# Defective tooth enamel



## Siskojan (Mar 13, 2011)

Sisko's adult teeth were brown very soon after coming in and someone did say something about it possibly being a genetic thing. He got his teeth cleaned under anesthetic at 15 months and some stains wouldn't come off. He had had antibiotics as a small pup for giardia. I do brush his teeth and I envy those beautiful pearly whites I see in other poodles' pics. 
I was on a thread Sookster started about teeth and breath problems about 2 weeks ago and we discussed tooth products. I just received my order of salmon flavoured oral gel from Petzlife today and Sisko had his first application this evening. He was not impressed, he loves salmon but this has an alcohol herby smell. We are going to stick to it twice a day for 30 days and see what happens. I really don't want to have to do the anesthetic thing again. A friend suggested letting him chew on sticks and he has been decimating a big cedar one in the backyard over the past week and his teeth are looking better. He doesn't eat any of it, but I wouldn't mind hearing from anyone who thinks this might be bad for him.


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## Patrick's Mom (Apr 26, 2011)

Thanks for the input Janet. It almost seems to me that Patrick's teeth are very slightly better but I know how you feel about seeing other dogs' white teeth. I'm pretty much resigned to the stains so now I just focus on keeping them brushed every day. I was just curious if this was common. Thanks again.

By the way, I adore your picture with the ears flying. What a cutie.
Donna


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## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

*Dental enamel hypoplasia?*

Just saw this thread. There are several causes of tooth staining/discoloration. In some cases, it's inherited and there are lines of poodles out there with it. You should ask the vet the next time you are in for a visit whether or not it is dental enamel hypoplasia. 

A few years ago I had a drop dead gorgeous girl who was given to me because her owners were having some tough times. She had horribly stained teeth. I spoke with the vet, who felt that the enamel lay down was normal and that she did not have enamel hypoplasia. I bred her, had one... drop dead gorgeous pup..who I retained (Valentine). Val also has tooth staining. Same talk, with a couple of vets, both felt it was cosmetic. Valentine had a litter of pups last September, all have their adult dentition and it is all perfect. Gorgeous sparkly whites, with no staining. I don't know if Val inherited the staining from her dam, or if it was pure coincidence.

Monty has brownish yellow staining with a small chip to one of his canines. The tooth came in that way... BUT... here's the rest of the story. He was playing by the porch with his brother, bumped his face on a wooden stair hard enough that it broke the primary canine and caused bleeding. The adult canine was just below the surface and was damaged in the incident. If I wouldn't have been there and seen it happen, I would always wonder. The rest of his teeth are gorgeous.

Here's some information about enamel hypoplasia. IF I had a poodle with it and I was brushing their teeth, I would be tempted to make my own toothpaste or find a toothpaste with no abrasives in it...to avoid further damage. 
http://www.toothvet.ca/PDFfiles/enamel_hypoplasia.pdf


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## Patrick's Mom (Apr 26, 2011)

Thank you so much for this information Yaddaluvpoodles. Your comments and the referenced document are extremely helpful. Patrick has two premolars that look mostly tan, maybe because they don't have enamel. A few other teeth have slight staining and a couple others are banded. I think I should certainly avoid abrasives as you suggest and I probably should see a veterinary dentist to get a better idea of what we're dealing with and how I can help this the most. What a helpful post!


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