FAQs
Before you book
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If your pet has never had one, the honest answer is probably now, and you're in good company. Most people don't think about it until something makes them.
Here's the thing that surprises people: there usually isn't an early warning. Plaque forms constantly and starts hardening into tartar within days, quietly, while the mouth still looks fine. Bad breath feels like the obvious cue, but by the time you notice it, gum disease is often well underway, and the later stages can't be undone. Our Services page walks through how it develops, stage by stage.
After the first visit it gets easier. Every dog builds tartar at their own pace, and once we've met your dog we can give you a sense of whether three months or six suits them. How fast it builds above the gumline is something we can help you stay ahead of.
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The visit to your location in our mobile unit, a check to make sure your pet is a good candidate that day, the cleaning, and a polish. No trip charge and no add-ons. Multiple pets are welcome and cleaned one at a time, in one visit.
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All major credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and Zelle. We do not pass card fees on to you. We are not able to accept CareCredit at the moment.
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About ten minutes to check in, then up to one to two hours for the cleaning. Every pet is different and we work at their pace, so it may be shorter or longer.
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Tell us when you book. We will ask how your pet does at the vet or the groomer, and whether they need a muzzle for either. None of that rules a pet out on its own; it tells us how to plan the visit. We work at your pet's pace, and if they tell us they are done, we stop
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Once the adult teeth are in, which is usually around six months. We suggest a first cleaning around seven or eight months, and closer to six months for smaller breeds, who tend to accumulate tartar earlier. Starting young has a second benefit: a puppy who gets used to having their mouth handled takes it in stride as an adult. That makes brushing at home easier, and by the time they come to us, having their mouth handled is already ordinary.
How it works
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We come to you in our specialized mobile unit, and your pet comes inside with us. We rinse the mouth with non-prescription chlorhexidine, remove plaque and tartar above the gumline, and finish with a polish. If you have more than one pet, we take them one at a time, so the van stays quiet for whoever is in it. The whole thing happens a few feet from your door, and your pet is handed straight back to you afterward.
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Because we've trained for it. Our Fear Free Certified team removes plaque and tartar above the gumline using gentle techniques, working in the quiet, neutral space of our mobile unit where pets stay relaxed. We read your pet's body language throughout and let them set the pace. That combination of expertise, environment, and patience is what makes this kind of cleaning possible while your pet is awake.
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A lot of it is the space. The van is small and quiet, with no other animals in it and no waiting room to walk through. A contained space like that is easier for most pets to settle into than an open room, where there's more going on and more to keep an eye on. And we find the position that suits their body rather than putting them into a set one. That keeps them steady while we work.
The rest is expertise and pace. Everyone on our dental cleaning team is Fear Free Certified, which means reading a pet's body language and working at their speed rather than ours. We take breaks, and we stop when a pet has had enough. If we don't get through the whole mouth in one visit, we tell you and we finish it another time. We'd rather do that than push a dog through something they're done with.
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Less than most people expect. We clean teeth for dogs of every size, from toy breeds to giant ones. What matters more is the individual pet, which is why everyone on our dental cleaning team is Fear Free Certified. The training is about reading the pet in front of you and adjusting to them.
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We ask that no one else be in the van during the appointment. Most dogs settle faster when their person is not in sight, because there is nobody to protect and no territory to defend. You are a few feet away the whole time and we will provide you with before and after pictures.
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Give your pet a bathroom break and a short walk or play about an hour beforehand. If your veterinarian has prescribed calming or anxiety medication, give it as prescribed. We will confirm two days before, and we will text when we are on the way. The appointment may start 15 minutes before or after depending on traffic.
Aftercare
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Not much, just a little TLC for the rest of the day.
• Wait at least 30 minutes before food and water. Freshly polished teeth need a moment for saliva to lay down its natural protective coating. Usually about one good nap.
• Keep meals soft for about a week, and skip hard chews and bones during that time.
• Let them rest. Some pets are a little sleepy after all that attention. Completely normal.
• Start brushing again in about a week. This is the big one. The cleaning gives your pet a fresh start, and brushing is what keeps it.
A little pink in the water bowl for a day or two is normal. -
Every 3 to 6 months, depending on how quickly your pet accumulates tartar. Some pets need the shorter end of that, some the longer. We will give you a sense of it after the first visit and you can always contact us to check.
One of our Founders has her Jack Russell's teeth cleaned every 4 months. There isn't much visible tartar buildup overall, but four specific teeth build up faster than the rest, and she has the tartar removed before it becomes a problem.
What we do & do not do
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They are different jobs rather than more or less of the same one. We remove tartar above the gumline. Tartar below the gumline is a different matter. It means working in the narrow space between the tooth and the gum, which requires anesthesia, so that is your vet’s job, along with the X-rays that show what is happening underneath. When they do that cleaning, they take care of everything, above and below.
The difference is how often. A dental at the vet is a bigger procedure and happens less often. Since tartar keeps forming constantly, we are the regular upkeep above the gumline. Daily brushing is the other half, and thorough brushing is hard to manage with most pets, which is why the tartar buildup above the gumline still needs removing at least every 3 to 6 months.
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No to all three. We do not take X-rays, we do not pull teeth, and we do not give sedatives or prescribe medication. Those require a veterinarian.
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We tell you what we noticed and recommend you see your veterinarian. One thing worth knowing in advance: heavy tartar can be holding a loose tooth in place, so removing it sometimes reveals a tooth that was already loose underneath.
Still have a question? Email us at hello@flossy.pet. We answer 7 days a week, 9AM to 4PM Eastern Time.