Getting that plaque off daily can't help but leave less gunk for the bacteria to grow in. Once I went almost three weeks without brushing Tibbe's teeth and they actually looked brown-coated. He's really just geared to make gunk in his mouth. When I got him at age 9 months, his little teeth had almost a brown film on them and even though he was still young, he had bad breath. I'd never seen a dog that young with brown-coated teeth like he had.
He's just a sitting duck for dental caries. I had his teeth professionally cleaned right after I first got him and yearly after that, brush them daily to 6 out of 7 days a week sometimes and they stayed white until I had surgery and let them go - and they got right back brown-looking again in no time until I was able to start brushing them daily again. I know that stuff was growing bacteria in it so some dogs just have to have daily or almost daily brushings. I hate to think how few teeth he would have by now, at age 7 1/2 years, if he only had yearly cleanings.
__________________  Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis |