Dog teeth, health thereof

I have a dog, age unknown due to his being adopted, but possibly heading towards elderly. Some of his teeth have been becoming a little loose lately. Our local vet in New Taipei City suggested this was natural, and down to a dog’s age. One of the teeth has become so loose it’s more or less just hanging there, and I can tell the poor little guy isn’t having a good time.

I jumped online and contrary to the vet’s advice found a whole lot of pages suggesting he could have dental disease, and that rather than letting nature take its course, we might be better having the loose tooth removed or getting him some kind of treatment.

Does anyone have any specific experience on this front? Is this an answer I’m likely to get from other vets here in Taiwan? Or is the vet correct, and it’s best to leave such things alone?

A couple of my cats have weaker health overall and lots of problems with their teeth. One had almost all if her teeth pulled out. Gum disease is rather serious in our companion animals, so taking this issue seriously is vital to their health.

Currently, the problem is you feel the dog is uncomfortable. Pain means difficulty eating, weakening him, upseting him. Maybe the vet expects the tooth to fall on its own. Maybe, as the dog is elderly, using anesthetic is dangerous. If you feel like a second opinion or asking more questions to the vet about how to make your pet more confortable, go ahead. Mine recommended baby food for a while, for example. That may help.

I do, one of my dogs had dental problems, infection. The vet suggested to get them cleaned, like we do every six months or so, remove the plaque. Up the operation table she went, conclusion … 3 teeth removed (including one canine) and the plaque cleaned, at the same time she got some (probably cancerous) skin growths cut away too, cost 2,500 NT$.