Your dog’s dental health is an essential part of its wellbeing. Indeed, problems with their gums and teeth can progress into much more distressing and serious issues. The good news is you can learn all about how to care for your dog’s dental health, as well as the answers to some of the most frequently asked dog dental health questions in the post below.
How to improve your dog’s dental health?
One of the most common FAQs concerning dog dental health is how we as owners can improve it. Happily, there are several tactics to consider here, the first of which is to establish a regular dental routine for your dog.
After all, as humans, brush our teeth to remove plaque and tartar build each day, and the same needs to happen for your dog. Indeed, experts recommend daily tooth brushing for dogs whenever possible. Just be sure to choose dog safe products like finger brushes, and dog-friendly toothpaste. The reason is that the ones we use as humans aren’t going to cut it, and could pose a danger to your dog’s safety too.
Don’t panic if you struggle to brush your dog’s teeth every day though, as it is widely recognised that not all canines are cooperative when it comes to tooth brushing. As long as you brush them at least once and week, and ensure regular (yearly) visits to the vets for a deep clean your dog’s dental health should be fine.
How to remove plaque from your dog’s teeth?
As mentioned already, the real threat to the dental health of your dog is plaque. It is this substance that builds up on the teeth over time and can lead to more serious issues such as severe gum and tooth disease. What that means is you must remove as much plaque as possible from your dog’s teeth.
The good news is that, in addition to regular tooth brushing, there are some other effective tactics you can use. First of all, while it may be tempting to feed from your own plate, table scraps should be kept to an absolute minimum if you are concerned with tooth health. This is because the composition of human food is much more likely to cause plaque build-up.
Next, encouraging your dog to chew (in a healthy way) can help to dislodge plaque and prevent it from building up over time. The bonus is that it’s an instinct for your dog to chew, and providing them with items to work this out on can also help prevent them from biting and chewing your furniture and possessions.
In particular, rubber toys are a great choice that will encourage healthy chewing in your dog. There are also some wonderful chewy treats on the market now, made from natural ingredients and designed specifically to help shift plaque build-up, and whose pup doesn’t love a good treat from time to time?
Can you reverse dental disease in dogs?
The simple answer to this question is yes, but only if caught early enough. What this means is issues with plaque and tartar can be dealt with, using the strategies above, and by visiting your vet for a regular deep clean respectively.
However, once your dog’s dental health has progressed beyond a certain point the damage done, cannot be reversed. Indeed it is at this point that dangerous conditions such as fistulas, jaw fractures, and infections can occur. Not to mention the effect that untreated gum disease can have on the liver, kidneys, and even heart health of your dog.
What are the signs of dental problems in dogs?
Regular checks of your dog’s teeth and gums are vital to maintaining health. However, some particular symptoms point to an issue with dental health. These include blood in their saliva, bad breath, pawing at their face, weight loss, avoiding harder foods such as biscuits, bleeding or red gums, wobbly or missing teeth.
Of course, if your dog is experiencing one or more of these symptoms it’s best to contact your vet so they can get thoroughly checked over. If your dog cannot close its mouth or eat, you must contact your vet right away.
Final thoughts
Gum and dental disease in dogs can be very serious. However, there are things you can do to prevent it from progressing to this point.
These include brushing and checking your dog’s teeth regularly and getting regular deep cleaning from the vet. It’s also wise to augment this routine with natural chew treats, and toys to help minimize plaque build-up and ensure your dog’s teeth, mouth and gums stay healthy for as long as possible.