Brush your dog's teeth AZ A vet dispenses great advice: "grab the brush and brush your dog's teeth." He even tells us how... very important if you want your dog to get in the record book as the "world's oldest dog."  [Arizona Repubic]

 Never one to give up after repeated failure on doggy teeth cleaning, I recently bought our dog yet another dental kit: "Denta Clean," which contained mint flavored mouth rinse (ugh, he hates it); sugar free breath mints (he won't touch them); gel mints for dogs shaped like little marrow bones (he loves them); tooth paste (no thanks, he closes him mouth adamantly); and toothbrush (easy to use). Our dog has never gotten used to getting his teeth cleaned, but he puts up with it since he knows he can't get out of it.

The last time our dog got his teeth cleaned, he came home missing a tooth, right in the middle of his winsome smile. When we realized a tooth was missing, we confirmed it with photos prior to teeth cleaning. He had poor nutrition as a puppy and no teeth cleanings until we adopted him, so this was normal for him. Precautions to take if your dog has loose teeth include never giving it a chew toy or bone which might pull them out and reminding the vet that your dog's teeth are loose when you take it in for its teeth cleaning (I forgot to tell our vet.). "Pet Gel", which contains Aloe Vera,  is supposed to sooth a dog's gums; he likes it and he smacks his lips less often at night when we remember to "lube" his teeth at bedtime.

On our most recent foray into doggy teeth cleaning, we purchased a special electric dog tooth brush. It's big, soft and gentle. So... we're showing it to him and he is not amused; he's a little scared. For now, we let it whirrr around him (so he can get used to the sound) and brush his teeth manually. I've tried it; it feels good; (no, the dog didn't use it first... and the detachable brush gets sanitized between brushings). He's stubborn; he clamps his mouth shut and that's that...

Related: Should your dog get that bone?, Adventures in doggy teeth cleaning I, Adventures in doggy teeth cleaning II