Our dogs are living longer now than in the past. Today, we have better preventive medicine (e.g., vaccinations and heartworm preventives) and better ways to diagnose and treat many diseases. To prevent oral disease, which is the number one health problem diagnosed in pets, it is essential to provide our pets with good dental care, both professionally and at home.
Start early with your dog as a puppy!
Grown dogs can learn to become comfortable with dog teeth cleaning, but make things easier for yourself by working with your dog as a puppy.
How to pick the right tooth paste for your dog
This is very important. Do NOT use regular human toothpaste for your dog. Most human toothpastes include fluoride, which is extremely poisonous to dogs. You can find toothpaste formulated for dogs at most good pet stores.
Raw meaty bones is better than soft/dry processed dog foods
If the tooth brushing ends in blood, sweat, or tears, there are still choices you can make to help improve your dog’s oral health. Raw meaty bones are better for your dog’s teeth than soft or dry dog food. Also, soft food is more likely to stick to the teeth and cause decay.
Chew bones and chew toys to clean teeth
There are raw meaty bones and many types of chew toys that are specially designed to strengthen your dog’s gums and teeth. Just make sure you’re providing safe objects for your dog to chew on. Hard objects can cause broken teeth.
Giving your dog a good bone to chew on can help get rid of build up and keep teeth strong, but imagine a human who only chews gum and uses mouth rinse. That’s not an effective means of ensuring good dental hygiene and overall health. The same is true for your dog.
When to see a veterinarian
Whether you brush your dog’s teeth or not, you should have a look inside his mouth every week or so. If you notice any of these signs of dental problems, then take your dog to the vet:
- Bad breath
- Change in eating or dog chewing habits
- Pawing at the face or mouth
- Depression
- Excessive drooling
- Misaligned or missing teeth
- Discolored, broken, missing or crooked teeth
- Red, swollen, painful or bleeding gums
- Yellowish-brown tartar crust along the gum line
- Bumps or growths within the mouth
