Why is it so important for our pets to have healthy teeth?
Regular oral care is necessary if you would like your pet to have healthy teeth. It’s not just bad breath and yellow teeth you have to worry about. Dogs and cats are not as prone to tooth decay as we are but still can develop problems like tartar and plaque buildup and inflammation of their gums.
After all; so-called “oral homeostasis“ is a final goal that has to be achieved in your pet and that will absolutely bring healthy teeth and indirectly diminish dental problems that can, like in humans, lead to more severe and even life-threatening infections and diseases including heart, liver, and kidneys as well.
Some of the most frequent observations in everyday life of your dog, can give you a clue something might be wrong with its oral health are: depression; change in eating or chewing habits; bad breath, sometimes with excessive drooling; pawing at the face or mouth; discolored, broken, missing or crooked teeth; very red, swollen, painful or even bleeding gums; yellowish-brown tartar deposits undermining the gum line; unusual bumps or growths within the mouth and many others.
Having in mind all these serious facts; there are many details you as an owner can provide to your dog to solve his dental problems.
Possibly unusual to your comprehension would be adequate teeth brushing, using an appropriate toothpaste made especially for dogs or cats. Starting with it as soon as possible, even when having a new puppy, will help your puppy getting used to the procedure itself which will ease the same procedure in future days. With the regular teeth hygiene on its way, in some cases, you will achieve the complete absence of plaque, which is a precondition to have a tartar buildup.
Speaking about the plaque deposition and therefore tartar, like in us, these problems can occur and usually due to disbalance in oral homeostasis that can be triggered by multiple reasons such as: quality of saliva, ph in oral cavity, overgrowth of the pathological micro-flora inside the mouth and throat, quality of food given, improper water intake etc.
All these are the reasons for having also a bad breath which can sometimes be very present in cases of intestinal problems such as high acidity along with the stomach content regurgitation.
Furthermore, plaque deposits and tartar formation will directly lead to gum inflammation as a result of the ongoing infection. These problems can go so far inducing serious problems of tooth decay when bone structures can dissolve making an open path for the bad microorganisms to go into the bloodstream and spread to vital organs causing their failure.
To help to avoid tartar formation, we strongly recommend feeding your dog dry canine food (Royal Canine, Hills, Calibra, Trovet etc.). This is better than soft/wet food as the soft food is more likely to stick to the teeth causing decay. Unless of course, you made it a good habit in your dog’s life to have his teeth brushed the proper way regularly.
Chew bones and chew toys are also useful in preventing the buildup of plaque and tartar as well. Oral hygiene can be maintained by giving some oral solutions, dissolving them in proper concentration in drinking water. Failing to do so can bring your pet into much higher chance to develop in time gastrointestinal problems such as gastric irritation etc. and that happens as the overgrown pathological microorganisms from the diseased teeth are swallowed with everyday food and/or water.
In the end, even with healthy teeth, the best for your dog would be to have them checked by a veterinary professional timely, which means once yearly or maybe even twice if he already suffered from some dental problems or is prone to have an excessive plaque and tartar buildup.
This proper health care can be a money saver in the long term and, indirectly, a lifesaver. Letting it go can lead to costly vet visits when there are only a few options left; usually leading your vet to have your dog in anesthesia in order to treat teeth and gums from disease, very often removing teeth before their time. ”
Writen by Dr. Dragan Krsmanovic
