[texasniteowl]

Recently my Wilson had a teeth cleaning. Not a huge deal. His blood work was perfect. (He is 9.) But…he just had a cleaning 2 yrs ago. How do I go about trying to start brushing his teeth. He is not crazy about me even trying to look at his teeth. I’ve had him 3 yrs and he has never really liked me trying to look in his mouth. So now to try to brush his teeth? I don’t know how to start! And to be honest, it wasn’t something we ever did to dogs we had in years past. (We went 8 or 9 yrs without a dog after our previous one died of liver cancer.)

Anyway, tips? tricks? good YT vids? help?

[anonymously]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR8bLPRkXkE Lot’s of good videos like this one over at YouTube. Just put dog teeth brushing in the search engine.
I use a medium brush and Petrodex (6.2 oz) toothpaste, Chewy. com carries it.
I pay particular attention to the back, sides, and try to get the inside back as well.

I would make a routine out of it, once or twice a day at the same time for at least 1-5 minutes. Take it slow at first till the dog gets used to it.

[Coonhound Mama]

Another good idea is to start with a dog toothpaste in a flavor your dog really likes. This cuts out the amount of loathing right from the get-go! I adopted a 5 year old dog this past year with absolutely horrendous teeth and after 9 months of brushing, I can say we’ve made considerable progress. A few minutes a day is all it takes. We currently use the peanut butter flavored Nylabone toothpaste and a finger brush, and hoping to move to dental gel made by Mercola as it’s all natural and more intensive (I think she can handle it now). Good luck!

[jakes mom]

Don’t start with a brush, start with just putting a finger in his mouth with a bit of the paste, just let him lick it. When he’s ok with that you can try a bit of gauze around your finger and “brush” with that. Work up to the brush, always letting him sniff and lick every new thing you introduce. You may need to try several flavors to find something he likes. I use a paste I make myself with just a bit of baking soda and some coconut oil. Coconut oil is very healthy for a lot of reasons. I use a finger brush , I feel I have more control with that rather than a regular brush. Don’t worry about getting the whole tooth, the outside is more important than trying to get to the inside surface.
There are also some additives you may want to look into that are supposed to prevent the plaque from attaching to the tooth to begin with, they’re made of a seaweed extract. Not a substitute but in addition to brushing. You just sprinkle on food each day.
Last but not least, a raw bone to chew is a great toothbrush if you’re open to that. There’s a lot of good info here on feeding raw bones for dental health. My guy gets a bone at least twice a week. He’s 12 and has never had a dental.

[anonymously]

Just be aware that there are risks involved with bones. Broken teeth, GI blockages…..

[jakes mom]

Sure, that’s why you need to do your research and know your dog and what kind of a chewer he is. Which is why I suggested Texasnitowl do some reading on the raw food forum.

[texasniteowl]

Thanks for all the info. I am reviewing!

jakes mom…raw bones are a no go. Wilson has a rear tooth, molar? that has an enamel defect. my vet says a lot of vets would say to pull it. however he is more conservative and as long as it is not inflamed/infected/abcessed, then he is in favor of leaving it in. so far so good. my vet doesn’t even want me giving Wilson bully sticks, let alone bones.

I will look into the different flavors of toothpaste, or even the coconut oil paste. And I will look into the additives. I know I had heard of some you add to their water daily too. But obviously I hope I get him to accept tooth brushing!

[jakes mom]

Good luck, most dogs will accept it if you go slowly. Might not like it, but will put up with whatever their strange human wants, lol.

[anonymously]

You may find some helpful information here: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2011/01/healthymouth-water-additive-does-it-help-prevent-dental-disease/comment-page-1/#comment-119235

[Cannoli]

Use a human extra soft toothbrush. Most of the dog toothbrushes are terrible for your dog’s gum if you brush their teeth daily like I do. The hard bristles on dog toothbrushes do damage to a dog’s gums.

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