Puffer Fish Teeth Trimming , Really ?

Hi
I saw a lovely puffer fish and was thinking could I keep them  in my future tank ?
But I read that they need their teeth trimming and you have to make them sleepy using
Clove oil , and if you don't do the dose correctly you can kill them !
Is this common ? I've never heard this ?
Allison

Hi Ally.
What sort of puffer was it?
I have 11 dwarf puffer fish and their "teeth" don't really need trimming because they don't grow quickly, and a few snails in the diet seems to do the trick.
Bigger puffer fish will need their teeth trimmed. One of the guys at the independant LFS keeps Amazon puffers and he does have to trim thier teeth. He says it's more like trimming cuticles and his one puffer that doesn't like snails has got to the point that he will lay still in Steve's hand for a trim without clove oil. Steve said that he offers to train people how to trim puffer teeth, so if you do want a puffer then find someone who already keeps them locally and have a chat with them.
I will say that puffers are awesome, they have a lot of personality. 

Those are the puffers that Steve keeps and he trims their teeth.
I have considered keeping some myself, and if I ever find myself with a spare tank of a suitable size I probably would. They are adorable.
I've not had to do trim teeth with my dwarf puffers, so I wouldn't be able to explain the details to you, but I'm guessing that part of the reason for the small amount of clove oil is to stop movement and puffing while they are out of water.
There are probably video tutorials online, and I will probably be seeing Steve on Friday if you want me to ask him any questions.

Can't think of anything to add to what Donna said. In the wild they don't get their teeth trimmed of course and they grind them down on the hard fibers of whatever they're eating. My DPs enjoy live daphnia and brine shrimp and the occasional live snail, I've got one DP with slightly overgrown teeth (arrived like that)but they're slowly wearing down.

Be aware that puffers are messy eaters and you need to clean up the debris after they're meals when you feed them hard foos..