Can I Scrape Plaque Off My Dog’s Teeth?
Plaque can easily be removed from your dog’s teeth. You can use a toothbrush with dental bristles or a finger toothbrush to help remove plaque from your dog’s teeth. When you start teaching your dog to allow you to brush their teeth, start off slow and only brush one or two teeth each day, then slowly move to brush more teeth until they allow you to brush all their teeth each day.
Is it OK to scrape teeth?
Scaling the teeth at home can scratch the tooth enamel and cause sensitivity. DIY tartar scraping can damage the delicate gum tissue and may lead to gum recession. You can also injure your cheeks, tongue and mouth while using a scraper.
Step 2: mechanically remove the plaque
To actually remove the plaque, I need to give my dogs something abrasive to chew on every day.
I tried giving them raw, meaty bones.
I’d heard people rave about them – that chewing on the bones every day keep their dog’s teeth sparkly white.
That didn’t work for us though.
I tried both chicken and turkey necks but Gretel literally tried to gulp them down whole like a snake.
I tried rib bones but Summit and Gretel bit off whole chunks and swallowed them, which made me concerned about a potential intestinal blockage.
I tried raw chicken feet and chicken drumsticks but I felt the calories in each piece was too high for 10-lb dogs.
I tried giving my dogs antlers with not much success. My dogs had zero interest in chewing on plain ol’ antlers.
Plus I had heard stories of dog’s breaking their tooth on an antler or, worse, the antler splintering and a shard piercing their dog’s gums.
I tried softening the antlers to make them more enticing.
How do you soften deer antlers for a dog you ask? It’s easy.
I soaked them in low-sodium chicken broth, or bone broth, for 24-48 hours.
Not only did that make them a bit softer for chewing, it infused them with an extra bit of flavor.
However, my dogs still lost interest in the antlers fast so I moved on to something else.
I went back to giving them a bully stick to chew on for a few minutes every day.
I know they like the taste and, as long as they are supervised, I feel they are safe chewing on them.
Occasionally, for an extra treat and health boost, I dip the end in organic coconut oil.
Coconut oil can help keep a dog’s gums and teeth healthy because it has natural anti-bacterial properties (some DIY dog toothpaste recipes use coconut oil as a base).
Yes, calories are still an issue with the bully stick but my dogs don’t eat much of it in the 10 minutes I let them chew on it.
Other chews that helped scrape the plaque off my dog’s teeth are: