About Our Costs

What We Charge and Why?

When trying to determine value for your money it is often difficult for you, the owner, to know what value you are getting for a dentistry procedure. In business, the ultimate goal is to provide the following: 1) a quality product; 2) high-quality customer service; and 3) low prices. Customer service is actually the most expensive of the three to deliver. Well-trained employees who provide top quality service cost more money to employ. The necessary state of the art equipment which gives accurate diagnosis is also very expensive. Because the public has no way of knowing why the prices vary, they often lean toward the less expensive rather than the higher quality. ADOS is not a “cookie-cutter” practice. Each patient must be approached and treated as an individual with unique needs. We employ a number of highly-trained, caring licensed professionals to ensure your dog or cat’s comfort and safety. Additionally, we keep the most up-to-date surgical and diagnostic equipment to ensure high-quality dental and oral surgical care for your pet. We believe our practice is second to none and we will never stop continuing to improve!

Cost Estimates:

At ADOS, our recommendations for patient assessment and treatment are based upon what we feel is in the best interest of the patient. We are not focused on what one client or another interprets as being too expensive or not. What each pet owner can or cannot afford is a decision that they must make based upon their individual circumstances.

It is our policy not to provide estimates over the phone.

This is because it is impossible for us to have a full appreciation of a patient’s total situation until we have personally evaluated the patient’s history and examined the patient. It is the same as your own physician and dentist. They will not (cannot) make a diagnosis, treatment plan and provide estimates over the telephone. Even if you have been told by your veterinarian “exactly what is wrong”, ADOS is a separate professional business entity and the specialist may need to account for other unforeseen parameters that factor into costs including how long a procedure might take.

The estimate that we will give you at the time of the consultation is a range, as even after an examination we cannot fully evaluate all teeth in an awake patient. For this very reason, we also cannot give an exact number of teeth that will require treatment beyond ultrasonic scaling and polishing. We often will note areas of concern during the oral exam and always discuss the possibility of extraction of diseased teeth, or if other dentistry procedures such as a root canal therapy are appropriate. Periodontal assessment and intraoral radiographs performed under general anesthesia will determine the full extent of disease. After this assessment, we will let you know the level of disease present and if the estimate will be exceeded. This is why it is important that you provide us with accurate contact information so that we can reach you during the day of the procedure.

What our estimates include:

  • Ranges for anesthesia time
  • Anesthetic drugs
  • IV catheter placement
  • IV fluids
  • Medications (injectable or oral)
  • Intraoral radiographs
  • Local analgesia
  • Ultrasonic scaling and polishing
  • Surgical/dental procedures anticipated
  • Surgical and suture materials
  • Patient monitoring (before and after anesthesia)

If required, fees for professional services of other specialty practices within TLC are not included in the ADOS estimate. We can obtain an estimate of the fees for these other practices in advance for you; however, please understand we are separate businesses and that these fees will need to be paid to the other practice/service directly.