I wouldn't say you're wasting your time. You might be a bit better off with
a (slightly) more abrasive surface (like a jay cloth or something like
that). You can also get finger brushes which give you a little more control.

If you'd like, I have an instructional pamphlet that a classmate of mine
(vet student) put together, outlining a method to get your dog to accept
them brushing their teeth, and how to avoid hurting them, etc etc.

If you think it would be helpful, drop me an e-mail off group (d at kin a t
I by c us d o tc o m) and I'll see if I can get a hold of a digital copy of
it from her (its got some good tips in it).

Dale

"Charles Widmoore" wrote in message
. ..
I have a Maltese Poodle, he's 9/10 years old

The way i've been brushing his teeth is i have dog tooth paste (Chicken
flavor) and I get medical gloves, put some tooth paste on my finger, open
his mouth and do circle motions around the gums and teeth area

I'm too afraid to actually use the tooth brush that came with the package
because i feel i might do it too hard and hurt him...so this finger
approach it feels like i have more control and I won't hurt him but i'm
wondering am i wasting my time???

he had 7 teeth removed about 4 months ago, they were rotten and it took
awhile for him to heal from the operation, had to go through 3 sets of
different anti-biotics till he finally started to show improvement

He still seems sensitive around his mouth area...

am i wasting my time doing this circular motion with medical gloves and
tooth paste?

my dog is part of the family but I've had to spend over 1,000 for all the
medecine and procedures and I just don't have the money at the moment if
I had to go back to the vet ...I have Uncles who would have taken the
approach to put him to sleep