Loose Teeth

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Archived Message

Loose Teeth
by LISASTINE
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Loose Teeth My girlfriend called yesterday after taking her dog for a regular dental visit. While under, the Vet removed 6 teeth. My girlfriend was quite shocked as her male 4 year old maltese had no other previous extractions. Is this common within other Malteses? What could have caused the loose teeth? Is there anything she could do to prevent it from happening again? Thanks for your help.

DISCUSSION:

Hi Lisa, peridontal disease is unfortunately very common in Maltese unless you keep their teeth clean. Many people brush their dogs teeth every day with doggy toothpaste and a doggy toothbrush. Our maltese constantly chew on nylabones and gumabones, which are supposed to act as a toothbrush and are claimed to significantly reduce peridontal disease. We also give them each a raw chicken wing 2-3 times a week. This was on a Vet's advice so your friend may want to discuss this with her Vet first, (in fact the Vet should already have discussed with her some strategies for preventing tooth loss if he has extracted some loose teeth). It is very important that the chicken wings are RAW. Since we started doing this I have noticed a great improvement in the smell of their breath, which is a sure sign that they are winning the battle with the bacteria that cause peridontal disease. It is never too late to start this kind of treatment.
Deanna (Moose & Squirrel)

I don't know how common it is for Maltese, but toy breeds do tend to have more teeth problems than larger ones it seems. At 14, Puff has only had to have 2 teeth removed. He has always eaten mainly dry dog food, with just a little bit of canned food, or boiled chicken (no skin), or something on top occaisionally. He also gets his teeth brushed every day. I think this helps a lot. It is never to late to start brushing. We use a standard doggy toothbrush, but for those that have problems with the brush (some dogs really fuss and bite), they also have a "finger" brush .. it fits over your finger and has little bristly things on it (this is assuming the dog won't bite your hand, but may bite a brush!). Even just rubbing the toothpaste on with gauze is better than nothing. I should mention that even with the brushing and dry food, we still have to take him to have his teeth scaled by the vet every 2 years or so, so regular check-ups are also important.
Aimee