# Poor Willow and Her Dental Cleaning Experience



## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Yesterday Willow went in for her dental cleaning. This is the first one she has had. The vet checks her teeth every year during her checkup and last year said that she would be due this year for cleaning. She had 3 teeth pulled! Two molars and one little tooth on the side. She had a really rough night. She couldn't eat in the morning yesterday and she wouldn't eat after she got home. She didn't drink anything either. She kind of moaned and whimpered off and on until probably around midnight. Oh I felt so bad but there wasn't anything I could do for her.

When we woke up this morning she is much better. She was stretched out and looked comfortable in her bed. Took her out to pee which she did. Then she wolfed down her breakfast. Since she gets dehydrated food so I made sure it was extra wet so she would get more fluids. She is still wanting to be pretty quiet and sleeps but no more whimpering. I'm so glad she is showing signs of feeling better. It just so emotionally hard to see her in pain and not being able to help.

Now I feel like a bad doggie mom. I feel like I should have taken her in for dental work sooner even though the vet did not seem to be concerned about her. The vet tech did tell me that little dogs suffer from bad teeth more than big dogs. I do brush her teeth daily too although I don't think I'm very effective. The vet tech said we should get her in yearly for dental work. I like the vet clinic and have been going to them for years. I guess the vet could only access the amount of tarter during her yearly checkups but was unable to tell if any teeth were loose. Anyway, lesson learned.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

I am glad Willow is feeling better today. She is just about the same age as Molly and this makes me think I better get her in for a cleaning in the near future. Her vet has also said her teeth were fine at her yearly visits but they have never been professionally cleaned. Better to be safe than sorry!


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Worry not! While there is pain associated with extractions, I would venture to guess her reaction was more related to post-anesthesia dysphoria than actual pain (especially given the timeline). Whimpering, whining, and shaking while the anesthesia continues to metabolize is very normal after surgical procedures. Nino had a very basic dental cleaning done a couple months back with no extractions, and you'd think he'd lost everything he's ever known with how he carried on. While they are often a bit stressed when this is occurring, they typically don't even realize it is happening. When sending surgery patients home, we always let them know that this reaction is common, normal, and that unless it becomes incredibly persistent or insistent, their pet is doing alright  Regardless, glad she's feeling better! I just don't want you worrying yourself too much. If teeth came out, you did the right thing!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Exactly what Sophie said! Hard to watch, but this isn't pain, it's from the anesthesia. <hugs> to you and glad she's feeling better today!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Do you mean you wish you had her assessed by the actual dentist earlier? Our vet told us the exact same thing and it has been one year as of last week! Maybe I should go ahead and make the appointment. 

Good to know about the anesthesia! 

This reminds me that I really do want to consistently brush teeth again before they are actually cleaned so we can already be back in the habit. I tried about a month ago, a couple of times with both toothpaste, coconut oil, and breath liquid stuff, all on different days, and it did not go well.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

You are a fantastic doggie mom, by the way! It is HARD to brush teeth at all!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I don’t think anyone should beat themself up about teeth. Some dogs are more prone to developing tartar especially if they have super tiny mouths and crowded teeth. Mia has a very small mouth and crowded teeth on one side. On that side, she develops tartar and on the other side she doesn’t. I brush each side every day so it has nothing to do with brushing or not brushing. Although I assume the crowded side would develop even more tartar if I didn’t. I would like to think that brushing does something!


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

Oh my goodness Jackie, everyone is right you are not a bad dog mommy! Cotton had 2 teeth pulled during his cleaning a few years ago and I felt so guilty. He was fine but my mommy guilt took over for the day. I brush Cotton and Jodie’s teeth with a baby silicone finger toothbrush using C.E.T. Toothpaste for dogs. Our vet, of 23 years, said it’s important to just get it in their mouths and on the teeth because dogs have different enzymes in their mouths than humans. Then I smash peanut butter into a toddler toothbrush and let each dog chew on that. JoJo is 15, blind and almost completely deaf so he bites if I shove my finger brush into his mouth. I just rub the toothpaste in his mouth with my bare finger. If he’s still around in 6 months we’ll do another cleaning. Mudpuppymama is right, we can do everything possible for our babie’s teeth and still need to schedule a cleaning at some point. 
Jackie, if you were a bad Mom you wouldn’t bother being in the forum community. Maybe you should give yourself a big hug and say “I’m a wonderful Mom!” 🥰


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

JaJa said:


