The short answer
Canine dental surgery in the Wilmington corridor costs $150 to $950 per procedure through our network, with complete dental cleanings from $295.
The wide range is not vagueness. It reflects a genuine difference between removing one loose front incisor and surgically extracting three multi-rooted carnassials. This page explains where in that range your dog is likely to land.
For the clinical detail, see our dental and oral surgery service.
Where your dog falls in the range
| Situation | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Complete dental cleaning, no extractions | From $295 |
| One or two simple extractions (single-rooted) | $150 – $350 |
| Surgical extraction of one multi-rooted tooth | $350 – $600 |
| Multiple surgical extractions | $600 – $950 |
| Oral mass excision | Quoted after assessment |
| Jaw fracture repair | Quoted after imaging |
The honest caveat: the final figure is confirmed once your dog is under anesthesia and we have the full-mouth radiographs. That is not a pricing tactic — it is that two-thirds of each tooth is invisible until we image it, and a crown that looks fine can sit on an abscessed root.
We give you a realistic range before anesthesia and call you if the radiographs change the plan materially.
What is included
Every dental procedure covers:
pre-anesthetic blood screening · anesthesia · continuous SpO2, ECG, blood pressure and temperature monitoring on a heated table · infraorbital and inferior alveolar nerve blocks · digital intraoral dental radiography before and after · surgical extraction with mucoperiosteal flap closure where required · home-recovery medications · structured discharge checklist · complimentary healing evaluation.
Those middle two items — nerve blocks and dental X-rays — are the ones most commonly excluded from a cheaper quote elsewhere. Check for them before comparing numbers.
Why surgical extractions cost more
Single-rooted teeth can often be elevated and lifted out intact — a quick procedure.
Multi-rooted teeth cannot. Premolars and carnassials have two or three diverging roots that physically lock the tooth in place. Removing one requires raising a gum flap, removing a margin of alveolar bone, sectioning the tooth into individual root segments, elevating each separately, curetting the socket, and closing the flap.
Six steps rather than one, with specialised equipment and substantially more time. That is the difference in the estimate.
The cleaning add-on
Complete dental cleanings start at $295 and include anesthesia, scaling above and below the gumline, polishing, and a full oral assessment with radiographs.
Where extractions are needed at the same visit — which is common, because the radiographs frequently reveal problems the cleaning was booked to prevent — those are quoted on top within the $150 to $950 range.
Doing both in one anesthetic is always preferable to two separate visits, both financially and for your dog.
Financing
We accept cash, credit card, and CareCredit. Dental work is one of the more commonly deferred procedures because it feels optional, and it very often is not — painful teeth affect eating, behaviour, and quality of life quietly for months. If cost is the barrier, tell us and we will talk through the options.
Getting a figure for your dog
Send us your dog’s breed and age, what you have noticed — bad breath, chewing on one side, dropping food, pawing at the face — and any previous dental history. We will give you a realistic range and a date, normally within two weeks for planned dental work.
