Dental

Here is a photograph of dental care tools. The wrapped Petrodex packets are teeth cleaning pads. The are quite effective on the very young dogs teeth, or those that have been cared for. They will not clean off tartar. The green cylindrical object beside the Petrodex pad is a finger toothbrush. This is a very soft plastic "brush". Again, very good for the young dog, or one that has good home dental care. This is also a very nice soft tool to get a young dog or a dog new to dental care, used to having his mouth handled in a pleasant way. The canine tooth brushes explain themselves. The white tools are teeth scrubbers and they have a surface like a pot scrubber, and are very effective with plaque and very early tartar (the green pad is a bit harsher surface than the white). Metal dental scrapers come in many types, from flat edges to sharp pointed surfaces for scoring a stubborn plaque deposit. The points can very gently clean between teeth, however if there is no tartar there it is best to clean between teeth with a toothbrush. It is a good idea to have an experienced person show you how to scrape a dog's teeth. You can damage the gums if you do it improperly.
This is a photo of a very old dog (age 13) who has dirty teeth at the moment. This dog has her teeth brushed regularly, and even at her age has a full set of teeth, and healthy gums and tissues in her mouth. This dog has had home dental care all her life. Her teeth need to be brushed every few days, and if we miss every couple of weeks the yellow plaque shows up again, and she has this scraped off at home. The dark marks aren't cavities, they are bits of dirt, as she snuffles around the yard.
Here is a photo of the same old girl with her teeth having had their weekly cleaning.
Here is a photo of a young dog, age 3 before his teeth are cleaned. He has some dirt and hair embedded at the gumline of his canine teeth. Dog's often get quite quite a lot of hair embedded at the gumline from licking themselves. It is easy to remove with the flat edged dental scraper above, or the blunt end of a wooden toothpick, or even your fingernail. If left there, the hair can cause gum irritation.
Here is a photo of the same young dog after tooth brushing. This dog's teeth are in such good shape from just brushing them, that he has never had tartar deposits. If a dog's teeth aren't brushed, the plaque turns into tartar at a fairly young age, especially on the outer molars, and can extend down the entire molar. Where the most damage occurs however, is that the tartar can disturb the gum where it meets the tooth, causing early perindontal disease. The gum will then recede.
If you get a dog used to having its mouth handled at a young age, it will actually enjoy this essential part of grooming. If you get an older dog, or have not ever cleaned your dog's teeth, do not push the issue too quickly. Start with gentle touching around the mouth, and gradually introduce tooth cleaning pads, canine toothpaste on your finger, then the brush, then finally the other dental tooths. Depending on the personality and temperament of your dog it may take from minutes to weeks to accustom your dog to dental care.