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#1
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How early for tooth decay?
We have a 13-month old Maltese who we got from a breeder at age 5 months. At 7 months we had him neutered; at the same time the vet suggested removing 6 retained baby teeth. He was not happy camper immediately after that day, but was back to eating his dry kibble in a about 2 days. His diet consists of Eukanuba dry kibble (this is what the breeder recommended) supplemented with various healthy people foods: lettuce, broccoli, carrots, plain yogurt, and occasional scraps of meat. These are never given at the table, so he does not beg for food. He almost never gets sweets of any kind. He chews on Nylabone edibles and unflavored, undyed crushed/pressed rawhide sticks. My wife says he has "bad breath" but frankly his breath doesn't smell any different from any other dog; usually the smell is from food scraps carried in his whiskers; when we clean his face with a wash cloth his breath is baby fresh. We try to brush his teeth but he is very fussy and at most we usually have to be satisfied with his chweing on the toothbrush saturated with enzyme toothpaste. A few weeks ago we noticed that one of his teeth in the middle, right side of his upper jaw (just barely covered by the angle of the mouth) looked yellowish and mis-shapen. There is a dark brown area of gum much higher up where this tooth us, which we have been assuming is just pigment. We called the vet who recommended an exam and cleaning under sedation. Yesterday, he got hold of a purse with a string hanging out and was chewing on it. As I retrieved it from his mouth, using almost no force, I discovered a piece of tooth (with a very tiny bit of reddish looking edge) hanging from the string. We looked in his mouth - of course there is a gap where that funny tooth once was - but almost no detectable bleeding. I put the fragment in a zip lock bag for when we bring him to the vet. We're trying to get an appointment with the vet soon but in the meantime this is burning us up. We've read that Maltese - and small breeds in general - have problems with teeth, but assumed that this only became critical after years of decay (8 or 9 in Wikipedia article). This little guy is only 13 months! The rest of his mouth looks pretty good, so what on earth could be going on here? Could this be a baby tooth that was "missed" during the extractions earlier this year? If not - how can a dog so young develop rotten teeth so quickly, and on a diet that includes things supposed to help remove tartar? |
#2
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How early for tooth decay?
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#3
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How early for tooth decay?
In article ,
Mike S. wrote: We're trying to get an appointment with the vet soon but in the meantime this is burning us up. If there is a periodontal problem you will almost certainly see inflammation along the gum line. I know that in humans (ask me how! no, wait, don't) a retained baby tooth can start to grow out in the way you describe later in life if there are other changes in the mouth. That doesn't mean that's what happened here, but I don't think it's impossible. I have a dog with a missing upper canine. Her previous owner (the breeder) said "it just fell out one day." Obviously there was something more to it than that but she doesn't otherwise have periodontal or dental problems, so I'm guessing injury (she plays rough). The only one who can tell you for sure is the vet. There are so many possibilities inside the mouth. -- Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community |
#4
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How early for tooth decay?
In article , diddy none wrote: (Mike S.) spoke these words of wisdom in news:g6a60o$nma : Your dog is still loosing baby teeth Guess that's still possible. After the 6 extractions earlier this year, from the discussion with the vet we kinda "Assumed" there were no more baby teeth as the idea was to ge them all while he was under anesthesia for the neutering. Will post after the vet visit. |
#5
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How early for tooth decay?
In article , Melinda Shore wrote: In article , Mike S. wrote: We're trying to get an appointment with the vet soon but in the meantime this is burning us up. If there is a periodontal problem you will almost certainly see inflammation along the gum line. I know that in humans (ask me how! no, wait, don't) a retained baby tooth can start to grow out in the way you describe later in life if there are other changes in the mouth. That doesn't mean that's what happened here, but I don't think it's impossible. I have a dog with a missing upper canine. Her previous owner (the breeder) said "it just fell out one day." Obviously there was something more to it than that but she doesn't otherwise have periodontal or dental problems, so I'm guessing injury (she plays rough). The only one who can tell you for sure is the vet. There are so many possibilities inside the mouth. Vet says there is gingivitis and lots of tartar. We brought with us the tooth that fell out; she said there is a bit of root attached to it so she's not sure if it's a baby tooth or not. Couldn't do a full exam because of the tartar and lack of cooperation. Scheduled for cleaning and exam under sedation on Thursday. |
#6
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How early for tooth decay?
