Dental Cleaning questions
 

How often do Yorkies need dental cleanings by a vet?

Maybe I should have asked, how often some of you have had to have cleanings. She will be put under anesthesia and I am curious how often this ie required. We do brush teeth, not like we should, and I am purchasing some Petzlife gel.

Good question. Yorkies are known for having bad teeth (genetics) but as breeding evolves... you make be able to get a Yorkie that is not as predisposed to having bad teeth.

That said, If your Yorkie has horrible teeth, a visit to the dentist every year for cleaning/scaling/polishing would be best. Every two years if the Yorkie has good teeth bred into their lines.

Last but not least, it depends greatly on your Yorkies' oral hygiene. If you brush their teeth, you may be able to lengthen the time between visits.

PS: Feeding kibble does not help to keep teeth clean, as was previously thought. :D

Ok, thanks. What about having them put under anesthesia every year or so?

As far as I know, there are no long lasting effects or risks from anesthesia. I had a Siamese cat with terrible teeth who needed dentals every year.

AS INFREQUENTLY AS POSSIBLE. If the anesthesia doesn't kill the dog during the cleaning that's not going to be the issue. The issue IS the fact the repeatedly intubating the dog will severely damage the trachea. Teeth cleaning is a very high mark-up procedure for vets so they lovvveeee to recommend it but they don't warn you of this danger. And once the trachea is damaged there is no repairing it. Collapsing trachea is a horrible way for a dog to die. Like with over vaccinating pet owners feel that they're doing to right thing and the best thing for their dog when they have the teeth done frequently when in truth it's often just the opposite.

Instead brush the teeth weekly and try scraping the tarter off. Do what it takes to, as best possible, prevent the tarter buildup.

My Sadie is at the Vet's today having her first dental. She's two years old. I try to brush her teeth every day but I brush them at least every other day (probably 4-5 times a week). I use the Petzlife gel and I add a supplement to her water. I've pretty much done everything I can except floss them. :D Last Friday when I was brushing her teeth I saw a little blood so I explored. I found a loose tooth. When I looked further, the same tooth on the other side was also loose. I almost cried because I know I'm already doing everything I can to preserve her teeth. I took her to the vet on Saturday and he said that she has a small amount of tarter but not enough to cause her to lose teeth. He believes that the loose teeth are actually retained baby teeth and perhaps the adult teeth under them are malformed and never pushed them out. He said that without the loose teeth he wouldn't have suggested doing a dental on her yet. He's going to add a sealer while after he gets them good and clean. I just called and she came through it fine. I can pick her up in an hour. Whew! I'll find out more about what caused the loose teeth when I talk to my vet.

She did have several retained baby teeth pulled when she was spayed. These are in the middle bottom of her mouth. I think they are pre-molars.

WHEW is right.:D Thanks for sharing. Glad she did great.

I will certainly have to look into this. I have not read about this before. What do you mean by "intubating"?

Nevermind, I found some info on it. :) thanks for your post.

I do totally agree with this post. There is always a risk any time a dog is anesthetized, and as Yorkie owners we do have to be worried about mishaps with intubation.

The intubation tube has to fit the trachea exactly during a dental and surgery to prevent water and fluids from entering the lungs. So using a smaller trach tube to prevent tracheal collapse is not an option.

Avoidance of needing dentals, then, would be our safest line of defence, by practicing good oral hygiene.

I add coconut oil to their food, as it coats the teeth and has antibacterial properties, which work to fight tooth and gum decay. I also add it to their tooth paste for those same reasons.

Either way, bad teeth are a health risk, as they are so close to the blood supply, and a dog can become irreversibly septic from an infected mouth, and can die from the infection alone.

This is the act of putting a plastic trach/intubation tube into the dog's trachea (windpipe). The end of which is then hooked up to a machine that breathes for the dog and supplies oxygen and inhaled gas (Isoflorane) in balance to keep the dog unconscious to a level that procedures can be safely performed on the dog.

One more time:

Tracheal Collapse can occur when intubating a dog with a trach tube that is too big, and it causes damage to the trachea (can stretch it in places) which causes it not to be rigid enough to maintain an open airway. Visualize a vacuum cleaner hose...very rigid but if you step on it you can smash it and restrict the air flow. The hose flexes back but may be weakened at that point. Windpipes look just like little see-through white plastic vacuum hoses, though not quite as strong.

There is research being done at the University of Tennessee to come up with a better material to use to repair the windpipe of dogs with Collapsed Trachea (in some Yorkies this is a congenital condition- they are born with it). So far surgeries have not been very successful long term, and they have been using materials used for repairing human tracheas, but these are to big (adjustments are made by the surgeon) and bulky causing eventual catastophic failure a few months after implantation.

Thanks! I've got her home and she's fine - just sleepy. He said that they definately were baby teeth but he couldn't find any permanent teeth underneeth them. He said it's not a problem at all because they aren't the important "chewing" teeth. He said it might actually be good because it will give her mouth more room. I'm glad that's over!

I suppose it depends upon the vet, but I have never been advised to do a dental when it was not needed. I also have had dentals done on my pups yearly or every other year for over 15 years now and have never had one develop CT because of the intubation during a surgical procedure.

