I need the truth about toothbrushing!!!

[Ellie May]

Anything is better than nothing, but it should feel like you're hitting the teeth. Ellie had horrible teeth/periodontal disease/osteomyelitis. Now we brush (almost) daily and she has done well with that (I mean, her teeth...not her as far as cooperating). I don't think I'd even want to be without OraVet though. When scraping, grooves are left in the teeth and they have to be buffed after. Scraping without doing this can potentially cause more harm than good. Unfortunately there are times when pups need dentals twice a year and there arent many ways around it...

[yorkieusa]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

I guess I'm going to need to start scraping. Thor's teeth are awful. I brush regularly and thoroughly, but it's so discouraging to see plaque inexorably building up. I am starting to wonder if it really makes a difference. It just seems like some dogs have good teeth, and probably don't need brushing, and some dogs have bad teeth no matter what you do. I will look into a scraper though.

He's so cute. I just looked at his pic on your page.

[bigman TITO]

Hi All!!


Well, for my little guy. I brush his teeth everyday with vanilla mint tooth paste and he gets some tarter control in with his food. I was told that Yorkies are pron to teeth problems. So to avoid that and spend time with Tito I brush his teeth daily. Besides when I ask for kisses I want fresh breath!!

[BellaBlue82]

I use the Dr. Foster's mouth wipes every day instead of brushing. I kinda feel the same way, like I'm not getting all of her teeth (at least not the underside and inside of the mouth!). All I get is the outside teeth and gums!

[Britster]

Alright, I *just* started brushing Jackson's teeth a few weeks ago. He's almost 1 1/2 years old. His teeth have always been perfect, no issues (he's still young) but a few weeks ago, I noticed a little spot on the upper canine that looked like a tiny bit of green. I tried scraping it with my finger and it didn't come off. So I sprayed Petzlife on both sides of his mouth... and the next day it was gone! I love that stuff.

I've started a routine of brushing and spraying Petzlife once a week during his bath-time. He HATES me brushing his teeth, but he has gotten sooo much better, and it's a lot easier in the bath. I, too, feel like sometimes I'm not really even "brushing" but I feel like something is better than nothing and since he's still young with no teeth problems... now is the time to start, and hopefully within a few months, I can brush better w/ less problems.

He also chews lots of bully sticks and Himalayan chews and I think that helps with scraping and keep plaque off.

[QuickSilver]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Anything is better than nothing, but it should feel like you're hitting the teeth. Ellie had horrible teeth/periodontal disease/osteomyelitis. Now we brush (almost) daily and she has done well with that (I mean, her teeth...not her as far as cooperating). I don't think I'd even want to be without OraVet though. When scraping, grooves are left in the teeth and they have to be buffed after. Scraping without doing this can potentially cause more harm than good. Unfortunately there are times when pups need dentals twice a year and there arent many ways around it...

Thanks for that info. I guess I will NOT be getting a scraper in that case. Thor has some hard plaque that is raised above the surface of his teeth. He just had his vet visit, and the vet commented on it, but did not recommend a tooth cleaning. On her suggestion, I bought this hugely expensive additive for Thor's water which makes no difference whatsoever as far as I can tell.

He underwent anesthesia last year to have a few baby teeth removed and got his teeth cleaned as well. He was so out of it when he came back that I swore I'd do everything I could to prevent him from going under again... but it's really hard to keep the brushing up when it seems to have so little effect.

FYI, I use a cat toothbrush, and I make sure to brush each tooth. As I understand it, you don't need to brush the insides of them, because they kind of get brushed by the dog's tongue as he licks all the toothpaste up. It does appear to me that the backs of Thor's teeth are much better than the fronts. I pull his lips back and brush each tooth individually, and then I brush his gums.

[107barney]

You are on the right track! We are very good at dental care here at our house. Barney and Daisy like to brush their teeth but I have to do it for them. Barney is almost 10 and has never needed a dental. Daisy had one at age 8 because she had a cracked tooth so I just had them do it. She did not have much plaque at all! So, brushing the teeth does pay off.

We started Teddy with brushing, and he now does it himself. Here is his video.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/my-...oothbrush.html

[Cerise]

At first Cerise fought me when it came to brushing her teeth. But she has relaxed a bit and holds her head back now so I can really brush them. I use the smallest toddler toothbrush and very tiny amount of non fluoride Tom's of Maine childrens toothpaste. It does not contain flouride or xylitol. I don't think the ingredients on the Dog toothpaste that I have seen is better for them because of all the chemicals listed in it. I don't believe in flouride, not even for humans. She doesn't drink tab water for that same reason. It's amazing how it's advised to use a Dog tootpaste because of flouride but never not to give them flouride filled tab water

I truly believe some products labled for Dogs are not good and are made just for $$$, especially when they are full of chemicals or processed foods. That includes all the cheap toys, especially the ones made in China. China didn't care about the poison paint, dye or materials used in childrens toys, so you know they don't care about it being used in pets.