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Originally Posted by ladyjane  I am a non believer in any product completely eliminating the need for dentals. I have tried different products and tooth brushing and my experience has been that the pups still needed dentals.
Periodontal disease is prevalent in yorkies and leads to liver, cardiac and renal issues if not dealt with.
Not saying the products and/or tooth brushing does not help.....they just do not eliminate the need for dentals.
As for the risk of anesthesia, I honestly feel the risk of illness due to periodontal disease is much higher. |
I agree with this! I think it does depend on the dog ... my dads JRT/Shihtzu Mix has amazing teeth and she is almost 6 years old. They are pearly white with not an ounce of tarter on them and they have never brushed or used anything, she hardly even chews bones. So I guess she got lucky with the genes! However his Dachshund mix is younger (he's 4) and he's got some nasty build up on his canines.
Before Jackson's dental, I was really really bad with teeth up keep. I honestly brushed maybe once every 2 months and used the petzlife once a week or once every other week. And with considering that, his teeth were actually pretty good. He wasn't in dire need of a dental cleaning, had minimal build up on his four canines, but had to go under for a different tooth problem, but the veterinary dentist commented on how strong his teeth were but that I must brush every day! I've noticed a difference since I started brushing and using some dental products though. Within the first year of his life, he had gotten that little bit of tarter build up on those canines because I had never done anything. Now it's been almost 9 months since his dental, and with me brushing a lot and using products, they are perfectly white. They almost look like they were JUST cleaned professionally.
Since that experience, I've become much more aware of how important dental health is, and take much better care of his mouth! Also when I took him in, he had a dead tooth in the front that had to be pulled. I know exactly what it was from once she told me about the tooth... but had NO idea he had a "dead" tooth, as his breath never smelled, etc! If not for an x-ray, I wouldn't have known and neither did his regular vet at every check-up. So anyways it made me realize how important it is to get them in for a check even if it seems nothing is wrong!