I need the truth about toothbrushing!!!
 

As I was brushing Bentley's teeth this morning, it occurred to me, that really all I do is mess around in his mouth with the brush and toothpaste :rolleyes:. I don't think I am even hitting all the teeth! Not that he minds, he likes the attention, and the toothpaste (chicken flavored!) but am I doing any good??
So my question is, is that how you "brushers" feel? Or have I just not got the hang of it?? :confused:
Tell me the truth! ;)

I know Im not doing a very good job with sofia, because it is not something she likes at all, but it is better than nothing.

All you can do is your best. Believe me, something is better than nothing.
I've been brushing Buddy's teeth for 5 1/2 yrs and it sure has paid off.
I also use, once a week now, petzlife to keep the tartar off. It really
works. His teeth are nice and white with no tartar along the gum line.
He's never had a dental. Hopefully he'll never need one.
Also giving your pup natural bones or bullysticks to chew on will also
help keep the tartar off.

Keep it up, it's worth it.

Bentley front teeth look great, shiny and white :D but I recently noticed his back ones have some yellow!:eek:
Guess they would be worse if I wasn't brushing. But I really feel like I am just feeding him toothpaste! LOL:rolleyes:

I brush Kacee's teeth. I wasn't able to do it nightly the last few years because of other obligations and lack of time until recently, but now we are on a nightly schedule again. We use Petzlife gel, too, as well as the spray.

I looked the following up and thought I'd post it fyi.

Do I have to brush my Yorkie's teeth?
Some dogs teeth form placque faster than others...and yes you should brush at least once a week with Nolvadent (from your vet or supply house) and put a drop of glyoxide (from your pharmacy) on either side of the mouth in back once a week and get a scraper and learn how to scrape the teeth....Omaha Vet 1-800-367-4444 has dental scrapers... that you must do every other month.
If you don't keep the teeth clean, they will develop periodontal disease...like the dentist says...just floss the ones you want to keep.
Alex's Yorkie Care Frequently Asked Questions. Page 2.

I'm a newbie here so I'm a little timid about posting but when I saw the question about brushing teeth, I felt I had to tell my experience. I lost a chi years ago when I didn't know the importance of daily care for small dog teeth. Heart problems developed from his bad mouth........it was lesson learned! Now my four yorkies get daily brushes, even if I have to force myself to do it! It may not be perfect, but it did earn a complement from the vet......"Best teeth I ever saw on a yorkie!"

I have never had luck brushing my Maddie's teeth. I have tried for a long time but you would think I had acid on the brush or something! The best I came up with was putting the toothpaste on a baby brush and just holding it and letting her chew on the brush. I was using the Placque Off that you sprinkle on their food. After using it for about 9 months or so, I didn't see that it was doing any good, there was brown on her teeth at the gum line and brown streaks on her canines and back teeth. I started using the Petzlife Oral Gel a couple of weeks ago and have been amazed! The placque (brown) has been reduced by more than half! When she is tired and I can get a finger in her mouth, I can even scrape the brown off with my fingernail. She isn't much of a chewer, I have bully sticks and himalayin (sp?) chews, but she just hides them and doesn't chew on them much. She doesn't really like the Gel, but if I put her up on the counter and hold the hair under her bottom lip, I can put the gel on my finger and work it between her lips.

I can't even imagine being able to use a dental scraper on her teeth. Seriously, I don't know what it is, but when you have something you want to do with her mouth she twists and turns and turns into a tazmanian devil!!! If she is just on my lap, I can touch her mouth and put my finger inside her mouth. But if she figures out I have something on my finger, look out!

I found this and thought I'd share it here:

Overview

The Yorkie is very prone to early tooth decay, much more so than many other dog breeds.

Because of this, proper dental care is extremely important.

Tooth decay can lead to very serious health issues:


•Bacteria may build up and enter into the bloodstream

•There may be tooth loss, leading to eating problems; this leading to nutrient deprivation

•Tooth decay can cause great pain for the Yorkie, which is avoidable if regular dental care is provided....both at home and with the veterinarian

Let's discuss all the important aspects of proper dental care and the teeth of the Yorkshire Terrier.

The Yorkshire Terrier is prone to dental issues. Dental care is vitally important. The yellowing on this Yorkie's back teeth are a sign of tarter buildup and a needed professional cleaning.

When Should Dental Care Begin?

Dental care for the Yorkie must begin the moment you bring your Yorkie home. If you have a Yorkshire Terrier puppy, you will want to begin taking care of their teeth at a young age. This will allow your puppy to become very accustomed to having their teeth touched and cleaned.

