A few years ago my cat needed his teeth cleaned my local vet charged me £125. The same vet, now owned by CVS, is now going to charge £250
The affected teeth got loose. We pulled them. The dog is happy and healthy. I would have liked for a professional to have done that for us in a more controlled and methodical manner, but there's no way I could justify spending at least ten thousand freaking dollars on a 13 year old dog who was at significant risk of dying on the table.
I love my dog and spend pretty freely on him, but no way is he getting an $800 teeth cleaning. At that point, you might as well locate your practice on the airport and cater only to people who fly their dog in on a private jet.
The actual cost to the clinic of a dental cleaning is ridiculous for how often it needs to be done.
Dental cleaning requires dental tools and anesthesia.