What is COHAT, and why is it so important?
COHAT may leave you wondering, “What kind of hat?”
COHAT stands for Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment.
In other words, COHAT means an assessment of the whole mouth, including an oral exam and dental X-ray, related to the patient’s overall health and habits, and a treatment plan created for any problems found.
You may wonder, “I get my pet's dental cleanings yearly. Do I still need COHAT for my pet?”
The short answer is yes.
A general dental cleaning alone does very little for oral health. Dental cleanings clean the crowns of the teeth without treating any conditions below the gum line.
They make the teeth look cleaner and temporarily help the pet’s breath smell better. Steer clear of any place that offers “anesthesia-free dentistry,” an inhumane service.
COHAT completed by a veterinarian or veterinary dentist will find any problems that cleanings alone cannot and devise a plan to treat them before they worsen.
You will spend less time and money in the long run.
Oral health affects the whole body. COHAT finds and treats dental problems before they get so severe that they cause problems for the jaw, the sinuses, and essential organs in the body.
COHATs can prevent periodontal disease, a risk factor for liver and kidney disease. It can avoid jaw fractures due to oral disease.
This means less time and money treating complications associated with dental disease. The dental X-ray provided in a true COHAT alone can save you repeat visits to the vet for oral health problems.
COHAT is so much better for your pet
Pets try to hide pain; this instinct serves animals well in the wild.
Your pet could be in severe dental pain, and you wouldn’t know. Dental pain can go unnoticed with dental cleanings that do not include a full-mouth dental X-ray.
In short, COHAT helps keep your pets healthy and does not cost much money on the front end.
What is included in a COHAT?
COHAT is hard to define in exact terms because it is so customizable. Every patient is unique, so each COHAT is different. However, some essential elements of COHAT are used in every patient.
Every true COHAT will include:
A review of pre-anesthetic blood work is ideally performed on the same procedure day.
An assessment of the pet’s medical records with attention to medical history, physical exams, and dietary and chewing habits
A thorough oral exam
Dental probing and charting
Full mouth pre- and postoperative (sometimes intraoperative) dental X-ray. Can you link the below info for oral rads???
We create and execute a treatment plan for any problems found. We extract diseased teeth. We do not perform root canals, crowns, etc.
Discharge instructions, including pain control and feeding instructions
A recheck exam and/or a plan for a future COHAT.
When to use dental X-ray: Always. Here’s why.
Dental X-rays (Dental Radiographs) are crucial for accurately diagnosing and treating dental health. Dental X-rays before, during, and after the procedure significantly affect the quality of dental care.
Without Dental X-rays, you see the tip of the iceberg. More than 50 % of the teeth in dogs and cats are below the gum line. The tooth's visible part gives you less than half the necessary information.
Dental X-rays are just a little more expensive upfront; however, the health risks for pets and financial risks far outweigh the minimal extra cost.
Why dental radiographs are always a good idea:
It is the best use of anesthesia time.
A dental X-ray shows which teeth need to be extracted, if any! Sometimes, an oral exam indicates that a tooth needs to be extracted, but the dental X-ray shows otherwise.
Often, the opposite is true. The dental X-ray shows that a seemingly healthy tooth needs to be extracted. If a tooth needs to come out, the X-ray greatly informs the most efficient, least traumatic, and most straightforward way to extract it.
An X-ray during the procedure, called an intra-operative X-ray, can show that the job is complete or that more work is needed. For example, root tips can be left behind and cause severe dental pain for a pet.
The intra-operative X-ray will show if any tooth root tips are left and how to remove them. This tooth appeared fine during the oral exam.
The X-ray shows abscesses and tooth resorption, which are painful conditions. The post-operative X-ray shows complete removal of the diseased tooth. The patient healed quickly and felt much better after surgery.
Dental X-ray completely informs the procedure.
Without a dental X-ray, please be prepared for surprises. For example, with conditions like severe periodontal disease, the jaw is often not in good shape before a dental procedure. A frail jaw can easily fracture during surgery—not a good surprise!
Check out this pre-operative X-ray below, taken before any surgery was done. This X-ray shows the owner that teeth must be extracted and a splint applied.
Pre-existing pathology, like jaw integrity, needs to be documented. Pre-operative X-rays show the condition, and post-surgery X-rays prove a job well done.
It can be hard to explain harrowing dental conditions because animals rarely show signs of dental pain, and many dental conditions involve the part of the tooth that cannot be seen (the tooth below the gum line).
Dental X-rays can reveal how much pain a pet experiences.
Without a dental X-ray, you cannot know what is going on under the gum line.
Clients say their pets’ teeth have been “cleaned” every year.
They think their pet has a healthy, pain-free mouth.
Sadly, the crowns of the teeth were cleaned every year, and the issues below the gum line were not addressed.
Then these clients learn that even though their pet had a yearly cleaning, it has been in pain all along, and the condition has worsened. Imagine how you might feel in their position!
Without COHAT, which includes a thorough dental probing, charting, and dental X-ray, a crown “cleaning” is useless.
