Teeth

[Rudy's_Buddy]

Just the other day I convinced my dad to buy Rudy a new toothbrushing kit, it has a finger brush, a soft bristle toothbrush, and a 3.5 oz.tube of minty dog toothpaste.
When we got back from the store I went over to Rudy, let him sniff every item, then let him lick a small amount of the toothpaste from off my finger(the directions said to do this.) At first Rudy thought the toothpaste was a treat of some sort, until he licked it.. lol.. But anyway, I took the finger brush with a little toothpaste on it to try to get Rudy to accept it in his mouth, he fought a bit but then realized either way his teeth were going to get brushed so he let me get in there an get it finished(I only brushed for a few minutes since he doesn't really know what to expect.) When I was done I noticed there was still some plaque on his teeth, or at least thats what I think it is.. The stuff was a blackish brown.. and didn't come off..
Is there any way to get it off without scrubbing at his teeth with the toothbrush?
Also, how can I get him to keep his mouth open while I brush so that cleaning the inside area is easier?

T

[Moo]

I have no clue about the stain. I would maybe try brushing with baking soda.

As for keeping his mouth open, you may want to dry to wedge it with something like a stick, near the back of his jaw.

[Rudy's_Buddy]

Moo, I tried to stick a tennis ball in his mouth (since he likes chewing on them(I was hoping he would hold on to it, which would keep his mouth open)) but he started throwing his head around and then spit it out. I'm afraid that if I do use something, he might move and choke on it.. Could that happen?
As for the build up on his teeth, could I use something to scrape it off? on the areas where it wasn't thick it came off with a little finger nail acton.. lol

T

[weezyNollie]

Careful with putting sticks in the mouth.. they get caught real easily. (Dogs come in with lacerations from sticks, or gets stuck in their throat and cuts off their airway!) As for the calculus build up.. without getting a dental prophylaxis from the clinic, there isn't a way to get that off. It requires scaling (either with a hand instrument or a ultrasonic scaler). Check into what it costs at your clinic and start thinking about it for Rudy. To get working on it, you can offer bones and other hard toys to chew on and get it broken down.

[Blaze]

Sorry I don't know what the stain could be. My vet cleans Lilly's teeth about once or twice a year and the rest of the time I just give her apple to eat after she's had a meal.
Maybe you could get your vet to clean his teeth as well............

[Rudy's_Buddy]

Lilly's_owner, about how much do vets charge for teeth cleaning? It would be convenient to get that done when we're there to get his shots up-dated; thats if they will do both in the same day..

The built up stuff seems to mainly be on his big teeth in the front(canines?). Would it work to keep brushing those teeth everyday for awhile to see if it helps, or would that be too much?

T

[Blaze]

Hi,
I don't know how much it will cost you because I live in a different country to you but Lilly's vet charges $100. I know heaps of people who pay less or more than that tho. A lot depends on how bad your pets teeth are. Here is a website I found:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...=1&SourceID=13
you may find it helpful!

[Rudy's_Buddy]

I just noticed something, some of the build up is gone from around his gums, probably from him chewing on his bone, and getting his teeth brushed again(I've been trying to teach him that the toothbrush is good, so his teeth are getting brushed daily). I'll try to get some pictures of his teeth, they aren't in the tip-top shape since he is almost 7 years old (there are a few little chips from the edges of a couple teeth, nothing bad though).

T

[weezyNollie]

You can brush it, but like I said before you need a scaler. Calculus is very hard and just brushing won't make it go away. Dentals are not cheap, around a couple hundred dollars. It's a day long process sometimes.. you anesthetize the animal, scale and clean the teeth, and possible extract any that need it. It's not something you can wait for.. but the only way to know how much is to your vets office and get an estimate. Each clinic differs.

[Moo]

I guess the stick thing is easier for me, I've been teaching him to hold a stick in his mouth since he was a little puppy as part of a dominance excercise. Watch small things though, you could be setting off his gag reflex if it's too far back.