Dental Care
When we think about our pets’ health, we often focus on diet, exercise, age and regular checkups. One aspect frequently overlooked (and it shouldn’t be) is dental care. Just like us, pets need a regime to keep their teeth and mouths healthy, and it needs to be a plan you can stay consistent with to enable you to look after their teeth and gums properly. If no care is in place, they can suffer from dental diseases, which, if left untreated, can lead to pain, infection, and even systemic health problems such as heart disease. Most of these are preventable with regular dental and oral care, and early intervention should a problem occur. Many owners complain of their dog or cat having smelly or bad breath, for example, and the most common reason for bad breath is … dental or periodontal disease.
Understanding the basics of dental disease will help you care for your pet better and assist you in creating a home plan you will stick to and fit into your lifestyle. Let’s figure this out together.
What is dental disease?
A staggering number of dental and mouth issues are seen in our pets. In dogs, over 80% of dogs aged three years or older have some form of dental disease, and 50%-90% of cats older than four years suffer from some form of dental disease. This echoes a recent study by the Royal Veterinary College in London, discovering 1 in 8 dogs suffer from dental problems, and breeds such as the Toy Poodle and Greyhound are more prone to these issues, as are the smaller and toy breeds.
Dental disease occurs in response to a lack of oral care and hygiene. Think about how your teeth and mouth might be if you never brushed your teeth! Bacteria naturally present in the mouth accumulate further as more bacteria is ingested from food and daily dog and cat life. If the bacteria is not removed (by brushing, for example), it begins to form a film across the teeth and gums, which then turns into plaque. This layer of plaque can eventually develop into tartar, causing the first sign of dental disease, gingivitis (inflamed gums). Shortly followed by bad breath and calculus (thick, chunky, discoloured deposits on the tooth’s surface).
The way to combat these problems is to ensure a decent dental care plan is agreed and executed from the get-go or at least as soon as possible. There are many methods and products you can use, don’t be put off by ‘having to brush the teeth’ as the only option, especially if you fear you might get your hand bitten off! Chat with your vet or vet tech. They are the perfect people to help you devise a realistic plan you can use and follow.
Dental problems
Bad breath, also known as halitosis, is only one of the many dental issues that can happen to a pet. It is not uncommon for a combination of problems to be witnessed, especially the longer it goes left untreated. Disease and issues which can arise include, but are not limited to, are: abscesses, gum inflammation and recession, loose, fractured, flat or missing teeth, infection, oral tumours, feline resorptive lesions (holes in the enamel seen in cats), retained baby teeth (observed as two sets of the same tooth) among others.
Signs of dental problems
Signs there are issues at hand in your pet’s mouth include the following and will need your vet to give them an examination. Leaving it will make the situation worse.
Chronic pain, discomfort or signs of pain
Difficulty eating, reduced appetite, or not eating at all
Inflamed gums and/or ulceration. Starts as a red line on the gum line
Bad or offensive-smelling breath (halitosis)
Discolored and stained teeth
Teeth covered in tartar and /or calculus
Crying, growling or generally vocal when eating
Drooling and excessive salivation
Pawing at the mouth or rubbing their head along the floor
Dropping food from the mouth
Signs of pain or any discomfort
Bleeding from the mouth
Swelling in the areas surrounding the mouth, jaw, muzzle or cheekbones
Altered behavior due to pain, discomfort or feeling unwell
How to prevent dental problems in your pets
Prevention is the key and it works. It reduces the chance of your pet needing veterinary treatment further down the line. It’s harder (and more expensive) to correct dental problems than it is to prevent them. Numerous ways are available today to care for your pet’s mouth and teeth, making it easier than ever. It’s important to pick a method or combination that you are able to incorporate into your lifestyle and one you know you can be consistent with.
Brush Their Teeth
Brushing your pet’s teeth daily is the advised and preferred solution. The reason daily brushing is recommended is because tartar (hard, mineralized deposits) forms within 24 hours, once the tartar is formed it can not be removed with a toothbrush. However, if your pet only tolerates brushing a few times a week this can still make a difference,
This is because the toothpaste, plus the mechanical action of brushing, is the best way to remove problematic bacteria. Use a pet-safe toothpaste, not a human one, as the fluoride content in human toothpaste is too high for pets. If you do not have a pet safe toothpaste then brushing alone with no paste is also ok and better than no brushing at all.
Chews and dental toys
Chewing is the next best thing after brushing, as it still allows for that mechanical action to help remove bacteria, tartar and plaque. Many types of chews and dental chews are available. When choosing a chew you want to pick a chew that you are able to leave an indent in it with your fingernail. If you can not indent with your nail then the chew is too hard and may lead to broken teeth. Additionally, be sure to choose chews and toys suitable for your pet and be aware of high sugar content, especially if you are watching their waistlines or they have a pre-existing health condition like diabetes.
Gels, mouthwashes and water additives
These are all great options, with products such as water additives being a hands-off approach to oral hygiene. These probably are not the best method if used alone or inconsistently, but they are an excellent add-ons. Indeed, if no other method can be achieved, then these are better than no care at all.
Dental diets
What you feed your pet is another way to offer dental care. Dry food (kibble) is better than wet food, as canned meat tends to stick to their teeth. Dried food is more abrasive, therefore providing that mechanical action mentioned earlier. Specific dental diets or prescription diets also exist, providing a more targeted composition of food to help clean and protect their teeth. Consider also breed-specific diets, as these often allow some dental care if the said breed is prone to dental and mouth issues.
Schedule regular vet check-ups
Your vet should examine your pet’s teeth during their annual wellness visits or at vaccinations. They may recommend a different plan or dental products or, if needed, a professional dental cleaning under anesthesia for a thorough evaluation. Regardless, regular checks form part of prevention.
Watch for warning signs
Early intervention is key. Notify your vet if you notice any of the signs of dental disease documented above.
Dental and oral hygiene is something you will likely encounter across your dog or cat’s lifetime. There are numerous reasons why, as we have learnt, some more serious than others, and your veterinarian will ascertain this. Either way, don't ignore the dodgy breath or gut feeling something is amiss. Find the cause, begin proper treatment or implement the required lifestyle changes and hopefully, fresh breath and pearly whites will abound!
Annaliese Morgan
Annaliese qualified as a veterinary nurse from Edinburgh and went on to attain a diploma in advanced veterinary nursing in surgery from London. Throughout this time, she worked in both small and mixed veterinary practices and gained head nurse status. Responsible for training other veterinary nurses she also ran the nursing department, nurse clinics, and patient care protocols.
She has looked after 1,000s of patients and owners and created new higher standard nursing regimes, whilst specializing in surgery and anesthesia. After being asked to co-author multiple veterinary nursing textbooks, Annaliese continued to write for further mainstream publications in the UK and USA and after twenty-plus years in both the veterinary and pet care professions, she hung up her scrub suit and now writes full-time.