Imagine if you went for years without brushing your
teeth! Each time one of our
veterinarians performs a complete
physical exam on your pet, he or she will look into the mouth and evaluate the
teeth, gums, and general oral cavity—and boy do we see some impressive levels
of dental disease on a daily basis.
While pets rarely get cavities like we do, they very commonly develop
heavy tartar and plaque buildup, serious gingivitis (gum
inflammation/infection), recession of the gums, broken or damaged teeth, or
even resorption of portions of the teeth (common in cats). These issues can lead to infection,
oral pain, difficulty eating, foul breath odor, and they can even impact other
organ systems if left untreated (such as the heart and kidneys). If our vets notice these issues, they
will recommend we pursue a dental procedure for your pet—often an ultrasonic
scaling and polishing followed by x-ray evaluation of any diseased teeth and
then appropriate treatment to address what we find. We will discuss these procedures in an upcoming blog post.
There is good news though! Studies have shown that daily tooth brushing can actually
maintain healthy teeth and gums and prevent the need for undergoing the dental
procedures mentioned above. Daily
brushing might seem like a daunting proposition, but with a gradual, positive
introduction, most dogs and cats will actually tolerate having their teeth
brushed. Many even enjoy it due to
the yummy flavor of the pet toothpastes!
Mmm poultry!!
A video is worth a thousand words! Click here to watch a detailed video demonstrating how to
brush your dog’s teeth.
In those cases where your dog or cat just simply will not
tolerate tooth brushing, there are other dental care options that can be
helpful as well--although none have been proven to have the tremendous
preventative benefits of daily brushing.
Dental wipes can be used daily in place of brushing and can be quite
effective in some pets. Dental dog
food such as Hills Prescription Diet t/d or Hills Oral Care are specially
designed to clean teeth while your pet chews—much more so than typical dry food
diets. Certain pets (dogs or
cats!) are good candidates for dental chews such as CET Enzymatic Chews or even
Greenies Dental Chews. (It is
important to always supervise your pet with any type of dental chew
however—depending on your pet’s chewing style, some chews can be a health or
choking hazard.)
If you are interested in learning how to brush your cat or
dog’s teeth, please don’t hesitate to call and schedule a demonstration! We can assess your pet’s current level
of dental health and help you tailor an individual preventative care plan to
implement at home!
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Princeton Animal Hospital All Rights Reserved
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