building. If the coat turns out to be worse than it looked, we stop and call you, and you decide what happens next rather than finding out at collection.
Grooming is not veterinary care. Grooming is grooming, not veterinary care. This page describes a service we offer. It is general information, and it is not a diagnosis, a treatment or veterinary advice for any particular animal. We are groomers, not veterinarians — we do not diagnose, we do not prescribe and we do not treat medical conditions. If your pet has a wound, a lump, an ear or skin problem, a limp or anything that worries you, speak to a licensed veterinarian who can actually examine it.
How we handle your animal. We do not sedate animals and we never will — sedation is a veterinary decision made by a veterinarian, not a grooming shortcut. We use no heated cage dryers of any kind, and no animal is ever left alone with a dryer running. Every pet is hand-dried by the person grooming it. If your animal tells us clearly that it has had enough, we stop, and you get an honest conversation instead of a finished haircut.
Questions
Tooth brushing — the questions we are asked most
Is tooth brushing at a groomer the same as a dental cleaning?
No, and we would rather say that plainly than let the word 'dental' do the work of a bigger claim. A real dental cleaning is scaling below the gum line, done under general anaesthetic by a veterinarian, usually alongside X-rays and a full mouth examination. What we do here is a soft brush over the visible surfaces of the teeth, for breath and surface film, on a dog that is awake and comfortable. It is a genuinely different service, not a cheaper version of the same one.
What does the $15 tooth brushing actually include?
A few minutes with a soft brush and a dog-safe paste over the outer surfaces of the teeth and gum line, aimed at breath and the film that builds up between visits. It is usually added onto a bath, a full groom, or another quick visit while your dog is already at the table, though it can also be booked entirely on its own. What it does not include is anything below the gum line or the removal of hardened tartar.
My dog's breath is really bad. Will brushing fix it?
Ordinary mouth odour often improves with regular brushing, which is a genuine part of why people book it. A smell that is sudden, unusually strong, or has clearly worsened since your dog's last visit is a different matter, and brushing is unlikely to fix that on its own. If we notice that at an appointment we will tell you plainly and suggest a veterinarian take a look, rather than brush over it and say nothing.
Have you heard of anaesthesia-free dental cleaning? Do you offer it?
We have, and we do not offer it, here or under any other name. It is marketed as a substitute for a veterinary dental cleaning, but scaling below the gum line on an awake, moving animal is neither thorough nor without risk to the gum, whatever it is called on the sign. What we offer instead is honest: a cosmetic brush of the visible tooth surfaces for $15, described as exactly that and nothing more.
Do you clean under the gum line or remove tartar?
No, neither. Tooth brushing here stays on the visible, reachable surfaces of the teeth with a soft brush, and it does not remove tartar that has already hardened on, or reach below the gum line where dental disease actually starts. Both of those are a veterinary dental cleaning's job, done under general anaesthetic, and we are careful not to blur the line between that procedure and this cosmetic one.
My dog's gums bled a little when the groomer looked. Should I worry?
It is worth a call to your veterinarian rather than a wait-and-see at home. Gums that bleed when gently touched are not something we treat or brush through here, and we will always stop and tell you the same visit it happens rather than continue and say nothing. We cannot tell you what is causing it — that is genuinely a veterinarian's question — only that it is worth asking soon rather than at the next routine check-up.
How often should I get my dog's teeth brushed here?
Every four to six weeks works well for most dogs, often lined up with a bath, a full groom or another quick visit so it is not a separate trip. It is maintenance for a mouth that is already in reasonable shape, so the interval matters less than consistency — brushing once every few months does considerably less than brushing on a steady rhythm, even a fairly relaxed one.
Can you tell me if my dog has dental disease?
No, and we would be doing you a disservice if we tried. We are groomers, not veterinarians, and diagnosing anything in the mouth is genuinely outside what we do or should attempt. What we will do is describe exactly what we see in plain terms — a smell, a colour, a loose tooth — and tell you honestly when we think it is worth a veterinarian's opinion rather than guess at a name for it ourselves.
Related
Usually booked alongside this
Nails, Teeth & Quick Visits
Nail trim & grinding
Nails clipped for $20, or clipped and ground smooth for $30 so nothing catches on your floors or your legs. Walk in whenever we are quiet, or come to the Saturday morning walk-in nail clinic.
Read more
Nails, Teeth & Quick Visits
Ear cleaning
The outer ear wiped clean for $15, with the hair around a heavy or hairy ear trimmed back at the same time. We never go down an ear canal, and we never put anything into an ear.
Read more
Nails, Teeth & Quick Visits
Sanitary & paw trim
A sanitary trim for $20 and a paw pad and foot tidy for $18, the between-grooms tidy that clears winter grit and the matting between the toes most owners never even see.
Read moreA price agreed before the clippers come out
Book an appointment
Call the salon with your pet's breed, weight and roughly when it was last groomed, and we will give you the price and the honest timing on the phone. Nails, ears and sanitary tidies are walk-in whenever we are quiet, and Saturday morning is a dedicated walk-in nail clinic.