Spoiled dog/teeth

You probably think my dog is spoiled rotten because of this question but I wonder if I should ever take him to have his teeth cleaned. He eats raw food and the bones keep most of his teeth very sparkly white, but I can see that there is tartar build up on his canines. I don't want him to get gum disease when he is older as I know it can lead to complications and a lot of pain in later years.

Am I being a hypochondriac?

Chiquito is a puppy, eats bones daily and is on a raw diet so his teeth are lovely and clean ... he still has regular dental check ups with the dentist though I clean his teeth with a finger tooth brush daily (he is particularly fond of the chicken flavored tooth paste  ), not because he needs it now, but rather to get him used to the habit for later in life.

So to answer your questions ... no - you are not being a hypochondriac (you are being conscious of your dogs health), and yes - get his teeth cleaned

I clean darcy's teeth, have a read through this it may help.
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t24752-how-to-clean-your-dogs-teeth

There's abolutely no shame in caring for your dog's wellbeing. Taking him to get his teeth cleaned will go a long way to prevent the build up of tartar. Raw diets do tend to be easier on a dog's teeth, as there are no unnatural sugars, colourings or additives to stain and build up on them. The meat acts as a cleaner on its own as well, sticking to the teeth and pulling away trapped food - almost like gum.

This is really helpful. I will check out doggy toothpaste. I just want him to be and stay healthy.

Nothing wrong with that at all

This is the type of toothbrush that I use (tried the longer handle version first, found this much much easier)

http://www.ettitude.com.au/products/silicone-finger-brush.html

I bought a mixed pack with a variety of toothpaste flavors in it when I first started and tried each ... Chiquito really does prefer the chicken flavor which makes it easier to brush. (There was chicken, liver, beef and bacon flavors in the pack if I remember rightly)

PS ... This is similar to the pack I bought when I started .. not sure if you can get something similar where you are http://www.vetcaremegastore.com.au/product/b62729b5-2d90-4c4a-826a-909eb93e926a.aspx

We got Rocky one of those fancy doggy toothbrushes which ended with him eating it  

We now just used the toothpaste on a regular toothbrush which he is fine with us doing. A stag bar is good for cleaning the teeth too, maybe try putting some of the toothpaste on the stag bar.

you need to feed larger whole pieces to get them to use their canines and clean them, racks of ribs are good for that!