Pets: cosmetic teeth cleaning.

Existing law provides for licensing of veterinarians by the Veterinary Medical Board. Existing law provides that a person is practicing veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry when engaged in various actions and procedures with respect to animals, including the performance of a surgical or dental operation. This bill would provide that "dental operation" for these purposes does not include a service whereby a person utilizes nonmotorized instruments to remove calculus, soft deposits, plaque, or stains from an exposed area of a household pet's tooth above the gum line, provided that the service is performed exclusively for cosmetic purposes and the person performing the service first obtains written permission from the person requesting the service.