# Toothpaste and brushing



## LAL (Jan 21, 2009)

What kind of toothpaste do you use and how often you you brush your pups teeth? 
Thanks!


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## Hatsumomo77 (Sep 11, 2011)

We use this brand of toothpaste from Petsmart, its peanut butter flavor. I've read on here before that you can use baking soda and water and clean their teeth that way too. If you want venture into petsmart or petco and see what you can find toothpaste wise that would fit your needs or you can just go old fashioned and clean em with the baking soda and water .


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## S&LP'S Mommy (Feb 20, 2011)

I brush there teeth everyday or everyother day. I use CET toothpaste poultry flavor.​


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## bellasmummy (Apr 8, 2009)

I try to do it every day or every 2nd day. Bellas got very bad teeth and has bad most of them taken out due to her medications and heart condition so i do my best to keep whats left clean (ish!) we just get whatever doggy paste from pets at home as theres not much choice here in the UK i find. I also use baby tooth brushes as all the dog ones we got were too big for them lol


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## munchkn8835 (May 23, 2010)

I tried brushing Ollie's teeth and it was a disaster! He definitely doesn't like the chicken flavored toothpaste. Will try to get the peanut butter one!


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## CeeCee's Mom (Sep 14, 2006)

I use the Dental Clens pad at Doctors Foster & Smith. I usually use two pads per cleaning and I clean their gums and teeth all the way to the back teeth. They keep using their little tongue constanly when I use a brush and toothpaste and I cannot get very well in to the back teeth. It really keeps down plaque. I clean once a day!


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## tobysmom (Jan 1, 2011)

I use a little kids toothbrush i got from CVS with b/c of the very soft bristles. Sometimes i brush with the tropiclean freshbreath foam and sometimes i use the petco poultry toothpaste, but my next brand with be the CET enzymatic, b/c it gets the best reviews. 

And sometimes i also use the Doctors Foster & Smith dental pads, i like them a lot.

I brush at *least* 3 days a week, (he grows built up plaque so easily!), sometimes in lieu of i use a greenie or dog dental gel.


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## munchkn8835 (May 23, 2010)

CET makes a dental chew I use occasionally. Should use them more often. The toothbrush I have was given to me from the vet and has small bristles and long handle. I tried thetroopiclean in his water and he wouldn't drink it. Stubborn little man!


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## reanut1379 (Oct 10, 2011)

I use Sentry HC Petrodex. It's the only toothpaste I saw at Petsmart. It's poultry flavored. It says to brush 2-3 times weekly, but I try to brush her teeth every day


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## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

Rocky will absolutely not keep his head still for me to brush his teeth. He will stay still for me to look at his teeth, but as soon as I pick up the toothbrush or fingertip brush he thrashes his head back and forth like a crazy man!!! What's the next best thing? The stuff you put in the water or the spray,but don't think he will stay still for the spray either. He fights me to put the ear cleaner solution in his ears. He's quite the little stinker!:angry:


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## tobysmom (Jan 1, 2011)

Rocky's Mom said:


> Rocky will absolutely not keep his head still for me to brush his teeth. He will stay still for me to look at his teeth, but as soon as I pick up the toothbrush or fingertip brush he thrashes his head back and forth like a crazy man!!! What's the next best thing? The stuff you put in the water or the spray,but don't think he will stay still for the spray either. He fights me to put the ear cleaner solution in his ears. He's quite the little stinker!:angry:


if he lets you rubs his teeth with his finger, try the dental pads from Dr. fosters smith.


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## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

I can rub my fingers over his teeth but if he sees anything in my hand it's over. :blink:


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## LAL (Jan 21, 2009)

Instead of facing your dog to brush his teeth, my vet suggested puting him on the counter or your lap with his butt up against you, since it's natural for dogs to back away he will back into you as you are putting your hands near his mouth, and wrap gauze around your finger and use that to clean his back teeth. I haven't tried it yet but she was able to do it very easily. Not sure I gave a good visual of that. lol


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## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

That sounds like a good idea...I'll try it.:thumbsup:



LAL said:


> Instead of facing your dog to brush his teeth, my vet suggested puting him on the counter or your lap with his butt up against you, since it's natural for dogs to back away he will back into you as you are putting your hands near his mouth, and wrap gauze around your finger and use that to clean his back teeth. I haven't tried it yet but she was able to do it very easily. Not sure I gave a good visual of that. lol


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## Rachel (Dec 6, 2011)

Bubbly's still on dental chews once a day... he's just barely tolerated me playing with the fur around his eyes, I haven't had the heart to try and brush his teeth. How well do you ladies feel the pads work? I think we will start out with those.


