Canine Dental Care: Why Scraping Plaque Off Your Dog's Teeth is Bad

Cleaning your dog's teeth is important in preventing severe dental disease. Veterinarians recommend cleaning your dog's teeth under anesthesia every 6-12 months. Of course, the frequency at which you have your dog's anesthetically cleaned also depends on how fast plaque accumulates in your dog's mouth. Some dogs develop tartar less than others and it may be that one is on a different diet or that one's chewing habits are more at chewing bones or rope toys, which help keep the teeth clean. Cleaning with enzymatic toothpaste is ideal and helps the prevention of plaque accumulation. However, the enzymatic toothpaste will not remove the hard material on the teeth called "calculus". The enzymatic toothpaste is non-abrasive unlike the toothpaste humans use that helps in removing tartar.

Many dog owners are tempted to scrape the calculus off with a nickel or some other instrument. Not only is this bad for the teeth, but you can also injure your dog's gums if you are not sure what you are doing. So why is scraping plaque off of the teeth so bad? The main reason is that it damages the enamel. Normally, a tooth has a smooth slippery surface to it. Over time, the surface will get small scratches and begin to become more "roughened". Plaque has a difficult time sticking to a smooth surface. However, if you scrape the teeth with metal, you will be damaging the enamel surface and causing scratches on the tooth. Essentially, you are helping plaque stick to the surface of the tooth by creating a rough surface. The rough surface is ideal for plaque to stick to as opposed to a smooth surface in which plaque "slips" off of the tooth.

Veterinarians use what is called an ultrasonic scaler to clean plaque off of the teeth. This will also cause scratches on the teeth, however, a procedure called "polishing" is done after the scaling. The polishing will get rid of any scratches that there may be on the tooth surface. This creates a smooth surface and prevents plaque from accumulating on the teeth. As stated earlier, the frequency at which your dog needs a dental cleaning really depends on how fast the plaque accumulates in the mouth. If you do decide to clean the teeth at home, ask your veterinarian to give you a small amount of polishing paste that will last you for a while. Doing this will help prevent those scratches from forming after you scrape the teeth. You should consult with your veterinarian prior to deciding to clean your dog's teeth at home.