> Oh my goodness Jackie, everyone is right you are not a bad dog mommy! Cotton had 2 teeth pulled during his cleaning a few years ago and I felt so guilty. He was fine but my mommy guilt took over for the day. I brush Cotton and Jodie's teeth with a baby silicone finger toothbrush using C.E.T. Toothpaste for dogs. Our vet, of 23 years, said it's important to just get it in their mouths and on the teeth because dogs have different enzymes in their mouths than humans. Then I smash peanut butter into a toddler toothbrush and let each dog chew on that. JoJo is 15, blind and almost completely deaf so he bites if I shove my finger brush into his mouth. I just rub the toothpaste in his mouth with my bare finger. If he's still around in 6 months we'll do another cleaning. Mudpuppymama is right, we can do everything possible for our babie's teeth and still need to schedule a cleaning at some point.
> Jackie, if you were a bad Mom you wouldn't bother being in the forum community. Maybe you should give yourself a big hug and say "I'm a wonderful Mom!" &#129392;


Yes, I can brush Kodi's and Panda's teeth with a toothbrush. But Pixel and her mouth are just too small. I just can't get even a baby toothbrush into her mouth and do anything with it. Same with one of the finger brushes. It's just too much "stuff" for her little mouth. The vet told me the most important thing is just getting the toothpaste into her mouth and on her teeth, so that's what I do, with no brushing. She is the only one who has needed her teeth cleaned so far (though Kodi FINALLY needs it at 11 1/2 now) but they said her teeth looked great and her gums were in good shape once they had cleaned them. I think it helps that she does have a good bite and her teeth fit her mouth well with no crowding... it's just all small!


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## Faithb (Aug 18, 2020)

Glad to hear that Willow is feeling much better. You are a great doggie mom!


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

KarMar said:


> Worry not! While there is pain associated with extractions, I would venture to guess her reaction was more related to post-anesthesia dysphoria than actual pain (especially given the timeline). Whimpering, whining, and shaking while the anesthesia continues to metabolize is very normal after surgical procedures. Nino had a very basic dental cleaning done a couple months back with no extractions, and you'd think he'd lost everything he's ever known with how he carried on. While they are often a bit stressed when this is occurring, they typically don't even realize it is happening. When sending surgery patients home, we always let them know that this reaction is common, normal, and that unless it becomes incredibly persistent or insistent, their pet is doing alright  Regardless, glad she's feeling better! I just don't want you worrying yourself too much. If teeth came out, you did the right thing!





krandall said:


> Exactly what Sophie said! Hard to watch, but this isn't pain, it's from the anesthesia. <hugs> to you and glad she's feeling better today!


Thank you KarMar and Karen. I didn't not this and wasn't informed by the vet. I felt so bad as I thought she was in pain. Oh my. Then I was surprised that she seemed so normal the next morning. That's a relief to know it was the anesthesia.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> Do you mean you wish you had her assessed by the actual dentist earlier? Our vet told us the exact same thing and it has been one year as of last week! Maybe I should go ahead and make the appointment.


I do wish I had taken her in when her teeth started to show staining. She had shiny bright white teeth and then at some point I started to notice them discoloring a bit. I thought about taking her in just to get them nice and white again but since the vet said he wasn't seeing much tartar buildup I decided not to put her through a cleaning when I didn't have to.

My vet clinic doesn't have an actual dental vet as far as I know. I believe the vet tech does the actual cleaning and the vet assesses the health of the teeth once they are under anesthesia.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

JaJa said:


> Oh my goodness Jackie, everyone is right you are not a bad dog mommy! Cotton had 2 teeth pulled during his cleaning a few years ago and I felt so guilty. He was fine but my mommy guilt took over for the day. I brush Cotton and Jodie's teeth with a baby silicone finger toothbrush using C.E.T. Toothpaste for dogs. Our vet, of 23 years, said it's important to just get it in their mouths and on the teeth because dogs have different enzymes in their mouths than humans. Then I smash peanut butter into a toddler toothbrush and let each dog chew on that. JoJo is 15, blind and almost completely deaf so he bites if I shove my finger brush into his mouth. I just rub the toothpaste in his mouth with my bare finger. If he's still around in 6 months we'll do another cleaning. Mudpuppymama is right, we can do everything possible for our babie's teeth and still need to schedule a cleaning at some point.
> Jackie, if you were a bad Mom you wouldn't bother being in the forum community. Maybe you should give yourself a big hug and say "I'm a wonderful Mom!" &#129392;


