Dental disease in dogs and cats: why you should brush your dog’s teeth! Part 2

The most important question pet owners fail to ask is how often do I need to brush my pet’s teeth?  For you to take the best possible care of your pet’s teeth, they need to be brushed once daily! A daily brushing will certainly reduce your pet’s frequency of professional veterinary dental cleanings, but probably will not eliminate them. Remember, under anesthetic and with the best possible lighting, your vet will see things you cannot and can perform a very thorough exam and cleaning.

If you take care of your pet’s teeth (and that means daily brushing), the gums will remain much healthier and the dental procedures will be simpler and less frequent. Almost 15 years ago I adopted a 5 year old rescue dog with very heavy tartar accumulation, but fortunately little gum disease. After a thorough dental prophylaxis, I began brushing his teeth every day. It wasn’t easy to get him used to it (he was 5 years old and no one had ever tried), but in a few weeks he was becoming much more cooperative and ultimately came to enjoy it (they love the taste of the veterinary pastes). He lived another 11 years and never needed to have his teeth cleaned again. This dog was the exception, but had I not chosen to brush his teeth every day, he would have needed to be anesthetized for professional dentals every 6 to 12 months for the rest of his life. 

Our pet’s dental health is similar to ours and once the gum tissue has become infected and receded (leaving the exposed dental roots), it will not grow back. After a thorough dental prophylaxis, this area will rapidly refill with tartar and the gum disease will continue to progress. Ultimately the involved tooth or teeth will become unstable and need to be pulled. So don’t wait to have your pet’s teeth cleaned and to begin home dental care.

The sooner you begin to practice good dental hygiene with your pet, the healthier his mouth will remain. It is important to remember that we are not simply talking about cleaner teeth. Heart and kidney disease and other serious health issues are known to be caused by untreated periodontal disease and the associated bacterial infection that floods our blood stream. And, we aren’t even talking about the pain and discomfort caused by infected gums and loosening teeth. 

Yes, your pet will need to be anesthetized to have his teeth cleaned, but with new anesthetic regimens and appropriate monitoring, this is a safe procedure. In fact, the odds of serious complications from untreated dental disease are much greater than the risks of general anesthetic for most pets. Neither you nor your vet should ignore your pet’s dental health! Don’t rely on the occasional dental prophylaxis to take care of your pet’s teeth without the benefit of home dental care. You wouldn’t stop brushing your own teeth and simply rely on your dentist to take care of your teeth and you shouldn’t take this approach with your pet! If you need more suggestions on how to brush your dog’s teeth or how to take better care of your cat’s teeth, talk to your veterinarian.