Dental Scaler

quidsin

Hi, any dentists on here? or does anyone else know where to get a decent dental scaler from? i've looked at a few sites on the net, and they all charge around £5 for delivery. Do chemists sell them?

Toothsmith

Not really the sort of thing you should muck about with without training.

Even, (Or especially) on a pet!!!

TheWaltons_3

Toothsmith wrote: »

Not really the sort of thing you should muck about with without training.

Even, (Or especially) on a pet!!!

I second this... you need to be trained to use this. I would go to the Dentist and if it's not for you... take the animal to the relevant pet Doc!

DanceInThe_Dark

I use a descaler on my dogs teeth and got mine from my dentist.
They are really easy to use although I would say get your Vet/dentist to show you how to use one. It isn't rocket science!
By the way, I am a trained dental nurse so have a good idea what I am talking about.

bella123

DanceInThe_Dark wrote: »

I use a descaler on my dogs teeth and got mine from my dentist.
They are really easy to use although I would say get your Vet/dentist to show you how to use one. It isn't rocket science!
By the way, I am a trained dental nurse so have a good idea what I am talking about.

if you are a trained dental nurse obviousley it would be easy for you BUT in joe public hands it could be harmful..:mad: :mad:

DanceInThe_Dark

bella123 wrote: »

if you are a trained dental nurse obviousley it would be easy for you BUT in joe public hands it could be harmful..:mad: :mad:

THAT is why I said in my post to get someone trained to SHOW you how it works.

A very simple skill when you have been shown how. BTW a lot less harmful than subjecting your dog to a General Anaesthetic because they have got so grotty they are beyond a quick scrape.

quidsin

My vet shown me how to get the tartar off my dogs teeth with a copper coin, but the back teeth are a bit more difficult, a scaler would do the trick, obviously I'd see my vet again for advice and wouldn't scrape away for the hell of it, after all its onlly dried food stuck to teeth that needs to come off!!!

ailuro2

Try Tesco- they used to do a dental mirror and pick set.

If it's only for dried food then and you're careful then I'm sure your vet would be happy to show you how to use it.

Eels100

Do be careful - aggressive scaling should really be followed by a thorough polish unless you want the problem to return ten times worse. I've always argued that the polishing is more important than the scaling - make a bad job and the dog will be back within 6 months with teeth and gums worse than they started with, as all the abrasions left on the enamel provide a fabulously large surface area with delightful nooks and crannies for bacteria to set up home.

May I suggest a decent-sized raw knuckle bone for a few hours instead? You may have noted that wolves don't get dental disease, despite limited access to dental equipment in the wild.

Toothsmith

ailuro2 wrote: »

Try Tesco- they used to do a dental mirror and pick set.

If it's only for dried food then and you're careful then I'm sure your vet would be happy to show you how to use it.

The 'pick' won't be a scaler. It might flick off small bits of tartar, but anything bigger might just as easily break the probe ('pick').

Then it will be X-Rays and surgery for the dog to remove the sharp end from it's stomach.

It's far easier, and much kinder to your pets if you use canine toothpaste with the doggy toothbrushes with some degree of regularity, rather than playing dentist with sharp metallic objects.

Toothsmith

Eels100 wrote: »

May I suggest a decent-sized raw knuckle bone for a few hours instead? You may have noted that wolves don't get dental disease, despite limited access to dental equipment in the wild.

Actually they do!

They just generally don't live long enough for it to become a major problem when they are in the wild.