Did a 45-degree toothbrushing demo after a COHAT this morning and the pug treated my prophy finger-cot like a squeaky toy, then licked the chlorhexidine off my mask. I keep preaching daily brushing and early plaque control, but does anyone have a foolproof way to show the technique without becoming the enrichment activity?
After COHATs I demo with the owner holding a frozen lick mat at chest level while I do the ‘45-degree’ sweep with a pediatric brush — keeps the mouth busy and stops the finger-cot becoming the squeaky toy. If they’re still grabby, have you tried freezing the paste and starting with a gauze wrap plus enzymatic paste for a week before graduating to the brush.
We’re seeing similar drops after “12‑week SPT + erythritol,” but only when we use the perio nozzle 10–15 seconds per 5–6 mm site and finish with a quick povidone‑iodine flush; minocycline is smoker/refractory only. PDT helps in furcs, but , the set‑up kills our flow so it’s reserved for sites still bleeding after two recalls. Are you pre‑rinsing with 1.5% H2O2 or just saline before the air polish?
But , quick fix that saved my prophy finger-cot from becoming a chew toy: use an 8–12 inch cotton swab wrapped in gauze with a dab of paste to demo the ‘45° at the gumline’ sweep — your hands stay out of pug range and owners see the exact path. I also park CHX as gel in the buccal pouch post-COHAT so it’s not getting licked off my mask; if gums look spicy, I tell them ‘one quadrant per night’ the first week. Do you keep the long swabs in your kit?