Roxy had a cracked tooth identified at her recent check up. I was recommended to go to a dental vet near Winchester. I went in at 10 and left her there. They carry out an initial inspection and then give them an anaesthetic, give a full inspection and carry out whatever work is required (e.g. tooth removal or root canal). I picked Roxy up at 5 and fortunately the crack only went to just below the gum line, they cut away a bit of this so the whole crack was exposed and could be cleaned with no infection getting below the gum line. They also cleaned all her teeth. She did also have a crack in the same molar on the other side, which they also tidied up. It was quite/very expensive, fortunately covered by insurance! I asked whether this was common and he said yes, particularly with labs. He said half his patients were labs! He also advised using a toothbrush. So I started with a 3 headed toothbrush, which sounds great but is practically useless as the canine gets in the way. I then used one of my old toothbrushes, expecting failure and a complete refusal from Roxy, as I had never used a brush on her before. Much to my surprise, she did let me do some cleaning which got well rewarded. Since then she now lets me clean the inner sides of the upper teeth and the outside of all her teeth. Her tongue which is working away, stops me from cleaning the inside of her bottom teeth. I thought I had missed the boat when she was a puppy, but now as a 7 year old, I am delighted that I finally got her used to the brush!
Sorry to hear Roxy's had a cracked tooth - but what a great job getting her used to the toothbrush - well done!