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Daisy has very bad teeth so I brush every day or every other day. I use a baby toothbrush and Four Paws Natural Pet Dental toothpaste which she loves!


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## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

I have baby tooth brushes you can buy from a food store... its really small and very soft. I use Denta Clean mint tooth paste... keeps my pups breath smelling nice (and its a white paste so it blends in with their hair if anything gets on them)! I usually brush their teeth every night but sometimes I skip a night here and there. I also have a tarter control liquid i put in their water that the vet gave me (you can also buy it online... i forget the name of it though). 

I have trainned kodie to lay on my lap on his back facing me and i brush his teeth and kelsie i brush her teeth while she is sitting down on the floor... i just make sure to hold her beard when I am brushing her teeth to keep her in place.


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## cyndrae (Aug 30, 2009)

I spray LebaIII every night and every other day I use enzymatic toothpaste (chicken flavor) the toothbrush I use is the little human portable toothbrush from Safeway. They are disposable and have a small head with little rubber teeth.


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## LornaP (Jan 26, 2012)

We use KissAble toothpaste on our westie that you can get from PetCo. But for those of you whose dog's HATE having their teeth brushed (My maltese hates it and won't tolerate it) we use wipes. Also, here is a good articles on alternatives to brushing. Hope it's useful!

My dog hates getting her teeth brushed, what other options are there? | Ruff Ideas


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

I brush Rockys teeth every day. He hated it at first but now seems ok with it. It was a pack from petco, an enzyme toothpaste that tastes like chicken. I did forget to clean them today though...oops


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## Heidi+Michelle (Jan 10, 2012)

My vet told me that I should brush Heidi's teeth every day, especially as Maltese are prone to teeth problems. So I have started at 10 weeks, and she doesn't seem thrilled about it, but we get through it.

I pretend I have a treat, play "keep away" a bit, and get her to bite on it like a toy, then the brushing begins. This seems to have lessened the problems because it is something she is interested in, and not afraid of.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

I use the C.E.T. vanilla mint every day using a baby toothbrush. I do use gauze wrapped around my finger to get to the molars. I have found that the enzymatic toothpaste is more effective than the baking soda. At night before bed, I apply the Petzlife Oral gel. They also make a spray, but I have found the gel more effective because it stays on the teeth longer. I may give the dental pads a try.:thumbsup:


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## jojo (Jan 13, 2012)

Chouchou adores having her teeth cleaned. She even licks the tube


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## Blizz (Jul 2, 2012)

I'm wondering if I can start brushing my 12 week old with toothpaste? Can anyone shed some light on this please?


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## tobysmom (Jan 1, 2011)

Blizz said:


> I'm wondering if I can start brushing my 12 week old with toothpaste? Can anyone shed some light on this please?


As long as it is toothpaste specific to dogs it is fine at 12 weeks. : ).

If you do a search on amazon and sort by rating you'll find Petrodex enzyme toothpaste and Virbac enzyme toothpaste in the poultry flavors are the favorites.


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## chrisnjenn (May 26, 2012)

This was recommended to me by Rocky's breeder and his vet. Rocky likes the beef flavor the best. He hated the poultry flavor.


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## jessbuggy (Jun 18, 2012)

My dog lets me clean his canines and front teeth, but never his molars.  He always starts licking his lips a lot whenever I do it, which gets in the way too. Help! How do you get your dog to open his/her mouth?


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

jessbuggy said:


> My dog lets me clean his canines and front teeth, but never his molars.  He always starts licking his lips a lot whenever I do it, which gets in the way too. Help! How do you get your dog to open his/her mouth?


We recently talked about this in this thread: http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/52-...r/120411-rocky-fighter-well-named-id-say.html

I described my method in it  hope it helps! Obi LOVES the Poultry flavored toothpaste- just find a flavor that your pup likes


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## StevieB (Feb 2, 2012)

I know I SHOULD be brushing every day, but honestly I probably only do it twice a week. I use the finger tip toothbrush and Steve doesn't mind it too much. My vet told me I really only have to worry about brushing the outside of the teeth (the cheek side), not the inside (tongue side). Is that true?


