This is a specific conversation about Small dog dental health — why it matters so much — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Small breeds are disproportionately prone to dental disease — Yorkies in particular have teeth crowded into tiny jaws, which means tartar and gum disease build up faster than in larger dogs, and dental disease is one of the most common causes of chronic pain that owners miss entirely. The good news is you're starting at exactly the right age. Before I point you in a direction: has your vet mentioned anything about his teeth so far, and is he fairly relaxed about you handling his mouth after all those puppy classes?
She's actually a girl — her name's Pickle! The vet gave her a clean bill of health at her last check, no concerns yet. And yes, she's pretty good about being handled, she'll let me touch her mouth without fussing too much.
inparticular.ai
Pickle is a brilliant name. And honestly, a calm, handleable 9-month-old Yorkie with no existing dental issues is the ideal starting point — you're building the habit before there's a problem to fix, which is exactly right. One more quick question: have you tried anything on her teeth yet, even just a finger or a cloth, or are you starting completely from scratch?
Completely from scratch. I've just been running my finger along her gums occasionally to get her used to it, but nothing with any product yet.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — that gum-touching habit is genuinely the best foundation you can build. Here's what I'd recommend: Virbac C.E.T. Enzymatic Toothpaste paired with a soft finger brush. The toothpaste is enzymatic, meaning it keeps working even if brushing isn't perfect, and the poultry flavour means most dogs treat it as a reward rather than a fight. The finger brush fits over your fingertip, so for Pickle it's a very small, controlled tool that won't overwhelm a tiny mouth — you're essentially just extending what you're already doing. Use it two or three times a week to start, work up to daily. At her age, with no tartar to shift yet, this alone will make a real difference to what her teeth look like at two, three, five years old. Virbac C.E.T. is widely used by vets and is easy to find on Amazon UK.
That sounds really doable. Should I also be looking at dental chews or water additives, or is brushing enough on its own?
inparticular.ai
Brushing is the gold standard and nothing replaces it — if you can get Pickle comfortable with it, that matters more than anything else combined. That said, a VOHC-approved dental chew a few times a week is a genuinely useful addition, not just a treat dressed up as dental care. Whimzees are a good option for small dogs. Water additives are the least impactful of the three, and some dogs dislike the taste change enough to drink less water, so I wouldn't prioritise them. Get the brushing routine solid first, then add a chew a few times a week — that's a strong, sustainable routine for a Yorkie.
This is really helpful, thank you. I feel like I actually know what I'm doing now.
inparticular.ai
You're in great shape — seriously, starting at nine months with a cooperative dog is the best possible position to be in. Pickle's future vet checkups are going to be a lot more straightforward for it. Good luck to you both.
