The Importance of Dog Dental Hygiene

Why pay attention to dog dental hygiene? After all, aren’t dogs natural creatures whose teeth take care of themselves?

Dogs that follow the diet of a wild dog, meaning they eat everything raw including meat, bones and greens, generally have healthy teeth and gums that require no additional care.

However, most dogs are fed kibble and treats. Some of the substances in these foods contribute to plaque, which becomes tartar if it stays on the teeth long enough. The gums can also be infected with pockets of bacteria, causing periodontitis, an inflammation of the gums.

Photo of a dog with healthy upper teeth and gums

Since dogs cannot hold a toothbrush, it's up to the owner.

Note that brushing also disturbs the bacteria in the mouth to help prevent periodontitis.
Take a look inside your dog’s mouth. Plaque shows up as a yellowish film on the teeth. Tartar is a dark brown. Look at the gums as well. If they are bright red, then periodontitis is present. If the gums bleed when you brush them or play tug-of-war with your dog, periodontitis is also the culprit. Another possible symptom of problems is bad breath.

Some dog owners fail to look inside their dog’s mouth for years. They assume that bad doggie breath is inevitable. At some point, the gum disease and tooth decay are so painful that the dog has trouble eating. Bad bacteria in the mouth can also travel to other parts of the dog’s body and cause severe problems, even death. A dog’s life can be shortened by about four years if dental disease is left untreated.

Taking your dog to a vet at this point means a huge bill. Getting your dog’s teeth cleaned is the least of it. If your dog also needs a root canal or two or to have teeth extracted, as well as antibiotics to take care of gum disease, you could be looking at thousands of dollars.

Prevention is generally better and cheaper than the cure. We ourselves found it is never too late to start taking care of dog dental hygiene. See how we learned about taking care of Comet's teeth

If your dog has tartar and periodontitis, we would recommend you take him or her to the vet for a checkup and a dental cleaning, even if it costs a few hundred dollars. It will be a lot cheaper in the long run.

After that, start regular brushing of the teeth, daily if at all possible. Flavored toothpastes especially for dogs are available at pet food stores and online. Do NOT use human toothpaste. That kind is designed to be spit out rather than swallowed.

Besides getting the canine teeth cleaning and brushing your dog’s teeth regularly, we would recommend you research types of diets and chewable items that may help keep plaque and tartar from forming.

Once you have instituted your new program of dog dental hygiene, check your dog’s gums and teeth about once a week to see how well things are working. You may find that your dog never needs another dental cleaning or only needs one every few years.

If you cannot do any of the above, the next cheapest option may be to get dog dental insurance

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