Thank you for the good vibes! I do brush daily too. I don't use the brand C.E.T. but the brand I use Petrodex which is similar I think. I figure at least she is getting some of the enzymes in her mouth. The vet tech said that it does probably help some so I'll continue doing it. Maybe not for a few days. I want to be sure her mouth isn't too sore.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm glad Willow is feeling back to normal Jackie. I remember the first time Truffles had her teeth cleaned she stayed curled up and whimpered all the way home. Scout has had his teeth cleaned four times and Truffles three times. I try to stay on top of their dental health because I didn't with Sparky. When he was 13 yrs old he needed dental work. The vet said it would be too risky due to his cardiac problems. Doesn't make me feel good thinking about it. Scout has large teeth and doesn't have a tartar problem. Truffles has tiny teeth and tartar is a problem even with me brushing daily. Scout has had the lower back molar on each side extracted due to under the gumline fracture with an abscess. Truffles has had two molars, one upper front and one lower tooth extracted. They had to be extracted due to under the gumline fractures and abscess. Truffles just had a cleaning a few weeks ago. Thankfully no extractions. She did have a biopsy for a growth behind a front tooth which was ok. It definitely didn't affect her appetite although she was on soft food for three days. Here is a couple pictures from her procedure.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Heather's said:


> I'm glad Willow is feeling back to normal Jackie. I remember the first time Truffles had her teeth cleaned she stayed curled up and whimpered all the way home. Scout has had his teeth cleaned four times and Truffles three times. I try to stay on top of their dental health because I didn't with Sparky. When he was 13 yrs old he needed dental work. The vet said it would be too risky due to his cardiac problems. Doesn't make me feel good thinking about it. Scout has large teeth and doesn't have a tartar problem. Truffles has tiny teeth and tartar is a problem even with me brushing daily. Scout has had the lower back molar on each side extracted due to under the gumline fracture with an abscess. Truffles has had two molars, one upper front and one lower tooth extracted. They had to be extracted due to under the gumline fractures and abscess. Truffles just had a cleaning a few weeks ago. Thankfully no extractions. She did have a biopsy for a growth behind a front tooth which was ok. It definitely didn't affect her appetite although she was on soft food for three days. Here is a couple pictures from her procedure.
> View attachment 165936


I got photos too! A before and after. She now has nice, white teeth. :grin2: I'm going to be on top of her dental too. Every year the clinic has 2 months in the fall and 2 months in the spring that they will discount the procedure. They take $50 off during these months so I'm going to be sure and do it again next fall.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

I thought it was nice of them to give me a discount this time because we are trying to keep their teeth clean. 😊 Truffles definitely needs to go yearly. She was born with 36 teeth so I don't want her to lose too many. Wish I had included routine care with their health insurance.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Heather's said:


> I'm glad Willow is feeling back to normal Jackie. I remember the first time Truffles had her teeth cleaned she stayed curled up and whimpered all the way home. Scout has had his teeth cleaned four times and Truffles three times. I try to stay on top of their dental health because I didn't with Sparky. When he was 13 yrs old he needed dental work. The vet said it would be too risky due to his cardiac problems. Doesn't make me feel good thinking about it. Scout has large teeth and doesn't have a tartar problem. Truffles has tiny teeth and tartar is a problem even with me brushing daily. Scout has had the lower back molar on each side extracted due to under the gumline fracture with an abscess. Truffles has had two molars, one upper front and one lower tooth extracted. They had to be extracted due to under the gumline fractures and abscess. Truffles just had a cleaning a few weeks ago. Thankfully no extractions. She did have a biopsy for a growth behind a front tooth which was ok. It definitely didn't affect her appetite although she was on soft food for three days. Here is a couple pictures from her procedure.
> View attachment 165936


Thank you for sharing. I was just wondering if you or the dentist knows what caused the gum line fractures? Is that caused by something other than tartar buildup?


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## Faithb (Aug 18, 2020)

What brand toothpaste do you use?


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

mudpuppymama said:


> Thank you for sharing. I was just wondering if you or the dentist knows what caused the gum line fractures? Is that caused by something other than tartar buildup?


Actually the tooth fractures and abscesses were below the gumline. Without x-rays the fracture and abscess would have been missed. It was very obvious on the x-rays. I asked why Scout or Truffles never appeared to have any discomfort due to an abscess. The dentist said animals mask their pain well. The fractures were caused by biting on something hard. She said not to give them anything to chew on that cannot be indented with the thumbnail. I stopped giving them bully sticks which is their favorite treat.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Faithb said:


> What brand toothpaste do you use?


Virbac enzymatic CET toothpaste. I have it on auto ship with Chewy.


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