Dental issues

J

janice7920

Forums Enthusiast
Has anyone experienced any bad dental issues with their dog and if so, how did you treat it? Our little girl is undersized and thus, has some teeth alignment issues. When she was spayed, the vet pulled one that was rubbing against another but now I noticed she seems to have an early buildup of plaque or tartar (for which we've been brushing), but I now just noticed that there are some dark spots on those big teeth near the back of the upper mouth. Today, in clear daylight, I think I noticed a fracture or rough edge by the biggest spot and I wonder if she cracked a tooth on something and is developing decay or damage. We have a vet appointment about it on Monday. She's just under 2 years of age and the vet said cavities in dogs tend to be rare and I wonder if thats the consensus here as well. I'm wondering if she got some tooth damage thats causing issues.
 
Dental issues are very common in shelties. Misaligned teeth, peridontal disease and the associated gum recession and decay. They are in the top 10 of all breeds in perdontial disease.

Cavities are very rare in all dogs even shelties. Broken teeth are not that uncommon from chewing on hard objects. Sounds like that is what is going on with your girl.

That being said my little 13lb bi blue girl Ember has lost 2 teeth to breakage. 1 4th premolar(the big tooth on top) and 1 molar. I have often wondered if it because of her size(she is petite compare to my others) but then again her great uncle and grandma both fractured their 4th premolars and My Justice, her uncle has broken the tips of both of his 4th premolars, neither one as small as her. We do know dental health/strength runs in lines and families in dogs just like people. Ironicly, Ember and Justice are not the chewers in my house.
 
Thank you so much, I really appreciate the helpful information you shared. I'm nervous about it but hope its early enough to fix, somehow. It doesn't seem to bother her and I just happened to notice it when she was standing above me while we were playing and she had her mouth open. Thank you again for taking the time to write.
 
Last night I was thinking more about this and was wondering if there is ever a chance for repair of chipped or cracked tooth and nearby dark spots or if it usually ends up being an extraction? Our girl is about 16 pounds and loves to chew those Natures Variety beef sticks. Did you have to change your dogs' diets dramatically to accommodate the tooth extractions? Just wondering how they adjusted. Wish I had thought of all these questions when I typed my last reply yesterday! It looks like she has dark spotting on both upper big teeth near the back which are probably those molars. I'll post again after our appointment tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
 
12 years ago I worked for a vet. There was a dental seminar we were sent to. One thing isn't really common knowledge and I don't claim all vets have same outcome but we were told at the weekend seminar the dental tool actually leaves ridges on the teeth which create plaque build up faster and require more cleaning down the road. The teeth when they are cleaned are scaled and the whole nine yards but there isn't a smooth polishing that happens and well those ridges are there.
It is on the tip of my tongue and I cant remember the name off hand but there was a med that was used for breeds that have known dental issues, these drops helped keep bacteria at bay and preventing dental at such a young age.
 
There was some product/supplement that was supposed to support dental health but I was so relieved her teeth weren't cracked that I never asked about it. Next time I go I'll see what the name of it is and post it here to see if anyone recognizes it or has tried it. Thanks for the reply.
 
There are a number of products out there to help with dental health.

The first and best defence is teeth brushing. Most dogs put up with it pretty well, its just a matter of getting into the habit of doing it.

Tropiclean sells a tooth gel that you squirt into their mouth that helps break down plaque without brushing. They alsp have a water supplement as well.

But for any of these products to work, you need to have a really good chew to help remove the plaque once its broken down.

This is the hard part. I have one dog that will eat anytying I put in front of him. Deer antlers are great. Expensive but last forever.

Another dog, that really does not have a chew instict at all. It has to be really good for him. Greenies and Paragon fit the bill.

If you dog is into bones, then great! Awewsome for the teeth, but I would supplement with the Tropliclean water supplement. Bone breath can be nasty. The Tropiclean helps breath as well.
 
Here is the dental plan that my vet put my boy on:

Daily tooth brushing.

Greenies three times a week.

As daily treats, Hills Prescription t/d Dental Health dog food nuggets. (Available from the vet.)

Monthly surge therapy with (pills) Clavamox antibiotics, for the gums.

I did that for years, and it did an excellent job of reversing my boy's dental problems.
 
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