I have had yorkies with CT but it did not start following any surgical procedure. Not saying it is impossible. I just don't want people to think that avoidance of a needed dental because of the fear of intubation is reasonable. IMO it is not. Again....risk vs benefit. Dogs can die due to the ill effects from dental disease.

As for scaling the teeth yourself, that is extremely irritating to a pup. I don't think there are many that would sit still for it. Brushing is great, but it is simply not going to remove all tartar and/or prevent the need for dentals.

I try to brush my babies teeth too but darn I have a hard time getting the back teeth. I also do dentals but it seems they start showing tartar about a year after the dental. I just try and do the best I can for them.

I'm glad that you've had good experiences. But I feel totally the opposite. Intubation is dangerous as is putting a dog under anesthesia and should not be considered a routine procedure. In my opinion yearly is too often and certainly twice yearly is only going to benefit the vet's pocket book at the expense of your dog's well being. I hope that people will not take this procedure lightly and consider the risks because there are risks.

I had one pup who had dentals yearly...and sometimes more often. She had horrible teeth. My Sassy lived to be 17! She did not have CT.
There are risks associated with everything. Risk vs benefit. My pups will not die due to diseased mouths.
To each his own. :)

When Ellie had a tartar filled mouth, I had a vet tell me that she was more likely to die from it than from anesthesia - and he was right. Dental disease is very serious. It can affect the organs drastically.

Just remember that things don't go wrong as often as the internet makes it look. I've seen quite a few dentals and never heard of CT after one. InBectubation does cause tracheal irritation. Rarely it is long term. The benefits of placing the tube far outweigh the risks.

Ellie's vet does dentals on her dog yearly. She isn't making money from that, but it's the right thing to do because he needs them. That's not to say that all dogs need them yearly, but depending on the dog and the homecare, they may. Vets get services for cheap or free, sure, but standard of care is still the same. They have their dogs on heartworm preventative and flea preventative. They spay and neuter their pets. They do dentals when needed, etc.

Because there are horror stories all over the internet, I try to go to a trusted source for this kind of thing. Veterinary textbooks would have incidents of this kind of thing happening and experienced vets would know from their own practice.

And scaling create pits, so the teeth need to be buffed after. That is why I would not do it.

Excellent post! I highlighted the one sentence because it is SO true!

I hope that people take all information and make the best decision for their dogs. And carefully observe your dog after surgeries, especially older dogs. But please don't make statements such as intubation does not irritate the trachea. That is untrue information.

Where did I make that statement?

You are correct. I hope that people DO make the best decision for their pups. Right now I have a pup in my home who is estimated to be five years old with horrible periodontal disease. :( She lost six teeth (came to me missing others as well) and the two bottom canines were left in due to the fear that her jaw will fracture if they are pulled. They were packed with antibiotics...and when she is adopted, we will encourage a veterinary dental specialist for her. So sad that someone loved her so much (she is very sweet) but clearly did not take proper care of her. Oh...and her BUN and Creatinine were mildly elevated...most likely due to the periodontal disease.

You are correct and I totally agree. For the first time ever, mine had to have dentals nine months apart and we brush teeth. She is not going to become ill due to a diseased mouth!:)

How does the vet determine when the dog needs a dental? For instance, how much tartar?

I'm the first one to make the decision.:) I've been at this for many years. I just know by looking. Her dr has never disagreed. Believe me, I am never eager to have her placed under anesthesia. It scares me to death, but I also know the dangers of not having it done. I don't want her to lose any teeth. Neither do I want her to become ill from diseased teeth. She has never lost any teeth so far.

That is great! That is my hope for my boys. Teddy is starting to get a little junk along the gum line of a couple of teeth. I wish scaling didn't pit the teeth, as Crystal noted, because he will let me do it. Both my boys have let me do it, but I stopped when I learned it would do harm.

How do I know when the time is right to have a dental?

When the tartar is built up too much! Actually, I can tell by looking at my girl's, but if you feel it needs to be done, then just take them in and ask the dr. I don't know how to explain it.:confused:

Hi,
Scaling does not "pit" the teeth. If done roughly it can scratch the enamel which is what supposedly can then give tarter a place to adhere to on the tooth. But if you can gently clean your dogs teeth with your dental scaler than that is ALWAYS preferable to having the vet put the dog under and doing the cleaning. And although some don't want to discuss this aspect of the procedure, there are vets that charge extremely high amounts to do this. It's how they make their money folks.

After you scale the teeth brush well and dip the brush in peroxide. That kills bacteria. If you can keep up with the tarter then you're not going to scratch the teeth and your dog will be FAR better off than doing yearly dentals at the vet.

I'll have our vet take a look. Would love to see some pictures. I'm going to try to find some resources on this subject.

Someone here once mentioned that after scaling, dentists use a special polish. Why can't we have this polish? When I go to the dentist myself, the doctor scrapes aggressively and pulls hard with the scaler. What I have done on my dogs is much, much gentler.

Not all vets push procedures and treatments for $. Our first vet did, but we found a really good doctor who does what he thinks is best for the dog.

I think what they use after cleaning is a sealant. I don't really know, but I doubt it would be something safe to use except after they've been cleaned or we would be sealing bacteria underneath?