teeth

Question
i called the vet and they said i  need to put my dog to sleep for them to clean his teeth, is this necessary? if we do this will it hurt my dog? please let me knw thank u very much!

Answer
it is necessary for the vet to put your dog under for a thorough cleaning of his teeth.  The instruments used are sharp and your dog needs to be very still.
The new methods of sedating dogs for teeth cleaning are much milder than of years ago, and most generally you will get your dog back the same day!
When you get your dog back, you will then need to take care of its newly cleaned teeth to help minimize future cleanings by the vet.
Your dog will be in more danger if he does NOT get his teeth cleaned than if he does and is put under for the proceedure.
I am so glad you are concerned about your dogs teeth. The bacteria in their teeth can cause heart problems as they continuously swallow it.
PETRODEX toothpaste is one dogs like.  I put mine on a regular toothbrush, the cheap soft ones from Family Dollar, and let the dog brush it's own teeth. I have toy poodles, probably a little smaller than your bichon, so the regular toothbrush is fine.
you can also use the regular toothbrush yourself, to clean teeth.

I recommend very strongly that you get a product called ORAVET.  It is a clear gel, get it from your vet or on line
It is a paste and it is about $20 for a packet/set.  You will not use one of the little trays up right away, it will last you about 3 or 4 weeks. Each packet/set has about 6 trays, so it will last you about a year on your one dog.
Be sure to just swipe the product across the teeth and that is it. you do it ONCE a week!  It is an amazing product.
You should also try to pick any large yellow tarter or plaque that you can see off of your pets teeth.  Scrape it with a regular tooth scraper you buy at the drug store.

Another toothpaste you can use for cleaning is Colgate Complete PASTE, get the white paste, it isnt' too minty and it works very well on dogs.  Your dog won't brush its own teeth with this, but you can do a mighty nice job with it and it kind of has staying power.

One other thing. If your dog gets smelly breath and red gums, dip a Q tip in hydrogen peroxide and dab it on the gum. Do not get enough in the mouth to drip all in the mouth, but dab the gums, you will smell a huge difference the next day as it foams the bacteria out of your doggies gum line.

Jeffers Vet Supply has the Petrodex Toothpaste.  Get the bigger size, it comes in a pump and costs about $4.00, I have never seen it in pet stores, but you should be able to find it easily on line.

Good luck.  You should be very happy with this program I have used on my dogs for years. Toy dogs can have really bad teeth, and my little poodles are living proof that this works. My 14 year old dog has only had her teeth cleaned 2X, and my 4 year old has teeth that sparkle and amaze the Vet, because of the OraVet in addition to the other toothpastes.
Lori