Advice on Toothpaste
 

Hi Everyone, I am new to YorkieTalk and am the proud mommy to a 2 1/2 year old Yorkie named Buddy. He is a sweet little guy and the light of my life!

I know that the breed is prone to dental issues and, therefore, have tried to stay on top of doing something daily for his teeth. He will not let me use a toothbrush (trust me, I've tried everything under the sun - finger brushes which seem to be bigger than his whole mouth!, baby toothbrushes, etc.), but he has no problem letting me put my finger in his mouth.

Anyway, I was using a popular toothpaste that had aspergillus niger (a mold) in it, but read that it could be dangerous. Then I tried other gels, etc. with some kind of alcohol in them, but then read that alcohol can cause a variety of health issues. I also have the DDS wipes, which do not contain alcohol and may work even though he hates them.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a safe & effective toothpaste or dental spray? I would also welcome advice/experiences from anyone who had their dog's teeth professionally cleaned at the vet. I am trying to avoid that because the anesthesia scares me.

Thanks!

Welcome to YT! Looking forward to learning more about Buddy!!

I don’t use toothpaste or a brush- Peanut is going on 6 and has never let me brush his teeth!! I know it is really bad, but I’m always checking in his mouth and he gets yearly dental cleanings.

I have heard you can use coconut oil to brush them- not sure if it works 100 %, you can also not use any toothpaste and just brush with your finger brusher. Sorry if I am no help, I haven’t bought dog toothpaste for a while so I’m not sure what is good out there.

A lot of people including me use CET toothpaste. Works great and even if you can't bursh it has enzymes in it to fight and get rid if tarter.

Thanks for the information! Have you had any issues with the annual cleaning at the vet? What is the recovery like? Are they up and running the next day?

If he lets you put your finger in his mouth, you could try a little finger brush with CET toothpaste (my preference). Jackson hates it but I trained him to just 'deal with it'. We did a gradual process where I'd give him treats first for simply coming into the bathroom with me every night, then a week later, I'd put the brush near his mouth every night and give him a treat, then I added the toothpaste, etc. I just did it gradually so I'm not just shoving some weird thing that tastes funny into his mouth, ya know? lol.... He tolerates it. I do use Petzlife gel occasionally still (yes, there is a little alcohol in it, and I really don't think it's enough to do any harm, and my boy is also 17lbs and healthy...) and I like HealthyMouth as well.

We use CET toothpaste with a infant/toddler toothbrush. My boys (Chase is 4 and Calvin is 3) had a cleaning when they got neutered (Chase was 6 months, Calvin was 10 months). It was just a polish I think, not a major cleaning, and they pulled remaining baby teeth too. We never really brushed their teeth for awhile, and my new years resolution for 2012 was to brush their teeth at least 3 times a week. It was easy to forget at first, but the more we did it, the more habit it became. Now they get them brushed about 5-7 times a week. I do it every other night, and my bf does it every other night. We try for every night now, and it only takes a minute since they are really good about it. They had dentals in February, and they weren't really needed then, but we were moving and I wanted everything done with a vet I trusted so I would have time to find a vet here that I could trust. The vet even said if we weren't moving it could easily wait a couple months or a year. I posted the before and after pics on Facebook and a lot of people thought the before pics were really good lol. They were fine when we picked them up, just tired. We did the bloodwork before too.

They're up & running when I pick them up the same day loll. Mine don't have to have their dental cleaning annually (I brush their teeth every night), but 3 of them are due for it soon. Feb was pet dental month, but since I have 4, our vet gives us 10% off & any tooth extractions for free. Just make sure you do the pre-op blood test & he should be fine.

They usu don't like their mouth messed esp if they have a bad tooth/teeth. Since he's 2.5, has he had dental cleaning yet? You can try wrapping a gauze or baby terry cloth around your finger & go over his teeth gently, get him used to having stuff put into his mouth.

He's hasn't had a dental cleaning yet, but he does allow me to put my finger in his mouth or gauze wrapped around my finger without a problem (which I try to do every night). I should probably try harder to ease him into a toothbrush. I'm going to have to get his teeth professionally cleaned. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!