If you bring home an older Yorkie, one of the first things that you should do is to bring your dog to the vet. Not only for a medical checkup, but for a dental checkup. It does not matter if you received your Yorkie from the best breeder in the world or rescued your dog from a shelter...you will have no idea of the status of the dog's teeth and what type of dental care was previously given.

How Often Should I Brush My Yorkie's Teeth?

At the very least, you should brush your Yorkie's teeth 1 time per week. We highly recommend brushing each day. Taking care of your dog's teeth can be a part of their normal daily schedule. A scraping should be done 1 time per month.

How Often Does a Yorkie Need a Professional Cleaning?

This should be done 1 time ever 2 years by an experience and trusted veterinarian. Some dog breeds receive professional cleanings every year. You would at first think that the Yorkie, being prone to dental disease, should have the same. However, the Yorkshire Terrier is very sensitive to anesthesia. Most professional cleaning are done by using anesthesia on the dog, so that the dog does not move while this careful cleaning is being performed.

You will be removing plaque and the veterinarian will be removing tarter. Tarter is a yellow color. When you notice this on your dog's teeth, this will be your sign that your Yorkshire Terrier needs to go to the vet for a professional cleaning.

How Do I Clean My Yorkie's Teeth?

Never use human toothpaste. A dog can swallow a lot of paste during the cleanings and the fluoride which is found in human tooth paste can wreak havoc in a dog's system.

A dog finger tooth brush should be used. With some dog breeds, a dog tooth brush is used. However, it is recommended to use the finger brush; doing so will help you know if you are applying enough pressure.

Use a dog toothpaste only.

Begin at the earliest age possible. You may wish to begin by allowing your Yorkie to become used to having your finger in their mouth. For the first week, set aside 10 minutes per day to have your dog sit down with you. Rub your finger all along your dog's teeth. Be sure to touch all of the teeth. When your Yorkie sits still and behaves, reward your dog will happy praise, hugs and a small treat.

You may find that a young puppy is very hyper and will not want to sit still. However, if you remain constant and do this each day, your Yorkie will learn that when you say "Tooth Time" or whatever command you do use, that it is time to sit close to you and have their teeth touched.

After a week or so, begin using the dog finger tooth brush. You will put a dab of dog toothpaste on this. Be sure to brush all of the teeth and all sides of the teeth.

How do I Scrap My Dog's Teeth?

Since it is best for your Yorkie to have their teeth scraped by you, instead of at the veterinarians while under anesthesia, is recommend to do a scraping 1 time per month. An owner should not feel intimidated. This is very similar to when humans use a plague scraper.

Some owners actually opt to use a human plaque scraper, which can be purchased at any store in the dental care section. However, there are scrapers made specifically for small breed dogs. This is recommended, since the Yorkie is very small and a scraper for small breeds will fit easily into the dog's mouth.

The dog should sit down (and should already be used to having their teeth touched from the daily or weekly tooth brushings).

As you carefully scrap each tooth, use a paper towel to wipe the plaque from the scraper. If not, this could be swallowed by your Yorkie and cause health issues.

Since your dog will be trying very hard to behave and sit nicely while you do this, when your dog sits still for this, give a small treat as a reward every few minutes.

Once the teeth are scraped, you should follow up with a brushing. And then of course, with a yummy dog treat to reward your Yorkie for being so good.

YorkieInfoCenter | Dental Care for the Yorkshire Terrier

Get a finger toothbrush like for babies. I used one on Kacee when she was a puppy.:)

tooth brushing
 

Last Friday my vet told me to just put the toothpaste on my finger & rub it on the teeth until he gets used to the actually brushing with the toothbrush.
he said there is something in the toothpaste to get rid of tartar buildup & even if you just rub it on the teeth with your finger it still works. I can never get him to open his mouth enough when using the brush to get his back teeth & this is easier. Hope this helps you with your little one.

This has been very helpful... Look out Bentley! I'll be at it again tomorrow! lol
Lots of great info, thanks! I guess I'll look into a scraper, ew-w, I think!

I couldn't find a toothbrush small enough to get in to the back of Bailey's mouth, so now I just wrap a cloth around my finger and use that to brush, I can feel the teeth through the cloth so I know I'm getting them!

Thanks for sharing and Gold Star to you for Best Teeth :thumbup: :animal36

Mom2dogs5
 

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:Yeah that!!!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

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.

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... :(

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

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!!

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.

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.

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

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 :rolleyes:

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.