What toothbrush should I use?

Question
Lori,
My bichon frise is 8 years old and I have been battling with brushing her teeth
for a long time. I just recently had her teeth cleaned by a vet and her teeth
came out nice and white. Since my dog is getting older I am worried about the
amount of times she goes under to get her teeth cleaned. I have tried using the
rubber finger toothbrush and the regular hand held one but my dog hates both
and I have only been successful using the finger one. My dog is on a special
wet canned dog food and she is not allowed to eat anything but special food
that comes from the vets. I have tried giving her bones but she doesn't like to
chew. Even though I am somewhat successful with the finger toothbrush I still
can't seem to be successful in getting her teeth free of tartar. Is there any special toothbrush available or some dog food that
will clean her teeth without ruining her diet? I have went to many dog stores
and I can't seem to find any.
Thanks

Answer
Hello, 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