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## jessbuggy (Jun 18, 2012)

^ I don't know, that intel sounds iffy to me, since I see plaque on both sides of my dog's teeth when he yawns lying down. o.0


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

StevieB said:


> I know I SHOULD be brushing every day, but honestly I probably only do it twice a week. I use the finger tip toothbrush and Steve doesn't mind it too much. My vet told me I really only have to worry about brushing the outside of the teeth (the cheek side), not the inside (tongue side). Is that true?



Your vet is basing that on the fact that 90% of plaque and tartar develop on the buccal side of the teeth (cheek side). Although it would be super ideal to brush the entire surface, it is much more important (and oftentimes more realistic and practical) to brush the buccal side for this reason. Chewing and the action of the tongue on the lingual side of the teeth (tongue side) helps prevent as much tartar/plaque build-up. I'd go where the money is at :thumbsup:


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## StevieB (Feb 2, 2012)

hoaloha said:


> Your vet is basing that on the fact that 90% of plaque and tartar develop on the buccal side of the teeth (cheek side). Although it would be super ideal to brush the entire surface, it is much more important (and oftentimes more realistic and practical) to brush the buccal side for this reason. Chewing and the action of the tongue on the lingual side of the teeth (tongue side) helps prevent as much tartar/plaque build-up. I'd go where the money is at :thumbsup:


Listen to you, Marisa, using all those smart doctor words. Buccal and lingual. I learned something! I think you are right, because I was talking about how difficult it is to brush the "lingual" side and I think her logic is brush the easy side often rather than not brush at all because it's too difficult. And it is true because I'm much more likely to do it now. I'll be sure to hit the lingual side sometimes too though. :aktion033:


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## ThatBrunette (Jun 14, 2012)

Are the C.E.T. HEXtra chews as good as brushing? Harley won't open her mouth (I tried the 'show me your toofies' method) and doesn't seem to like the toothpaste. Harley has a few issues from her old home and we are working through them, slowly. Dental health is important so, I don't want to skimp on brushing. If I can supplement the brushing with the chews until she gets more comfortable, it will make for a happier home.


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

ThatBrunette said:


> Are the C.E.T. HEXtra chews as good as brushing? Harley won't open her mouth (I tried the 'show me your toofies' method) and doesn't seem to like the toothpaste. Harley has a few issues from her old home and we are working through them, slowly. Dental health is important so, I don't want to skimp on brushing. If I can supplement the brushing with the chews until she gets more comfortable, it will make for a happier home.


I use the CET dental chews (have tried both the enzymatic chews and the HEXtra chews- Obi likes both!)- 1/2 to 1 chew daily, VBiotene dental water additive + filtered water, and brush teeth daily. If you're slowly conditioning Harley to toothbrushing, I think that the supplemental dental care is better than nothing at all. Of course, it's not a replacement, but something is better than nothing  Have you tried the Petrodex toothpaste or the CET toothpaste? There are a few different flavors, so put a little on your finger first, let Harley sniff and lick and just do that for a few days. 

Other chews like Bully sticks help with mechanical dislodging of plaque/tartar too, but are not a replacement to brushing by any means either. Keep practicing with Harley and with time and trial, you will find the best method for you both!


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## tobysmom (Jan 1, 2011)

StevieB said:


> Listen to you, Marisa, using all those smart doctor words. Buccal and lingual. I learned something! I think you are right, because I was talking about how difficult it is to brush the "lingual" side and I think her logic is brush the easy side often rather than not brush at all because it's too difficult. And it is true because I'm much more likely to do it now. I'll be sure to hit the lingual side sometimes too though. :aktion033:


When i use guaze or dental pads it's very easy to get the lingual side, maybe do that every so often.


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## BradyLily (Sep 9, 2009)

I've been using PetzLife Oral spray twice a day on my babies. They are both 4-1/2 years old and they had their teeth cleaned by our vet one time. Brady's teeth are pretty good because he loves to chew. Lily on the other hand will not chew anything she can't swallow! I've tried to brush their teeth but I don't get very far. I'm afraid to take them for another cleaning because it took Lily all day to wake up from the anesthesia. Brady was awake in an hour and Lily was still groggy when I picked her up at 4:30 pm. I was very upset and they said that it will take longer if a dog is overweight. At the time Lily was about 10 lbs. she is around 8.4 now. I guess she was kind of chunky, but I still think that was a little ridiculous. The spray seems to be helping but I've been using it for about 4 months and she still has a good amount of icky stuff on her teeth. Is there another spray that I can try? I can get their mouths open and spray a couple of times in before they pull away. Are there any chews that taste really good that maybe I can try with Lily? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!


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