Her teeth... have tartar?!
 

Ever since Mahina got her "adult teeth" in I've consistently brushed every single night (okay, i've missed maybe 3 nights in the past 6 months).

I use this Four Paws vanilla mint doggie toothpaste every night.
I use Petzlife gel twice a week.
She chews on bully sticks, nylabones and white bones.
No wet food, only kibble that get's topped with salmon oil and glucosamine.

Now... WHY does she have tartar on her molars?! :eek:
Am I doing something wrong, I really make sure to brush every tooth well since she's grown to tolerate it :rolleyes:

She'll be 1 yr in July.

Can I use those metal dental scrapers on her... or do something different?
A different toothpaste?
Help!

Wow, now I don't feel so bad for missing a few nights of not brushing! lol We use the same toothpaste. I bought Petzlife oral gel but never used it after reading that the alcohol might be harmful. I feed them kibble w/salmon oil too. Not too much bullies, once in awhile. Mimi (2 yrs 5 mo)girl has some plaque build up too, just a little, but I can see it when I brush her teeth. Momo not as much, maybe cuz he's younger (1.5 yrs old).
I also would like to know what else we can do or what I'm doing wrong.

Some Yorkies just have a problem with tartar and there is nothing much that you can do about it. She will likely need dentals often (at least yearly).

If she gets a dental, you can talk to your vet about using OraVet.
I would not recommend using a scraper unless you do it under veterinary supervision. After scraping, the teeth need to be buffed and polished which owners can't do...

Hmm well okay... I'll be sure to ask about OraVet.

I didn't know that about scraping, thank you!

Thanks Crystal. I had a question about dental work...isn't it done under anestisia? Having it done yearly means putting our babies under too often, no? Or is OraVet different?

Don't quote me on the scraper thing. It's just what I've heard, so I'd be very cautious about it...

I don't want to make it sound like dentals have to be done that often, but in some dogs if their teeth aren't being taken care of or the home care is just not working, dentals may need to be done every 6-12 months. Obviously in this case it is just one of those times when the home care isn't working for whatever reason.

A lot of vets do yearly dentals. There is a risk everytime but they are under for a very short period of time. It is something I'd avoid if at all possible but tartar and too much bacteria can lead to organ weakening, so the dog is at risk if it isn't done, etc. Some groomers will offer to do it without anesthesia but it isn't as thorough and they can't get under the gums if necessary, so it seems that this method is not recommended.

OraVet is a wax sealant used to prevent tartar build up. It is very safe. The first application is done under anesthesia and then the owner coats the teeth weekly. It is probably worth a try.

Ellie hasn't had a dental since 10/07 and her teeth look just fine now.
We brush with CET vanilla mint toothpaste, floss weekly and use OraVet.
Ellie eats soft food, so kibble is not part of the success.
She had been diagnosed with periodontal disease and had nine adult extractions and has been doing well since we started these products.

Not all teeth cleaning is done under anesthesia** Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> . It is very common now to have a dental hygenist sit the dog in their lap and calm them while they clean their teeth. Yorkies as a general rule have notoriously bad teeth. Although I brush my dogs regularly, they always get tartar build up on their back molars. I flick it off with my nail and be sure not to let them ingest it as it is bad for their liver.

Thanks Crystal & dogluvr for the info. Floss??:D How do you do that? Do you use regular people floss? Sorry for all the q's...I've never heard of flossing a dog's teeth before!:p

Yes, floss. :)
I have used the regular roll and now I use the individual plastic flossers.
I think I'm going back to the roll though.
I had asked Ellie's vet about it and she said okay, just be careful that it isn't swallowed.

I don't mind questions. Don't worry about it. :)