Dog Dental Problem

Question
My mother-in-law has a poodle that is 7 years old that has dental problem, infected gums.  I took her dog to vet today for dental cleaning, in addition to her gums bleeding she lost 5 teeth in the process because they were so loose.  The vet had me give her antibiotic Clindamycin Hydrochloride Oral Liquid 50mg twice a day for 5 days before procedure and same dose 5 days after procedure.  Vet also recommended giving dog this dose for 5 days every month from now on.  Do you think this will help the dog's teeth and gum problem?  Do you think this maintenance dose is correct for 5 days every month?  Do you have any recommendations on how to help the dog's problem?

Answer
I think giving antibiotics like that are a bad idea but the vet must have some research to back that up.
Being a small animal dentistry technician for over 20 yrs I can tell you that the biggest thing that helps dental disease is home care from the owners.

You should brush or swab his teeth every day with a solution such as OralVet or something like that. There are many flavored toothpastes for dogs that the vet sells and using those and a soft toothbrush and just gently brushing daily will go a long, long way to helping with periodontal disease.
Another way you can help is by switching to Hill's Prescription T/D which was the first complete diet created just to help prevent gum and tooth disease in dogs.

I never thought this food would do what it claimed but when I saw the difference in a dog whose teeth were so bad I cleaned them every 6 months I was actually shocked!
It was amazing.
You should ask your vet about it because that is the only place you can buy it.

Having a dental done twice yearly also helps a lot. With some dogs, unless you brush daily and use a dental food, the tooth loss and gum disease just keep progressing.

I understand his thinking, but giving any antibiotics for a short period is what builds resistance to these drugs and isn't a good idea.