Clean Teeth

[Catlady711]

The most important thing is to look at the gum lines. If the gum lines look inflammed then it's probably time for a cleaning. My Clover had her's cleaned about 1 yr ago while getting a minor surgical repair after getting into an arugment with some barb wire- she lost. Her little brother Barney hasn't been cleaned yet. My previous dog had 2 cleaning in 11 yrs. The cleanings should cost around $80. The important thing is to keep gum infections down, as staph infections in the gums tend to find their way to such places as heart valves.

How often an animal needs a dental depends on the individual. As a general rule cats and small dogs need teeth cleaning more often, but there are exceptions.

If animals aren't given vet done dental cleanings at the first sign of trouble, things can get much worse. We've had several people recently who's pets have DIED from not doing the dentistries when we recommended it. From that point the bacteria got into the gums and caused all kinds of havoc with the heart/kidneys/liver etc. If you think about how your mouth would look/smell if you never brushed your teeth for a few years, it's just as bad for animals. Not only can it cause bad breath, but left untreated bad teeth/gums can kill your pet.

The ONLY way to have the teeth properly cleaned is by a licensed veterinary dentist and done under anesthesia, anything less is not getting the job done in any significant way. American Veterinary Dental College

Once your pets teeth have been professionally cleaned then a regular brushing routine will help keep tartar off the teeth. Brushing teeth yourself will NOT remove the tartar, it has to be scraped off. Starting a brushing routine when your pet is very young is the best way too keep teeth healthy longer.

Every vet charges different prices based on his/her overhead. A larger building, more staff, more equipment, longer hours, bigger city, etc results in a generally higher fee. A phone call to other area hospitals should get you a rough idea what the average charge for a dentistry is.

[Taz_Zoee]

Thanks everyone for all the knowledge!
So, I will look into having her teeth cleaned and then keep up on her dental care. Today at the vets she said her teeth looked good.

[dragondawg]

Catlady,

I shutter to think of trying to brush my two monsters. I can envision a situation where the only place devoid of doggy toothpaste in the house would be the doggy's mouth.

P.S. My previous dog ate the toothpaste faster than I could brush with it.

[Catlady711]

Catlady,

I shutter to think of trying to brush my two monsters. I can envision a situation where the only place devoid of doggy toothpaste in the house would be the doggy's mouth.

P.S. My previous dog ate the toothpaste faster than I could brush with it.

LOL it's not any easier with cats lemme tell you! When Dusty finally had to have her first dentistry at 12 yrs old and Jack had to have one at 1 1/2 years I seriously tried to implement a brushing routine. The cats would NOT tolerate any such thing. Both these particular cats are my most difficult to do certain things with.

Pooky & Bear had to have their teeth cleaned recently at 5 years old but both of them were so squirmy I couldn't even check their teeth beyond smelling bad breath. I had to take them in for the boss to evaluate. Lemme tell you that's embarassing to have to have your vet boss check something on your pets that you figure you should be able to do yourself. ROFL

[Giselle]

I dunno where the rest of you guys live, but everything is expensive over in the Bay. The place I work at charges an average of $300-$500 for Grade A and B teeth. Realllyyy nasty teeth can easily go $700 what with extractions and extended amount of anesthesia plus fluids and pain/antibiotic injections and all that good stuff.

The cheapest you can go for a dental ONLY is probably $300. The only dental I know that is only $80 is feline dentals. Giselle's estimate was about $400 for the dental alone, but the bloodwork and exam costed us about $100. And I don't even want to know how much extractions cost...

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Winston is the only one of my dogs who has ever had his teeth cleaned by the vet, and only because he had a bad one that we thought might need to be taken out (it didn't, fortunately, and it's in good shape now) due to conditions previous to living with us. The others have no need for it and probably never will with good upkeep and such. I don't believe most dogs should have to get their teeth professionally cleaned ever as long as you take care of them.

[dragondawg]

Winston is the only one of my dogs who has ever had his teeth cleaned by the vet, and only because he had a bad one that we thought might need to be taken out (it didn't, fortunately, and it's in good shape now) due to conditions previous to living with us. The others have no need for it and probably never will with good upkeep and such. I don't believe most dogs should have to get their teeth professionally cleaned ever as long as you take care of them.

The day I will have such beliefs will be the day I call my dentist and tell him, I no longer believe my teeth need cleaning. Not that I consider going to the dentist ever an event of joy.

Until that time, I will take seriously any recommendation by the Vet that one of my dogs needs its teeth professionally cleaned:

Association of periodontal disease and histologic lesions in multiple organs from 45 dogs.

DeBowes LJ, Mosier D, Logan E, Harvey CE, Lowry S, Richardson DC.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506, USA.

J Vet Dent. 1996 Jun;13(2):57-60

In the forty-five dogs studied, an association was found between periodontal disease and histopathologic changes in kidney, myocardium (papillary muscle), and liver.

[Catlady711]

I dunno where the rest of you guys live, but everything is expensive over in the Bay. The place I work at charges an average of $300-$500 for Grade A and B teeth. Realllyyy nasty teeth can easily go $700 what with extractions and extended amount of anesthesia plus fluids and pain/antibiotic injections and all that good stuff.

The cheapest you can go for a dental ONLY is probably $300. The only dental I know that is only $80 is feline dentals. Giselle's estimate was about $400 for the dental alone, but the bloodwork and exam costed us about $100. And I don't even want to know how much extractions cost...

WOW!!!!

Around here that would be utter highway robbery and then some!!! Heck around here for those prices you could have a couple large dogs spayed with all the vaccinations and probably some heartworm medication!!!!

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Perhaps I worded it wrong. I wasn't meaning to say that no dog should ever have their teeth professionally cleaned, as I don't feel that way. Most of the dogs I personally know have never had to have their teeth cleaned though. Ultimately it's up to the owner and the individual dog's needs, of course.

[ratdogg]

erm, so i KNOW this isn't the greatest method, but my dog chews up sticks and my bestfriend said that chewing the sticks probably helps keep her teeth beautiful....lets just hope she never gets a blockage