Does brushing your dogs teeth really help eliminate the need of professional cleaning? Â

Does brushing your dogs teeth really help eliminate the need of professional cleaning?  

answers 0:I have a 6 month old Shih Tzu and am starting to brush her teeth every night. Obviously this will help keep her teeth and gums healthy. However, it just doesn't seem like I am getting her teeth too well. It seems like it would help her gumline more. Do you brush your dogs teeth? Does it really make a big difference in terms of having to get the teeth professionally cleaned? Thanks!answers 1:You do not need to brush your dog's teeth. Provide her with raw chicken necks and "raw hide" chews. The gnawing will clean the tartar from her teeth. A diet of exclusively soft and/or cooked food will cause dental problems. Good luckanswers 2:Both really help, small breeds are known for dental problems.answers 3:You brush your teeth dose this me! an you don't go the the dentist ? I hope not.... Brush your dogs teeth but she still need to have her teeth professionally cleaned...Edit.... Look into anesthesia free teeth cleaninganswers 4:For example, instead of getting their teeth cleaned every year, would you only have to do it every three years? What is the difference in terms of time?answers 5:YES!!answers 6:You should still take her in for a professional cleanings. It's great that your brushing her teeth every day but because small breeds like that are prone of dental problems it's still very important that you take her in for a professional cleaning.answers 7:Brushing your dog's teeth will cut down on the need for professional cleaning. I know that some vets are pushing yearly cleanings but that means the dog has to be anesthetized every year, which isn't something that I want for my dogs. Anesthesia is hard on dogs (and cats, and horses, and humans). That's why they always recommend pre-surgery blood work. My v! et examines my dogs' teeth and will suggest a time frame withi! n which the dog might need it's teeth cleaned. I do brush their teeth occasionally, but my dogs' teeth stay pretty clean with high quality kibble and daily rawhide chips....answers 8:Brushing will mean fewer Dental Problems, and fewer Professional Cleanings. This adds up to healthier dogs, and less money spent on Cleanings. Dogs have to be under anesthesia to have professional cleanings done.answers 9:just get one of those bones that they chew on and it cleans their teethanswers 10:Does brushing your own teeth eliminate the need of a professional cleaning? Not so much. Same goes for your pooch. It's definitely a good thing to do, but it's no substitute for a cleaning done by a professional. Some breeds will be more prone to tartar buildup and dental issues than others, and it really varies from dog to dog.Edit: Great question. Again, it really varies across breeds and individual dogs, so run your plan by your vet, but I would say that yes, good regular dental hygiene coul! d significantly increase the time in between professional cleanings....answers 11:yes it will lessen the amount of professional dental care your dog requires. will it eliminate it? no. but regular brushing will help lessen the amount of bacteria and tarter that form on the teeth, thus reducing the number of times in your dog's life that a professional dental needs to be done.each dog is different. smaller breeds, especially those with short noses tend to have more dental problems. this is thought to be because they have the same number of teeth in a much smaller space, and more teeth are misaligned. so the chances of build up are more likely.if left untreated not only can the bacteria that forms on your dog's teeth cause dental problems it has been known to cause liver, kidney and heart problems. the bacteria gets into the bloodstream and can affect other major organs.you're doing a great job, keep it up!...