Keep your pet’s smile bright with expert dental care
Whether your pet has significant dental disease with tartar, gingivitis, and bad breath, or you’re trying to keep your young pet’s sparkly white teeth in good shape, home dental care can play an important role in keeping your pet healthy. We recommend a variety of different products and methods for home dental hygiene, including dental diets, chews, wipes, rinses, and brushing. What will work best for you and your pet will depend on the level of dental disease and what your pet will tolerate.
When pets have significant dental disease, they typically require a thorough dental cleaning and oral examination. During a cleaning, pets are anesthetized, their mouths are thoroughly examined, their teeth are scaled and polished, and diseased teeth may be extracted. In some cases, we may refer patients to a specialist for dental radiographs or for a difficult extraction. After a cleaning, home dental care can play an important role in minimizing tartar and bad breath, promoting healthy teeth and gums, and minimizing the need for future dental procedures.
One of the best methods to keep your pets’ mouth healthy is routine brushing. There are specific toothpastes made for animals, and brushes that can make the job easier and less offensive to the animal. However, brushing is not for every owner or pet. Other options include dental wipes, chews, diets, food additives, rinses, and treats.
Brushing
Just like in humans, regular brushing can decrease tartar and plaque build-up, freshen breath, and massage the gums. Toothpaste with fluoride is not recommended for pets. Most toothpastes made for pets are flavored to make it appealing to them. If you have the time and dedication, this is a great way to keep your pets’ mouth healthy.
Dental wipes
Dental wipes mechanically remove plaque, apply-plaque controlling agents to the teeth and gingiva, and help to freshen breath. For animals that seem disagreeable to brushing, dental wipes are a great alternative.
Dental diets–Hard food alone does not prevent plaque or calculus accumulation. Several dog food companies offer balanced adult pet foods that aid in dental care. Most companies design their kibble to increase the abrasive action on the teeth as the food is chewed. Unfortunately, those areas that the mechanical diets do not touch are not benefited.
Dental chews
Dental chews are an easy way to help control tartar and plaque build-up. Chews use enzymes or natural abrasives along with the mechanical action of the chew to clean teeth and massage the gums . Most are designed to be very appealing to pets and can be used as a daily treat or reward.
Food additives
These products are typically sprinkled on pets’ food and are a convenient method of home dental care. They contain specific enzymes, minerals, and probiotics to reduce plaque formation and diminish plaque-forming bacteria populations in the oral cavity.
Water additive
Additives can be added to your pets water to freshen breath and control tartar. Although better than doing nothing, these products do not provide any mechanical action on the teeth and gums to control tartar and plaque. They are best used in combination with other products.