# Can tartar/plaque build up be scraped off...



## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

with a human fingernail? Lauren was looking at Star and Lucky's mouths just now and noticed that they each had what looked like hardened lumps of tartar/plaque on their back molars. She was able to scrape most of them of of Lucky's molars, and the lump of plaque on the left side of his teeth was so hard that it actually broke in half(seen in the pictures below). When she tried to scrape the plaque off of Star's teeth, his gums started bleeding. She didn't want to risk hurting/damaging his teeth, so she stopped trying. I'm including a couple of pictures so you can see what it looks like. 

This first picture is the lump scraped off showing the outside:
http://i.imgur.com/qt3Rv.jpg

This picture shows the lump from the side that was up against Lucky's teeth. 
http://i.imgur.com/ryXXj.jpg


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yes, it can be picked off....but that doesn't clean the gum line which is where cleaning is needed most.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

Thanks, Lisa. Now Lauren and I have to convince her dad that if Star and Lucky don't get their teeth cleaned SOON it will only get worse and end up costing more money because their teeth will need to be extracted...if they don't already. Their gums are really red and swollen, with Star being the worse. The good news is that they seem to be eating and drinking normally, and we've also cut out the dry food out of their diet.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Dental issues can lead to way more problems than just extraction...the bacteria can get into the blood stream and cause all kinds of medical issues including (but not limited to) heart problems.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Our low cost spay neuter clinic does dentals. The cost is reasonable. They dont do the blood work, have the expensive monitoring equipment that my vet office uses. But having even the low cost dental done is better than none being done.

Ive watched my vet take her nail pulling off tarter on new rescues teeth during their first exam. Your nail couldnt hurt the enamel. Its the gingivitus on the gum line you need to worry about.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

Lauren and I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what could go wrong if we don't take care of the dental issues soon. The big issue is money. I'm going to suggest that he apply for Care Credit.


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