Mike S. wrote:
Vet says there is gingivitis and lots of tartar. We brought with us the tooth that fell out; she said there is a bit of root attached to it so she's not sure if it's a baby tooth or not. Couldn't do a full exam because of the tartar and lack of cooperation. Scheduled for cleaning and exam under sedation on Thursday. In humans, at least, sometimes it happens that the root of a baby tooth fails to dissolve completely. My son had a baby molar that was loose but didn't want to come out. Wiggling it caused pain and bleeding. His sister (older by 4 years) got tired of listening to him complain about it. She told him, "C'mere, lemme see, let's go in the kitchen where the light is better." He really should have known better. Next thing I knew, she had him in a headlock with her hand in his mouth. She twisted, yanked, he yelped, and there was the tooth in her fingers. It had a nasty, sharp little dagger blade of residual root on one edge that had kept it anchored - no wonder it hurt to wiggle it. |
#7
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How early for tooth decay?
On Jul 26, 11:18 pm, Kathleen wrote:
Mike S. wrote: Vet says there is gingivitis and lots of tartar. We brought with us the tooth that fell out; she said there is a bit of root attached to it so she's not sure if it's a baby tooth or not. Couldn't do a full exam because of the tartar and lack of cooperation. Scheduled for cleaning and exam under sedation on Thursday. In humans, at least, sometimes it happens that the root of a baby tooth fails to dissolve completely. My son had a baby molar that was loose but didn't want to come out. Wiggling it caused pain and bleeding. His sister (older by 4 years) got tired of listening to him complain about it. She told him, "C'mere, lemme see, let's go in the kitchen where the light is better." He really should have known better. Next thing I knew, she had him in a headlock with her hand in his mouth. She twisted, yanked, he yelped, and there was the tooth in her fingers. It had a nasty, sharp little dagger blade of residual root on one edge that had kept it anchored - no wonder it hurt to wiggle it. I know some dogs are prone to more tartar. I think there are some drops you can put in the drinking water to help, otherwise it is all maintenance. good luck! |
#8
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How early for tooth decay?
In article , wrote: On Jul 26, 11:18 pm, Kathleen wrote: Mike S. wrote: Vet says there is gingivitis and lots of tartar. We brought with us the tooth that fell out; she said there is a bit of root attached to it so she's not sure if it's a baby tooth or not. Couldn't do a full exam because of the tartar and lack of cooperation. Scheduled for cleaning and exam under sedation on Thursday. In humans, at least, sometimes it happens that the root of a baby tooth fails to dissolve completely. My son had a baby molar that was loose but didn't want to come out. Wiggling it caused pain and bleeding. His sister (older by 4 years) got tired of listening to him complain about it. She told him, "C'mere, lemme see, let's go in the kitchen where the light is better." He really should have known better. Next thing I knew, she had him in a headlock with her hand in his mouth. She twisted, yanked, he yelped, and there was the tooth in her fingers. It had a nasty, sharp little dagger blade of residual root on one edge that had kept it anchored - no wonder it hurt to wiggle it. I know some dogs are prone to more tartar. I think there are some drops you can put in the drinking water to help, otherwise it is all maintenance. good luck! Exam and dental scaling done under sedation yesterday. Sure enough, the tooth that popped out looked to be a baby tooth, and its retained partner on the opposite side was extracted. This all puzzled us, as 5 months ago the vet had told us she had extracted all 6 remaining baby teeth under anesthesia. Perhaps these were impacted or not visible at the time. In any case, he now has a full set of teeth with no extras, and they're all pearly white. The vet gave us some "perio" nuggets that are supposed to be effective in scaping off tartar. Dog won't touch then unless hand-fed; frankly they small like cardboard. Also a sample of similar stuff in powder form to sprinkle in his regular food. We'll give that a try. He gets all fussy when we try to brush his teeth; in retrospect maybe part of that is due to his frantic efforts to lick the good-tasting doggie toothpaste. Perhaps we should try brushing with no toothpase at all; it'd be better than nothing or ineffective brushing. |
#10
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How early for tooth decay?
In article , Janet Boss wrote: In article , (Mike S.) wrote: He gets all fussy when we try to brush his teeth; in retrospect maybe part of that is due to his frantic efforts to lick the good-tasting doggie toothpaste. Perhaps we should try brushing with no toothpase at all; it'd be better than nothing or ineffective brushing. I know a number of people who swear by "Plaque Off". Worth a try. Thanks - we'll look into it. |
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