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5 Shocking Reasons Why Pet Dental Care is so Important
Pets Articles
Author: Holly Hugo
February 20, 2016
February is Pet Dental Care month, a prospect you might hitherto have been less than excited about, whereas all responsible pet owners should know more about pet dental care for the reasons explained below.
#1: Gum Disease
Few people get into the habit of dog teeth cleaning. However we should because when we don’t brush food residue builds up on the surface of the dog’s teeth to form sticky plaque. The latter is bacteria rich and is the equivalent of constantly exposing their mouth to a mouth-rinse of bacteria.
Worse still, minerals in saliva react with plaque to form hard tartar deposits. Tartar pushes against the gums and causes them to recede. Another complication is bacteria in contact with the gum cause pain, inflammation, and gum recession. Nasty!
#2: Wobbly Teeth
But the horror story of poor pet dental care continues. A combination of bacteria and gum recession eats away at the dental cement and ligaments which hold the tooth root in the socket. The result is wobbly teeth which are liable to fall out.
#3: Weak Jaw Bones
Next, poor pet dental care can lead to infection tracking down the tooth roots and into the jaw bone itself. Infection in the bone weakens it considerably; to the point where some pets even suffer a broken jaw when they chew down on something hard.
#4: Toothache
Have you experienced the misery of toothache?
Well so do our pets, only they can’t tell you it hurts. Instead they might get grumpy (as a result of pain), eat less, or stop grooming. This is why dog teeth cleaning is so important, to stop the problem getting to this stage.
#5: Risk of Blood Poisoning
One of the most serious consequences of neglected pet dental care is the risk of septicemia and organ failure. Bacteria in the mouth can get into the blood stream through those inflamed gums. If those bacteria circulate to the heart or kidneys, they can set up a potentially life-threatening infection.
So this Pet Dental Health month, why not be proactive and learn dog teeth cleaning? It’s as easy as brushing your own teeth, provided you let your pet get used to each stage of the process.
Here is Holly and Hugo’s quick guide to the steps of dog teeth cleaning. Take each step slowly, only moving onto the next when your pet is ready.
- Get your dog used to you lifting his lip and handling his mouth.
- Let him play with a soft toothbrush or finger brush
- Once he’s used to the finger brush, starting touching it to his teeth.
- Now gently brush one or two teeth, and tell your dog what an awesome boy he is
- Offer some pet toothpaste on your finger for the dog to lick off (its tasty stuff!)
- Pop some pet toothpaste onto the finger brush, and clean a tooth
- Try cleaning more teeth
- Clean his whole mouth
- Repeat daily
This FebruaryScience Articles, take on board the message of Pet Dental Care month and do right by your pet by taking care of their teeth. Now there’s something to smile about.
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