Dental Care for Dogs

Dental disease not only affects us but our pets as well. This is something that pet owners tend to forget about and know little about. Like us, dogs and cats can develop severe dental disease from lack of dental care at home. Most of us brush our teeth every night, yet we forget about our furry friend's teeth and go to bed without even thinking of brushing their teeth. A lot of times it is lack of education for the pet owner, other times most pet owners do not want to bother with it. The unfortunate thing about not caring for their teeth is that when you wait to have their teeth cleaned at the veterinary clinic, many of their teeth need to be extracted.

What happens in the animal with dental disease is that a hard shell of material called calculus accumulates around the crown of the tooth attaching to the enamel. Over time, this calculus begins to accumulate under the gum line. The gums become irritated and can lead to a more severe condition called periodontal disease. At this stage of dental disease, the region around the root of the tooth can become infected and the area between the tooth and the bone (the sulcus) becomes affected. This stage of dental disease eventually leads the breakdown of the periodontal ligament, bone loss and can even lead to an abscess of the affected tooth. So what are some things that you can do to prevent this stage of dental disease?

First off, if you have just adopted or purchased a new puppy you may want to get him/her used to you playing with their mouth and getting them used to a finger around their teeth. Once your dog loses all of hi/her deciduous teeth (baby teeth) and the adult teeth erupt, cleaning the teeth and preventing plaque buildup is very important. There are specific toothpastes out there designed to prevent the accumulation of plaque. These toothpastes are enzyme based and break down the bacteria responsible for calculus formation. The toothpaste is not abrasive like the toothpaste humans use. You should brush at regular intervals and at the same time each day. Daily brushing is highly recommended because there is a 24 hour window for the bacteria to repopulate the oral cavity. So if you brush on Monday and wait until Thursday, you really are not benefiting the teeth at all.

What I tell clients all of the time is that if you have time to brush your teeth at night, hopefully you brush your teeth every night, then you have 1 minute of your time to brush their teeth. Of course, this may be a different story if your dog is aggressive towards you when you attempt to mess with the mouth. Not only is toothpaste an option, but you also have the option of specially formulated rawhide chews with a chemical called Chlorhexidine in the treat. This chemical breaks down the bacteria and prevents gingivitis. To sum things up, brushing is extremely important in preventing periodontal disease and severe gingivitis. Maintaining a brushing schedule for your dog is very important and will benefit them in the long run. Still have general anesthetic dental cleanings done if needed. If you think a routine cleaning is too expensive, just think what it will cost you when you wait until the mouth is really bad. If you wait until then, you will have the cost of extracting teeth, antibiotics, etc.