Brush your Maltese’s teeth every day if possible. It seems like a lot, but it’s essential for your Maltese’s dental health. Brushing every day helps prevent plaque and tartar buildup, which cause tooth loss, an extremely common problem in small dogs, who tend to have crowded teeth.

You’ll need a specially formulated canine toothpaste – don’t use human toothpaste – and a canine toothbrush made for small dogs, or a finger brush.

If your puppy or older dog is not used to having his teeth brushed, you may want to start by just putting some of the toothpaste on your finger tip, so the dog will see how good the stuff is. Let him lick it off—most dogs like the taste of canine toothpaste. Then proceed to sticking your finger into your Maltese’s mouth to massage the gums and teeth.
Once he’s accepted this, it’s only a small step to real brushing.

You can use a canine toothbrush made for small dogs, but a lot of people find the finger brush easier to use. Put the toothpaste on the brush and start to go over the teeth, using a circular motion if you can. (It’s a lot easier to just to brush back and forth, and it probably works as well.)

Here’s a short video, on how to brush your Maltese’s teeth.