Good dental care for your Poodle helps to promote a healthy body. Dogs can develop gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) and periodontal disease (infections around the teeth) just as humans can. The bacteria present in periodontal disease can travel from the mouth through the bloodstream and cause infections in the liver, heart and other major organs. An infection such as this may become life-threatening. A Poodle with periodontal disease may show outward signs such as bad breath, flinching from having her muzzle clipped, the inability to carry something in her mouth and difficulty eating. Periodontal disease is painful for the dog.

Home dental care can prevent dental problems. As with caring for the Poodle’s ears, there are various ways to care for the Poodle’s teeth.

If you have a puppy, whose permanent teeth have not yet errupted, begin to accustom your pup to having her teeth and gums rubbed and massaged. Hold your pup in a comfortable position for the puppy, and use your index finger to gently rub the teeth and along the gum lines. Do this often and make it a pleasant experience for the puppy. The training need not last longer than a few moments.

As you train your puppy to accept a finger in her mouth, keep an eye on the adult teeth as they begin to come in. If baby teeth are not coming out as adult teeth are coming in, take your puppy to the vet without delay. Retained baby teeth can create a bad bite.

If you have an older dog, which is not accustomed to having her gums rubbed, follow the same procedure as above, taking care to make the Poodle comfortable and this training pleasant for the dog.

The puppy will soon learn to accept a finger in their mouth. When the permanent teeth have come in, begin slowly to introduce the pup to a soft toothbrush. There are various toothbrushes for dogs available. Check to see which might be suitable for your pup, or experiment. The human Reach toothbrushes have a slight bend at the neck, which makes them easy to use with a Standard Poodle. For Toy and Miniature Poodles, some have found that a finger cott works better to get into a small mouth. Only use toothpaste for dogs. A human toothpaste will leave an unpleasant taste in your dog’s mouth and swallowing the toothpaste may cause stomach upset. Some people even have an electric toothbrush just for their dogs.

There are various products on the market or you may wish to purchase toothpaste from your vet. As a precaution, it is best to ask your vet to review the ingredients in any toothpaste you use. Generally, the dog toothpastes are flavored so that the dogs will readily accept them. You may want to put some of the toothpaste on your index finger, a gauze pad or cloth and gently massage your dog’s teeth and gums to acquaint her with the taste.

If you are dedicated to following a dental care regimen for an older dog, check with your vet to see if your dog’s teeth need to be cleaned. If so, after your dog’s teeth have been cleaned, begin a daily regime of brushing. Oftentimes, a dog will not have to undergo a professional cleaning if regular care is given to the teeth. However, some dogs develop plaque even though their owner brushes their dog’s teeth daily. If you have such a dog as this, you may need to get professional cleanings throughout the life of your dog. (Most veterinarians feel that ALL dogs should be anesthetized for tooth scaling, however this is usually not necessary if your dog is accustomed to regular teeth brushing and home scaling. (There is ALWAYS a risk to your dog when it undergoes a general anesthetic.) Daily brushing will help to delay how often the teeth need to be cleaned. Often, owners who groom their own dogs find that teeth scaling is a routine part of their monthly grooming. Canine tooth scalers can be purchased from most of the well stocked pet catalogs, such as KV Vet or Omaha Vaccine.

Brush your dog’s teeth in a manner that is comfortable for both of you. You may have the dog sitting and brush one side and then the other, or you may lay the dog on the grooming table and brush one side and then the other. It is not necessary to brush the inside of the teeth because saliva and the action of the tongue prevent bacteria and plaque buildup.

Toy and Miniature Poodles tend to have more dental problems than Standard Poodles. One of the problems peculiar to the smaller Poodles is receding gums. Your vet may prescribe the antibiotic antirobe to help prevent receding gums.

Chewing on bones will definitely help your dog to have a healthy mouth. Care should be used, though, in the type of bone or chew toy you offer your dog. Pig’s ears and cow hooves have caused many cracked and broken teeth and should be avoided. Unless you are very vigilant and will only give your dog a rawhide bone when you can watch her, rawhide bones should be avoided because the dog may chew off portions and try to swallow them. Sometimes, these portions may become lodged in the throat. Nylabone chews and the Galileo bone by Nylabone are excellent choices.

If you feed a moist food to your dog, some have found that following feeding with a hard biscuit is beneficial. Hard vegetables, such as carrots, may also help to keep the teeth clean.

Proper dental care throughout the life of your Poodle will contribute much to its comfort, well being and longevity. A heathy diet, regular veterinary attention, including dental cleanings when necessry, tooth brushing, and chew bones will all contribute to keeping your Poodle's mouth in tip top shape for many years to come.