Teeth Cleaning
 

Does anyone have their dog's teeth professionally cleaned? I am considering doing this, but have reservations, mainly due to the anesthesia. I do brush her teeth, but have a difficult time (she isn't the most cooperative thing!!)
I am worried about health risks due to the tarter and bacteria. Am I just being paranoid? I work in medicine, so I know MOST of the time anesthesia is safe, BUT there is always a risk and I would hate to think of something happening to her, especially for an elective-type thing. HELP!!!

Hi there :) Callie still has her puppy teeth, but once she gets her big girl teeth I will bring her in to the vet every year for a cleaning. I didn't know they admin. anesthesia for a cleaning though, I thought only for extractions, but I'm still new to all of this puppy stuff. Is it general? I work in the medical field as well, so I am now considering not bringing her in annually for a cleaning by the vet if she will be under general each time, yikes! Too much stress for her, and me!

Because of the risk of organs getting infected if the bacteria builds up too much, cleanings are necessary for some dogs. If the teeth are full of tartar, they need to be cleaned. If they are white and the teeth look good, there is no reason to do it. It doesn't need to be done every year for all dogs. It depends on the dog and how clean you can keep the teeth at home. When your dog is under anesthesia I'd talk to your vet about applying OraVet. There are no known side effects and it is a plaque barrier.

Just make sure that they use the correct anesthesia (Isoflurane or Sevoflurane), do surgery on a heated surface, offer pre-op blood work and place an IV before surgery.

If you trust your vet I'd go with their recommendations.
Ellie's vet office says dogs should have dentals twice a year.
Ellie clearly didn't need one at the six month mark and her vet said so.
They will tell you when it is necessary...:)

Loki is 3 and the vet says he needs one. We brush but not enough and he is a chewer but there are a few spots (esp. his canines) that are just not getting clean. She said once they do the dental I can continue to brush more often and it will help a lot more. Both of my dogs have been fixed and Sammy just had major LP surgery, so a teeth cleaning shouldn't be so bad, right? Tell me it's OK. ;)

Pixie my 2 1/2 year old goes in Tuesday for a dental. She has terrible plaque build up and inflamed gums, we tried brushing and petzlife daily for 2 months and no difference so we have to go the professional cleaning route. My vet has her on antibiotics prior to and after and said she would take every precaution, her bloodwork was fine so I will let you now how it goes.

Hi, we have a groomer in our area that does it without anesthesia... I brought my old dog a couple of years ago and he clean his bad teeth without an itch! and believe me it made a big difference for him (he was to old to be put under for a teeth cleaning) maybe a groomer will do it, it a thing to look for.:)

Lexie's groomer does brush her teeth, but the vet told me it is nearly impossible to clean up uner the gums really well without putting them under. I know sevoflourene is very safe, and that a big advantage to this anesthetic is that you can wake them up very quickly. Even though I ask a million questions and take every precaution, I am still a nervous nellie about it. My vet assured me that the benefits outweigh the risks of not having their teeth thoroughly cleaned, so you have to keep that in mind when making this decision. UGH!! I HATE making these type of decisions! Why does it have to be so hard??!!!!

Yeah me too I don't like the idea... Logan is only 11 months and I already see plaque on his teeth.... he chews ray hides all day long and it doesn't help... I guess I will have his done when it is to mutch... good luck! :p

Teeth Brushing and Cleaning
 

My little boy, Bailey, gets his teeth brushed 4-5X a week. He loves his toothpaste and I think it helps to stay ahead of tartar :eek:

I have had his teeth professionally cleaned. In fact it was about a year ago and he is scheduled to go in again later this week. They do have to snooze during this procedure so I usually have them do blood work, clean out his ears, and other procedures that are traumatic for him (and me) when he is awake.

It is very important to maintain good dental hygiene for small dogs. It is preventative maintenance, like changing your oil, etc. You have your teeth cleaned at least once and hopefully 2X per year, don't you? Well, your Yorkie is no different. Pay me now or pay me later. Plus we had some aquaintances who had to have their little boy's teeth removed because they were so badly neglected and this was by age 3. :eek: :eek: Earlier this year they had to put the little guy to sleep. :( I don't think he was much more than 7 years old and I would bet it is directly related to his dental condition.

So I am looking into the OraVet to see if that is something I might want to try for a year to see if it helps more than brushing. I wasn't sure if you could brush in addition to the OraVet, but will find out.

Best Wishes from
Samc and Bailey:yorkietal

Yes, you brush as often as you want and use OraVet once a week.:)
It is not a replacement for brushing.