How Do You Know When You Need A Dental

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

Sadie does wonderfully on her kibble. She still gets three or four raw meals a week.

 

Her breath is starting to smell like dog breath and her teeth obviously are not as white.

 

Sadie has not had a dental since she was adopted at age three. She'll be seven in October.

 

 

Spud still looks good so I'm not as worried about it for him as I am for Sadie.

[Guest scfilby]

Look at the back teeth back below the eye. If there is a lot of tarter build up it is likely time to see the doggy dentist.

[Guest shanesmom]

I look at the tarter around the gums. Not the color of the teeth. Elton's teeth are not very white and do look a little stained, but there hasn't been much tarter at all so the vet says he doesn't need a dental. At least not at his last visit last year. He's 9 years old. There looks to me like there may be some tarter building up now so we'll see what his vet says when he goes in for his yearly this summer.

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

Ok, I'll check her gums. I do brush their teeth (but not regularly) and they get lots of chews/dental wash...

 

This world of kibble takes getting used to.

[Remolacha]

Fletcher had a little tarter build up, but my vet said his teeth were fine. A couple of months ago, I started noticing doggy breath, but blamed it on the fosters . When I finally realized it was him, I took him in and he had a abscess He had to have his first dental in 6 yrs and lost the bad tooth. It wouldn't hurt to have the vet check her teeth if you can still smell doggy breath.

[greysmom]

Bad breath is a first sign. Check her teeth close to the gums and look for a lot of tartar build-up and/or if her gums are bleeding or look inflamed. Also, if you can, open her mouth and look around the cheeks and lips for any sores or areas that look wrong.

[RobinM]

As greysmom said, the breath is a telltake sign.

 

My poor Polli had the worse teeth. When she came to me, her breath was so bad, she was able to stink up my 3200 sq foot house. No joke. At her first dental, she lost 17 teeth. After that, her breath was better and I brushed every single night. EVERY night. But it did not last long. I had to give her full dentals every 8-10 months. No matter what I tried, her teeth were just horrible.

[kamsmom]

As greysmom said, the breath is a telltake sign.

 

My poor Polli had the worse teeth. When she came to me, her breath was so bad, she was able to stink up my 3200 sq foot house. No joke. At her first dental, she lost 17 teeth. After that, her breath was better and I brushed every single night. EVERY night. But it did not last long. I had to give her full dentals every 8-10 months. No matter what I tried, her teeth were just horrible.

 

Goodness! How many teeth did she even have left after losing 17? Poor Polli

[RobinM]

As greysmom said, the breath is a telltake sign.

 

My poor Polli had the worse teeth. When she came to me, her breath was so bad, she was able to stink up my 3200 sq foot house. No joke. At her first dental, she lost 17 teeth. After that, her breath was better and I brushed every single night. EVERY night. But it did not last long. I had to give her full dentals every 8-10 months. No matter what I tried, her teeth were just horrible.

 

Goodness! How many teeth did she even have left after losing 17? Poor Polli

 

 

Enough to demand (by foot stomping and yelling at me to hurry it up) dried chicken strips, bully sticks, chicken breast and kibble, etc. She ate everything that everyone with teeth ate... plus some! God, I miss that firecracker.

[Guest kydie]

what greymom said, dragon breath when my boy came here, when he would exhaile I could smell his breath clear across the room, I don't look for color,, as they teeth can be stained

[Guest LindsaySF]

The bad breath is the first sign. I don't worry about the color of the teeth, they can have stains, I worry about tartar build up and what the gums look like. Periodontal disease manifests with gum erosion, so check the gums. I peel back their lips and check the back molars, those are usually the dirtiest and the first to go. If there is significant tartar, gum erosion, or any teeth feel loose, they need a dental.

 

Teagan gets lots of tartar build up on his teeth. I brush and scrape them regularly, but once he gets more gum erosion or any pockets under the gums, he'll go in for a dental.

[Guest MnMDogs]

When we're in doubt, we bring them in for a dental consult just to be sure. But like everyone else said, don't just look at the color - Macy May's teeth are deceptively white, and for some reason those 2 upper teeth (one on each side) right under the eyes have some recession, redness and tartar build up. It's weird, since her teeth really are blindingly white otherwise!