Dental Health tips

          

            Any animal that has teeth requires dental care. 

          I am personally petrified of dentists but after a recent episode of 3 extractions that went extremely smoothly, I can tell you there’s nothing to fear. You must get on your dentist’s chair every year if you do not want a fate like that of my teeth. 

          And as long as you have a pet with teeth, this applies to them as well.

3 steps that are must in your pets dental routine:

1. BRUSH BRUSH BRUSH

          No,  they are not wild animals and who said wild dogs do not get periodontal disease?

          Anything with teeth is predisposed to dental disease. Brushing their teeth is as important as ours and instilling this habit from very puppy/kittenhood will go a long way. You can brush every day to every other day with a pet specific toothpaste and a finger brush to help. You just gently need to go over the gums and teeth. There’s no need for rinsing! 

          While you are picking a toothpaste for your dog, make sure that the content does not have xylitol because that stuff is toxic for them. And if it’s a cat you wanna pick a toothpaste for, they will tolerate xylitol but what they won’t like is a strong flavour like mint/cinnamon and that is going to lead to a lot of frothing. 

2. Dental treats and dry food

          There are lots of dental treats on the market that can be used but go for good brand. Also do not over do them because they tend to be a little high on calories and we don’t want obesity in exchange for pearly white teeth. You get powder also that helps with plaque and can be added to food if that works for your pet. 

         The other thing to remember is don’t feed just soft or wet food. Dry food also is required to help ‘brush’ all the plaque off. 

3. Visit the vet

          Like you need to put in that dentist’s reminder for yourself, you need to put in one for your pet too. Your vet is everything from paediatrician to dentist! 

          They need the routine scalings just like you and it is not a one time thing. To keep their mouth happy and healthy, a once a year check and scaling will go a long way. 

Fun tooth facts:

• Plaque accumulates within 24 hours on teeth and is a film made up of bacteria
• Plaque eventually becomes tartar which is harder to get rid off and requires scaling
• Lots of tartar build up = lots of bacterial build up and this can cause organ damage if not treated.
• Most dogs/cats have dental disease of some grade by the time they are 3 years old (remember, that’s almost a 21 yr old person)
• Dogs/cats choose to bear pain over starving and will continue to eat even if their mouth hurts
• Smaller breeds and flat faced breeds are more prone to dental disease
• Dogs do not get decay as often as they get periodontal disease

Haven't brushed their teeth and are worried they may have dental disease? Here are some obvious signs:

• Bad breath
• Discoloured teeth
• Red, inflamed gums
• Bleeding gums while brushing
• Hypersalivation
• Blood tinged saliva
• Inability to eat

          Best thing to do is to not reach this stage and if you religiously stick to the top 3 dental routine recommendations, your pet should lead a tooth ache free life. It’s never too late to start brushing or doing dental exams. Start small, teach them that tooth brushing is a happy activity with positive reinforcement by adding treats in the process and they should get comfortable soon enough. 

Smile!

Dr. N