Taking care of those pearly whites

Rian · Oct 1, 2022

Margot got bonked during her playdate today, revealed by a bloody mouth, and I'm SO glad she did because it prompted a more thorough inspection of her teeth...and unfortunately I discovered my admittedly lax toothbrushing has not been doing us any favors. I haven't done any tooth checks in a while and was horrified when I found quite a bit of tartar build-up on two of her teeth along with what looked like some pretty inflamed gums even tho she wasn't sensitive at all when I pressed around.

From some advice I found here on PF, I tried gently scraping it with my dental tool and it came off in one easy film. I can't believe she let me do that. Her gums already look better! Sorry Margot, I will now be brushing your teeth far more often than you'd like. Bad mom, lesson learned.

Does anyone have a toothpaste that their poodle loves? I have this one but she seems to hate it. It smells pretty awful, I don't blame her.

P.S. Regarding the bloody mouth, I found a small little cut, I think she either bit her lip or got her lip bit, but there are no loose teeth or anything concerning. Only thing I can think to look out for is a possible infection in the cut, so I'll be keeping a close eye on that...

94Magna_Tom · Oct 2, 2022

Looks like you did a good job👍! I use Virbac with Elroy. He doesn't care for any flavor toothpaste. He's too smart...knows what comes with it. We brush about 3 times a week. He tolerates it, but doesn't like it. Our deal is, ironically, he gets a "Greenies" dental treat after each tooth brushing. He loves his Greenies!

Rian · Oct 2, 2022

94Magna_Tom said:
Our deal is, ironically, he gets a "Greenies" dental treat after each tooth brushing. He loves his Greenies!

I just made the same deal with her, I think she's accepted.

Rose n Poos · Oct 2, 2022

I also use Virbac CET toothpaste. It comes in three flavors. So far, chicken flavor is a winner, actual brushing still a work-in-progress for the boys. We brush every other day, and if can't remember if it's a toofy day, then it's automatically a toofy day

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AmazonSmile : Virbac CET Enzymatic Toothpaste| Eliminates Bad Breath by Removing Plaque & Tartar Buildup | Best Pet Dental Care Toothpaste | Poultry Flavor, 2.5 oz tube : Pet Supplies

Rian · Oct 2, 2022

Rose n Poos said:
We brush every other day, and if can't remember if it's a toofy day, then it's automatically a toofy day .

I like this mantra! I'm about to set a reminder on my phone...

JasMom · Oct 2, 2022

I use Petrodex enzymatic toothpaste in poultry flavor. My dogs love the flavor and tolerate brushing pretty well. I let them lick a pea size amount of the toothpaste at the end as a reward. I brush 3-5 times a week. I also give a dental chew every morning.

beowoof · Oct 2, 2022

chiming in to second the petrodex poultry toothpaste. licking the toothpaste after as a reward for brushing is a must according to Kirby. he also gets a daily dental treat, which i'm not sure if it does anything but he seems to really enjoy.

Starla · Oct 2, 2022

I use vetsbest enzymatic. Phoebe doesn’t fight it, but we’ve been doing it since she was a wee thing. I haven’t tried anything else so I can’t say if she “likes” it or not.

Dechi · Oct 2, 2022

Good job in the front ! There is still a bit of inflammation left but it should go away.

Have you looked at the teeth in the back ? There hard to see, you need to use both hands to open the mouth and move the skin. Since dogs don’t eat with the front teeth, most of the tartar is in the middle/back of the mouth. What you took off must have been caused by food residue.

Rian · Oct 2, 2022

Dechi said:
Good job in the front ! There is still a bit of inflammation left but it should go away.

Have you looked at the teeth in the back ? There hard to see, you need to use both hands to open the mouth and move the skin. Since dogs don’t eat with the front teeth, most of the tartar is in the middle/back of the mouth. What you took off must have been caused by food residue.

Fortunately I got a pretty good look when I was looking for the source of the blood and all the gums in the back looked healthy and pink with none of that gunk tucked up on the gumline like her front teeth. She gets a bit of wet food as a topper on her food which I thought might be the culprit for the excess build-up.

Happy'sDad · Oct 2, 2022

We brush nearly every evening and Happy still has some tarter build up, so I'm not sure it's a toothpaste thing. I ask about her teeth at every vet visit and I keep getting told she looks good and doesn't need a cleaning. I've considered getting a scaler, but I'm not sure how successful I'd be.

94Magna_Tom · Oct 2, 2022

Anybody have a good doggie dental scaler they'd recommend? I'd like to have one in case I need it. Amazon link?

fjm · Oct 2, 2022

I use Virbac CET - the dogs like the taste so it makes brushing happier, and the after brushing treat is another lick of toothpaste! I brush every morning - time consuming with three dogs but easier to remember.

DogtorDoctor · Oct 2, 2022

A small thing of note: if you plan on scaling your dog's teeth yourself, you must do some sort of polishing afterwards. If not, the micro-scratches left after scaling allow tartar to actually build up faster. The smooth surface of a polished tooth doesn't provide an easy area for tartar to stick.

Happy'sDad · Oct 2, 2022

Thanks, good to know.

JasMom · Oct 2, 2022

As for the dental chew, my vet likes that the dogs are chewing. She suggested we use any from the Veterinary Oral Health Council list. I don’t think it is as good as brushing but probably better than nothing.

Taking care of those pearly whites

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