Why are my dog's front teeth loose and gums receding despite brushing?

Question

I've been noticing when brushing my dogs teeth that the front bottom teeth are pretty bad and the gums look receded and it seems the teeth may be loose now? I try to brush his teeth regularly and he's had cleanings in the best. At his last vet visit about a month ago the vet said his teeth look great for his age (he's almost 9). I feel terrible he may lose these teeth and always tried to brush him hoping they can stick around for as long as possible. Pet's info: Dog | Silky Terrier | Male | neutered | 8 years and 10 months old | 15 lbs

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, in many dogs it comes down to genetics and breeds. While brushing your dog's teeth on a daily / semi daily basis is great and something that I wish all my clients (and myself) would do, often in small breed dogs they are a ticking time bomb in terms of when a dental extraction will be required. I would not beat yourself up about this since you obviously have been doing all you can to avoid this. If you are seeing gumline recession and are feeling loose teeth, I would strongly recommend having his anesthetized for a full dental cleaning plus dental radiographs, to determine which teeth may require extraction. While the ones that are loose are obvious, there can sometimes be tooth root abscesses brewing beneath the surface that ultimately result in the tooth requiring extraction. Hopefully this will not be the case, but x-rays are the only way to know for sure. The radiographs will also help in the event an additional dental is ever needed later in life, in order to compare / contrast earlier findings. Hope this makes sense. Best of luck on whatever happens / whatever you decide regarding Oscar.

Why are my dog's front teeth loose and gums receding despite brushing?

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