How to care for your Yorkie’s teeth

How to care for your Yorkie’s teeth

Your Yorkie needs to have his or her teeth brushed for the same reasons that humans do–it prevents dental diseases and tooth loss. But why, you say?  How often to dogs in the wild brush their teeth, after all?  Obviously, dogs in the wild to not undertake preventive heath care, and the results are about what you would expect if you stopped brushing you teeth.  They develop very foul breath, tartar,  and gum diseases that result in the early loss of teeth or possibly serious health problems.  Now that we have decided that it is necessary, how do we accomplish teeth cleaning in a Yorkie:

Yorkie Teeth Care information

What supplies do I need to care for my Yorkie’s teeth?

You will need a teeth cleaning kit.  These kits are available from a variety of sources, including your veterinarian and local pet supply store, as well as online pet stores.

At a minimum, the kit should include a finger-brush and toothpaste.  Larger kits will have multiple sizes of brushes and types, and possibly more than one flavor of toothpaste.  The toothpaste made for dogs is not the same as the toothpaste made for humans.  Human toothpaste may upset your dog’s stomach, so stick to the type made specifically for dogs.  Many dog toothpastes will be meat flavored, to make the experience more enjoyable for your Yorkie.

How frequently should I brush my Yorkie’s teeth?

Opinions vary from twice a day to once a week.  I would suggest an intermediate course of at least three times per week.  Regularly brushing your Yorkies teeth will minimize the need to have his teeth cleaned by your veterinarian, but not eliminate it entirely.

What brushing technique is best?

Your Yorkie must be taught to let you brush his or her teeth.  For obvious reasons, the act of brushing is not entirely natural for a dog.  You should start by letting your puppy get used to you touching his mouth by stroking him on the outside of the mouth.  A few times and he will learn that it isn’t harmful.  The next step is to get him used to letting you raise his upper lips to let you inspect his teeth on a daily basis.  From this point on, you can introduce the toothbrush with toothpaste.  You should start by brushing only a few of the front teeth and then stopping so as not to frighten your Yorkie.  With each additional brushing session, you should be able to brush a few more teeth.   By the end of a week or so you should be able to brush all of his teeth without frightening.  As always, you should remember to reassure him with calm words and a gentle touch.  Never force him too quickly, or he will learn to dislike the experience.

No matter how often you brush your puppy’s teeth, he will still need the occasional professional cleaning.  Speak with your veterinarian about a regular program of dental care.