Question: My dog has some tartar on his bottom teeth, but I started to brush the dog’s teeth last year. Is it completely safe to have my dog’s teeth professionally cleaned, or should I ignore it? Has anything bad ever happened to a dog during teeth cleaning?
First of all, good for you for being aware of your dog’s dental health! Dirty teeth can cause a number of serious health problems, including periodontal disease and congestive heart failure. To keep your dog in top physical health, it’s important for you to make sure his teeth remain clean and tartar-free.
At-Home Doggie Dental Care
If you think it’s tough to get your five-year-old to brush his teeth, you have a whole world of misery ahead of you when you first establish a doggie dental routine. Dogs don’t have opposable thumbs, so you’ll have to do the brushing yourself — while holding your squirming, unhappy pooch still. It’ll be a struggle, but isn’t your pup’s health worth it? Here’s how to clean your dog’s teeth.
- First off, invest in a few dental supplies, including a doggie toothbrush, toothpaste formulated for pets, flossing picks made for humans and pet dental rinse. If your dog’s mouth is too small to comfortably accommodate a toothbrush, opt for fingertip toothbrush sleeves or disposable gloves designed for teeth cleaning. Flossing picks are great if your dog has something stuck between his teeth, and dental rinse gets out all the bits of tartar, plaque and detritus you’ve just scrubbed out of his teeth.
- The easiest way to brush your dog’s teeth is to have someone hold him while you do it. You can also “burrito” small dogs by wrapping them tightly in a towel or blanket, leaving only their heads free.
- Approaching your dog from behind his head, gently hook one finger into the side of his mouth, creating space between his cheek and gums. Squeeze a little toothpaste onto the brush and insert the brush at the gumline, brushing gently. Apply more toothpaste and brush the other side of his mouth.
- Use a floss pick to remove the gunk from between his front teeth, top and bottom.
- Rinse his mouth with the dental rinse.
- Set him next to his water bowl so he can rinse further if he needs to.
- Give him a cookie, and tell him what a good dog he is!
Depending on how much he struggles, you may not be able to accomplish a full cleaning at once. That’s okay. Do as much as you can, and continue the session in segments until you’ve cleaned his whole mouth. Weekly cleanings are ideal, but once a month will do if that’s all you can manage.
If you have a puppy, start cleaning his teeth right away so he’ll get used to it. For older dogs, try to make the experience as fast as possible, giving him a tasty treat when you’re done. It might take some time — and effort! — but in most cases adult dogs can get used to the routine.
Keep in mind that regular brushing will help, but just like humans, your dog will need a full cleaning every six to 12 months.
Veterinary Dental Cleaning
No matter how well or how often you brush your pup’s teeth, there will come a point when you will need to pay a professional to give your dog a thorough cleaning. Dog’s won’t usually need this procedure until they’re over five years old, but since their needs can vary widely from dog to dog, consult your veterinarian about when to begin professional dental work. Small dogs will generally need more frequent cleanings than large dogs.
Consider having a blood test performed on your dog to make sure he doesn’t have any health conditions that might make it dangerous for him to undergo anesthesia. You’ll need to fast your dog and make sure he doesn’t drink for at least eight hours prior to the cleaning, and then drop him off at the vet first thing in the morning.
When the vet is ready to begin the procedure, he will administer general anesthesia, which will knock out your pup for about 15 minutes. While your dog is unconscious, the vet will scrape the tartar from your dog’s teeth, clean the surfaces and check to see if any teeth are damaged enough to require extraction. If so, then your dog might require additional anesthesia while the vet pulls the bad teeth.
When the procedure is complete, the vet will bring your dog out of anesthesia and observe him for several hours before releasing him to your care. You’ll be sent home with antibiotics and a small amount of pain medication, which you can administer as necessary for the first day or two after the cleaning.
The cost of a professional cleaning is anywhere from $150 to $600, depending on your vet, the condition of your dog’s teeth and whether or not the vet needs to extract any teeth.
Anesthesia-Free Teeth Cleaning
Although most veterinary dentals are fast, trouble-free experiences, there are risks associated with any procedure that involves anesthesia. A pre-dental blood test will help determine if your dog is a good candidate for this kind of dental procedure, but nothing is foolproof. The sad truth is that some dogs die while under anesthesia.
If you’re concerned about the risk of anesthesia, or if your dog is old or needs his teeth cleaned more often then every six months, opt for anesthesia-free teeth cleaning, which will remove most of the tartar and plaque from your dog’s teeth, keeping them clean and healthy. The only thing a non-veterinary dental hygienist can’t do is perform extractions, but hopefully your pet won’t need any once you’ve established healthy habits.
Prevent Problems
In addition to regular brushing and dental cleanings, the best way to keep your dog’s teeth tartar-free is giving him great food and appropriate treats. Excellent nutrition promotes overall good health, especially for your dog’s eyes, coat and teeth. The verdict is still out on whether or not dry food is better for your dog’s teeth than wet; most vets don’t think there’s a difference. What matters is making sure there isn’t food caught in your dog’s teeth.
Although the friction caused by your dog chewing dry food isn’t really enough to remove tartar, several chewie treats can do the job nicely. Greenies and other specially formulated treats are great, but expensive. A more cost-effective idea is giving your dog cow hooves or bully sticks, both of which work well and are safe for your dog to ingest. You might also try a plastic chew toy, such as a Nylabone.
Another danger in giving your pup Greenies … he may not want to give them back! Check out Levi the pug…
Photo: Flickr/destinyuk*
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1 Comment - Where Is Yours?
If your dog has tarter on it’s teeth, you should consider having them professionally cleaned. However, if you trust your vet and he/she says that this is not necessary, I think that you can refrain from doing so.
At the expense of being barred from this site, I will make a confession. I have had dogs for forty five years and I have never ever brushed their teeth. (Regrettably they have had other health issues). Thankfully they have never had dental problems, perhaps this is due to the fact that I have always given them something healthy to chew every day. They love raw carrots, dried fish sticks and I sometimes give them RAW bones
Try giving your dog a carrot or a RAW bone and this will clean their teeth.
Just a daft thought, I brush my teeth three times a day and I still have dental problems. Should I dump my toothbrush and try raw carrots, my dog’s teeth are healthier than mine.
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