# Does anyone have a dog with black pigmented teeth?



## WillyBilly (Jan 8, 2013)

Willy will be 1 year old next week and had his teeth cleaned today. Disturbing. His lower molars, right & left sides, have black surfaces; the reason behind my scheduling this tooth cleaning. The Vet said Willy was born with these pigmented teeth. There are only two teeth like this. Unfortunately these two teeth show when he pants. The tech told me she has a dog with pigmented teeth, and that Willy is the only other dog she saw with this. He was sent home with a clean bill of health. The Vet sent me home with a blue clear spray called "Maxi Guard oral cleansing formula. It helps prevent tarter buildup. Anyone familiar with this product? It can only be sold by a Vet. 


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## elem8886 (Sep 19, 2012)

At Tika's last vet appointment I asked if I should have her teeth cleaned but the vet said they were pretty good and to wait until November (my vet's dental discount month). She said that many poodles have black staining on their teeth even after the tartar is removed but Tika didn't appear to have staining yet so they should just be white once clean. 

I'm not sure what can remove or prevent the staining but I do give Tika a powder called Proden PlaqueOff. It's basically a type of seaweed but I find it does help loosen tartar (I can scrape some of it off with my nail) and it does make her breath smell better.


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## WillyBilly (Jan 8, 2013)

After I posted this I looked at Willy's teeth closer. He has other teeth that look dirty. I have never heard of this about poodle teeth before. Is your product sold over counter? If this Maxi Guard doesn't do anything noticeable, I'll try your product. I'm going to try it on my Chihuahua. This product claims it can loosen tarter as well as prevent it. I was rather embarrassed by Willy's teeth, but I have to accept that which I have no control over. Maybe by him being on antibiotics three times while a pup causes this. They say if humans take tetracycline, teeth can turn black. 


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## elem8886 (Sep 19, 2012)

I hadn't heard about the poodle teeth before my vet either but Tika is my first poodle. I haven't done further research on black staining but maybe someone else here will chime in.

I first heard of PlaqueOff here and then I googled it and read reviews. I bought mine at a local pet store (I find that the raw/holistic food type stores are more likely to carry it) but you can get it on Amazon too. It smells a little like seaweed (that's what it is, after all) and it's just a fine powder that you put on your dog's food. It comes with a little scoop, maybe 1/8th of a teaspoon, and my dog who is about 42lbs. gets two scoops a day. I notice an improvement in her breath within a couple of days and it starts to make tartar more porous and easier to scrape off (with my nails or when she chews a bully stick) after about 2 weeks.


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## plr (Oct 20, 2012)

In addition to daily brushing of teeth, I use MaxiGuard OralZn. You can purchase MaxiGuard OralZn and MaxiGuard Oral Cleansing Gel online. Here's a link for more info on OralZn Products: Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

It's probably enamel hypoplasia

https://www.google.com/search?q=enamel+hypoplasia+in+dogs&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari


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## elem8886 (Sep 19, 2012)

Oh yes, I brush Tika's teeth as well. Here is the website for PlaqueOff. And if you use the search here on the forum you'll find a few threads.


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## Liafast (Apr 9, 2011)

Its called Eaton Staining and it run in the Eaton lines. It doesn't seem to hurt anything but it is quite common in the spoos with a lot of Eaton in their pedigree.


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## elem8886 (Sep 19, 2012)

That's really interesting *faerie* and *Liafast*. I read the link and googled Eaton staining (Lia, your thread "Poodle discolored teeth" was the first hit ).

It looks like there are multiple causes for black stains and if the stains are inside the tooth, on the dentin, there might not be anything you can do.


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## WillyBilly (Jan 8, 2013)

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and insight on this subject. I will make a Vet appointment tomorrow. I would hate for Willy to lose any of his teeth because I ignored this. We were training this evening outside, where it is "hot". Willy was panting hard with his mouth open quite wide. I was embarrassed by his teeth and knowing he is barely a year old. He's such an attractive SPOO. At this time, his front teeth are unaffected. This just sickens me. I started using that Maxi Guard on all my dogs. Willy doesn't and never did have any Tartar, but my Chihuahuas do. 



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## Liafast (Apr 9, 2011)

I had a puppy a couple years ago with the dark staining. I did a lot of research and found an article that stated that the brown staining could also indicate kidney problems. I checked my puppy and she was fine and I can't find the article now....Talk to you vet about checking the kidney function...It seems the test wasn't real expensive.....


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## WillyBilly (Jan 8, 2013)

I will keep everyone updated. Probably won't get into the Vet before next week. At 8 months, he had severe gastroenteritis. At that time he had a complete blood workup. Kidneys were ok then. I clicked on the links posted within this string and the one with three pictures, Willy's mouth looks like that third picture. This really does sicken me. 


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## WillyBilly (Jan 8, 2013)

Update on Willy's teeth situation. Willy was seen by the dental expert at a very reputable Veterinary Hospital in my city. I was told that Metronidazole is not known for causing blackened teeth. She thinks because he had diarrhea for so many months and was low on B-12, he was depleted of vital nutrients for forming strong teeth and bones, when he needed those nutrients. She said his tooth surfaces were soft and that His front teeth are beginning to blacken also. He had a complete blood panel done today and everything was great. Next Tuesday he will have full mouth radiographs to see if the black areas are surface or penetrate a tooth or teeth. What to do for penetrated teeth depends on a lot of factors. He gets another cleaning (he had a cleaning elsewhere last month), before a sealant is applied. The doctor said the tooth color will never return, but the sealant should seal like enamel and should not need to be applied a second time and should stop the black from spreading. His teeth will still be soft and could break sometime down the road. Willy just turned one recently and this sickens me. 

Has anyone read anything about supplements effective in strengthening teeth and bones? Appreciate hearing your thoughts. 


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## WillyBilly (Jan 8, 2013)

Oh, his kidney function is good. 


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