Dental issues

[nobarkus]

My second and third never lost any teeth luckily. I tried to brush them daily. Had the vet clean them 2 times in their life. My first lost some teeth but I never brushed that one back in the seventies and eighties.

[wizard]

My breeder suggested raw soup bones and turkey/chicken necks - she and I've never had a problem with the dogs' teeth. But the Dentatreat is a good alternative too when necks aren't available.

[khanis]

I can't imagine anything that is powder-based doing any good.
Powder will just caused a build-up if not dissolved or digested immediately.

I have very rarely taken dogs in for a tooth to come out.. but I also scale [brought one home from work] their teeth regularly. They don't always like it, but C'est la vie!
They do NOT have bad breath [the biggest tell-tale sign of periodontal disease].

There are many 'doggy' toohpastes you can use… most of them are pretty good, but you have to be religious about this... otheriwise the plaque becomes tartar then turns into calculus and it is a nasty mess.

Take them for dentals then keep them up yourself if you can.

[nobarkus]

All I use is a tooth brush and water. Have a glass of water by your feet and brush a little then swish in the water then brush some more. They'll lick the tooth brush with water on it. The dog toothpaste gave them an upset stomach.

[Janneke]

I've been to a dental specialist not too long ago (Tillo damaged one of his teeth..) and he told me to only brush the outside of the teeth once every two days (min) and not to use a tooth brush but some bandage. It's easy to wrap around a finger, so you can feel where you are and you won't hurt the dog accidently. It's working pretty well for Tillo and me

[nobarkus]

Just use a soft tooth brush and brush gently. Their teeth and gums are like ours.

[EskiLovr]

@Janneke:

I've been to a dental specialist not too long ago (Tillo damaged one of his teeth..) and he told me to only brush the outside of the teeth once every two days (min) and not to use a tooth brush but some bandage. It's easy to wrap around a finger, so you can feel where you are and you won't hurt the dog accidently. It's working pretty well for Tillo and me

I have used and recommended the 'gauze around the finger' method many times. This is what the veterinarian I worked for liked the best. It seems like the least invasive and scary way to me. Pet toothpaste is optional, imo.

[barklessk9]

My boy, Zak, had a couple teeth pulled when he was maybe 5 or 6 years old. At that time, the vet said he had little holes in his teeth which was something she said she typically would see in cats. Two years later he had a few more pulled, and last November just after his 13th birthday he had 8 more pulled. I have always been a consistent teeth brusher, and he had periodic cleanings. The vet said his teeth looked great, but under the gums was another story. On the x-rays you could see how the roots were disinegrating. So the poor guy has lost like 14 teeth. He pretty much just has his front teeth now.

[khanis]

Dogs aren't fine bone china….
you can use a soft toothbrush like you'd use for a small child.
Even if you use the doggy toothpaste, you use just a tiny dab on the brush so it gives it flavor.. that shouldn't be enough to give them an upset belly.

As I used to tell my patients.... there are 5 sides to your teeth, the inside, outside, top, front and back. If you are brushing the in and outside and top, you are brushing only 3/5 of each tooth...
make sure you just brush the ones you want to keep!
Brush both inside and outside and if you have the gumption, you CAN use those little flossers that you buy pre-made... sounds wacky..
but my dogs have fabulous teeth and rarely an issue or bad breath..
unless they break a tooth on a bone!

[nodakerdeb]

Periodontal disease is a tough one to get on top of once it takes hold (in both humans and dogs) because the bacteria gets down in the pockets and it is very difficult to keep clean. People have better luck because they have the ability to floss daily, but that is very difficult with a dog – and believe me, I've tried. Periodontal disease is not the same as an auto-immune disease that dogs can get (lest I be accused of getting them confused).

I believe the reason our furry companions, and especially the dry-mouth (non-slobbering types) often get it is because of a couple things in addition to not being able to floss. 1. They don't slobber so their mouths really don't get a good natural rinse, and 2. they are fed an unnatural diet. In the wild they would be crunching up bones which acts like a natural toothbrush/floss, and they wouldn't be eating cereal grains which are carbs on steroids turning to sugar once it hits the saliva.

There are kibbles out there that do not contain grains which may help by keeping the sugars at bay in the mouth. Evo is one, Instinct is another. Feeding raw is a great alternative. I am also a big fan of the PetzLife product and think it works wonders to keep plaque at bay on the teeth, but not sure how well it works with the plague and bacteria already under the gumline. My rat terrier does not have periodontal disease. I feed him Evo and brush his teeth daily (with a three-sided toothbrush) with Petzlife and he has the teeth of a two year old which isn't bad considering he's almost 11. If his gut could handle it I'd feed him raw, but that has not bode well with him unfortunately.

FWIW, in a past life I worked as a chairside assistant for a dentist so I do know a bit about teeth and periodontal disease. I came away from that experience realizing that if I were on a deserted island I'd rather have an endless supply of dental floss vs. a toothbrush. I would be more likely to keep my teeth with the first rather that the latter. Now if we could just figure out how to floss a dog's teeth.