Tartare Build Up: Is a veterinary dental clean advisable?

[Dalesred]

Just as an aside from the other post.

Meg's teeth are in pretty poor shape - she's got considerable tartare build up. I give them chews from time to time but they tend to give both dogs the runs. Vet mentioned at last checkup she could have them cleaned professionally. But that would mean a general anaesthetic, plus the bloodwork beforehand to check she'd be ok as she's 9.

I'm reluctant to put her under the stress of an operation if it's only borderline worthwhile. Plus of course, it's expensive.

Thoughts anyone? ( Apart from what a wicked woman I am to let it get this bad before doing anything )

[stockdogranch]

I like RMBs (raw meaty bones) to do the dental cleaning. After a REALLY scary incident last year with a young dog and anesthesia, I really don't like to knock them out unless it's totally unavoidable,

 

A

[kelpiegirl]

I just had a dental done on my 5 year old dog. Vet noticed a chip in her upper carnassial tooth, and a pocket of infection above it. Dogs get raw bones to chew on. Vet did a dentistry, and had to pull that tooth- yikes. The procedure was quite pricey, and the anesthesia etc., was added onto the cost of the dentistry. So, in my case, the bones may have done more damage than good- her teeth still were not clean, and she broke a tooth off anyway. Bones won't remove a lot of highly built up tartar- they are more of a preventative. If your dog needs teeth done, do it sooner, not later, and then give the rmbs like anna suggest- with the caveat of- beware of possible tooth damage.

[Chesney's Girl]

For good teeth cleaning bones I like knuckle bones (The top part of a leg bone) because the bone part isn't as thick and they are very edible. There is a significant amount of marrow in them though so maybe feed them frozen to maximize chewing time before picking them up for the next go round the next day. Also the more they get them the more their tummy will get used to them and it should minimize the runs after eating the bones. I also like Ox tail bones (whole ox tails are best) because of their odd shape which makes them gnaw on them longer as it takes more "problem solving" to eat them. I would say give them a couple of weeks of bones either every day or every other day and see if it helps the tarter any (taking a picture makes comparing easier ) and if it's not better then maybe look into the vet for a teeth cleaning... But knuckle bones would be my first step.

[diane allen]

Bones, schmones. Sorry, gang, I have to respectfully agree to disagree. I can't GET good meaty bones, so my dogs just don't get 'em.

 

Yes, anesthesia can be scary - but it is MUCH safer than it used to be. They're not out very long for a dental, and you should be able to find out what anesthesia they use.

 

My story: my BC came to me at age 3.5 yr with bad teeth. At age 8, my vet dentist did a root canal on a canine, pulled four lower incisors (that were so worn down, they were marginally below the gum line), and cleaned. I don't remember how much it cost (oh wait - now I do! It was $800 - "only" $100 per year of her life!). But it was SOOOO worth it.

 

She was happier afterwards, and more willing to tug (she always did like it). But most importantly, her intermittent bladder infections practically STOPPED. I think the low-grade infection from her teeth circulating was causing them. She had - and still occasionally has - an incontinence problem, which became significantly better after the dental.

 

She hasn't had her teeth cleaned in 4 yr now, and vet says they don't really need it. For that, I'm thankful. But if there were ANY reason to do it, I'd do it in a heartbeat. 'Course, I have a great vet dentist (yep, that's all he does), and it is comforting to know he can do dental x-rays if he sees something that might warrant them. He doesn't do them unless he thinks there's a problem - but most 'regular' vets can't do dental x-rays.

 

Please do consider it!

 

diane

[Sue R]

Looks like we have differing opinions about bones!

 

I feed weight-bearing bones two to three times a week. Both my five-year-olds have very clean teeth and no damage (due to bones - Megan's lost a very tiny tip off a canine but you can hardly tell that after several years interlude). The vet commented on the great condition of their teeth at their last exam, including the two-year-old.

 

I feed them frozen (just because that's the way they come from the freezer in the morning) and sometimes pick them up later in the day (they get them on my workdays) and save them for another day, and sometimes just let them play "musical bones" when they are all uncrated after work.

 

I do ease them into the bones if they haven't had them for a while and that usually avoids any intestinal unpleasantness. I use smaller, less "rich" bones (like rib bones) to let their systems adjust. Once they've developed the right gut flora (using the rib bones, then smaller marrow bones, and on to the bigger marrow or knuckle bones), they don't have any issues with upsets when getting bones every few days or so, even with minor interruptions. I do also feed some fiber (cooked winter squash, canned pumpkin, cooked beets, or cooked sweet potato) with each kibble meal twice daily, and that might help avoid any bowel looseness, as well.

 

I would not know, though, if these types of bones (knuckle and shin or marrow bones) would help with teeth that are already heavily tartered. And, I would have the teeth looked at before starting a new regime of hard bones at your dog's age, to check for prior damage/chips/cracks beforehand to avoid problems.

 

Like Julie suggested, you might wish to get them cleaned first and checked, and then decide if you need to go with regular dental care that you can do at home, give bones (either Anna's nutritious RMBs or the recreational weight-bearing bones), or some combination of the two.

 

Best wishes!

[Dalesred]

Thanks all. This is really, really helpful.

I am rather leaning towards the dental for Meg, followed by some kind of gnawing regime - to maintain.

I'll ponder some more and let yopu all know what we go for.

Thanks again!

[donna frankland (uk)]

let me know if you need help sourcing good bones hun, i can probably point you in the right direction

[Riley-dog]

I taught Riley to lie still on his side with his head on my thigh and I can use a dental pic to chip off the tartar. He practically falls asleep while I'm doing it now. It's not as thorough as the water pic that the vets use and it doesn't completely remove the brown staining but it does remove all of the hard yellow tartar. BTW if you decide to give it a try you actually use the SIDE of the pic for the scraping. Don't just gouge with the tip or you might wear into the enamel. The tartar actually flakes off pretty easily.

[Wendy V]

Seems there are many answers to this one.

 

I feed raw, so I have no cleaning to do on my dogs, but I do not feed weight bearing bones any longer due to teeth breakage on multiple dogs and the resulting expensive dental work. When one of my dogs needs dental work, I go to a veterinary dental specialist whose facility has very good anesthetics and monitoring equipment. I don't trust this sort of work to non-specialists and their very rudimary surgury suites.

[bc friend]

If Meg's in otherwise good health, I would have the professional cleaning. Sara needs a cleaning every 18 months or so. Her last cleaning was when she was @ 14-1/2 and she had no problems. Any anesthesia carries some risk but so does bad teeth as they can cause other health problems.

[mum24dog]

Of all my dogs my 9 year old has the least tartar - virtually none.

He used to have bones but I had to stop as he chips and cracks his teeth on them.

The others do have bones and more tartar.

Never had a dog need a dental.

 

Pam

[stockdogranch]

After having a young (just one year old) very healthy dog go into full cardiac arrest a year ago under anesthesia (she was revived, but it cost her some brain function and me $5000.), I no longer have the relaxed attitude I used to have about anesthesia. My now 13 year old always had really nice teeth. Then, at about age 11, they started to show some pretty nasty buildup. When I switched to a partially raw diet, his teeth cleared right up. They are now gorgeous again, as are all the others'.

 

A

[jdarling]

I also use frozen knuckle bones for teeth cleaning purposes (seems to clean everything else out too!) ... I am able to buy a bag of them in our local bulk grocery store.

 

Jodi