When to have their teeth cleaned?

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

My Vet has a billboard up that February is National Teeth Cleaning Month and they are offering a discount...

 Bailey will be 2 in May and eats a healthy Orijen diet with not a lot of extras..I do not see any yellowing on her teeth and want to make sure they stay a pearlie white...

When do you have your doodles teeth cleaned?

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

A dog has to be put under to have their teeth cleaned.  Our vet does not advise teeth cleaning unless the dog is being put under for something else or the teeth are in absolute need of cleaning.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Our vet feels the same way.  Murph is 3 and Guinness is almost 4....neither of them have tartar yet.

[Traz, Karen & Dale]

Hi Elizabeth...when we received Traz back in September, we were told that we should brush his teeth a couple times a week with doggy toothpaste (never use human toothpaste as it can harm them).  We use Arm & Hammer, Advanced Care, Tartar control, Enzymatic toothpaste.  Traz thinks it's a treat and loves it because it has a mint and beef flavor to it.  I'll admit that he doesn't just sit there with his mouth open so I can brush his teeth.  I have to put him in a small area in our bathroom so he can't wiggle away from me.  I just brush the outside of his teeth because the enzymatic component and Traz's tongue distribute the toothpaste to the other parts of his teeth.  His teeth have remained pearly white so we don't have to have them done by the vet.  I brush his teeth before bedtime because he is sleepier and less apt to struggle with me.  From what I hear, they put them out to clean their teeth.  Good luck with your teeth cleaning, whether you decide to start brushing his teeth now or have it done by your vet.  Karen H.

P.S.  They also have chew toys/bones that are supposed to help with teeth cleaning, if you don't want to brush them.  Traz gets those too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is no certain age at which a dog needs to have their teeth cleaned. It varies widely from one dog to another, depending on age, diet, eating , drinking and chewing habits, and most of all, genetics. My last dog, a miniature poodle, lived to be 16 and never had her teeth cleaned; although miniature poodles are notorious for having dental issues, my dog's teeth remained tartar free and her gums were pick, firm, and healthy. I attribute that to genetics and the fact that she was a major chewer all her life. 

JD, on the other hand, is not a big chewer and has lousy genetics. He does get tartar build-up. He needed a cleaning when he was 5 or 6. 

A cleaning does require general anesthetic, so you don't want to do it unless it's necessary. Sometimes, if there is a small amount of tartar, it can be removed by hand-scaling, if your dog is well-behaved and generally cooperative. if you have a trusting relationship with your vet, you might ask him/her for an assessment of Bailey's dental health. 

[Camilla and Darwin]

We had Darwin's teeth cleaned because he had enough tartar that the vet felt the risk of leaving the tartar there was greater than the risk of putting him under.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That was why we did JD's as well. 

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

WHy we did Tacky's too.

[Amanda and Quinn]

Quinn had tartar buildup on four teeth at his last appointment (he's almost five years old) and the vet said it was not worth the risk of putting him under for a full cleaning. (Especially because Quinn has seizures.) She offered to scrape them for him, so we did that instead, and he took it just fine. They do need an antibiotic for a week after the scraping, though, just to be safe.

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

thanks so much for the info...I do have a good relationship with her vet, I htink next time i'm in to pick up her flea meds, i will have them take a look to be sure.    I have to say I have not brushed her teeth in a while...I better be a good momma and start...

thanks for the input

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Cubbie has had his teeth cleaned 2 times and he just turned 4.  No matter what I do, his back teeth do not stay white.  My new year's resolution in 2012 was to brush their teeth every day and even then i didn't see much of a difference and i've tried all the products.  I don't like to have him put under put those big back molars get really gross. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned had his teeth cleaned when he had a broken tooth pulled.  I don't know that the other teeth really needed it but it seemed like a good idea since he would be out already having his teeth worked on.  Clancy is also 4 and hasn't had his teeth cleaned.  Our Springer is 9 and we get compliments about how nice his never-cleaned teeth are - pure genetics for him, and one of the only 'good' genetics he has.

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

I saw that some groomers are certified to do non anesthetic teeth cleaning. Has anyone tried this? I wonder if the results are just as good.