Have you noticed that your pet’s breath is starting to smell a bit like a rubbish bin?
Have you noticed that your pet’s breath is starting to smell a bit like a rubbish bin? Have a look at their teeth – are they shiny white, or are there lots of areas covered by yellow, brown or black? If you can see yellow that you can scratch off with your fingernail, this is plaque, which is caused by bacteria living in the mouth. Plaque hardens to calculus, which you won’t be able to remove with your nail. These are signs of dental disease, which causes infection and swelling of the gums and surrounding tissues. The gum-tooth seal is damaged, allowing infection to penetrate deeper, loosening the tooth. The end result: rotten teeth and early tooth loss. Infection in the jaw bone can even result in fractures of the jaw. From there, infection spreads to the blood stream and vital organs such as the liver, kidneys and heart.
Home dental care helps remove plaque, keeping down the amount of bacteria in the mouth. Daily dental home care is the best way to keep those teeth shining white and delays how often your pet needs a professional dental clean.
There are three parts to looking after your pet’s teeth:
Tooth Brushing
The gold standard if your pet will let you. Done well this keeps teeth in tip top condition. It is important to use pet tooth brushes to ensure both sides of the teeth are brushed, and toothpaste as it is designed to be swallowed.
Diet
Hills TD and Royal Canin Dental are two of the few dental diets authorised by the veterinary oral health council. The food acts just like brushing – it physically scrapes the plaque from teeth. This is because it’s much tougher than regular dry food. Royal Canin Dental and Advance Dental also incorporate a mouth wash substance that reduces plaque adherence.
Oral Gels and Mouth Washes
Placing Healthy Mouth in your pet’s water reduces bacteria in the mouth, meaning less plaque build up. This is a useful adjunct to a dental diet and tooth brushing.
While this home care is excellent for removing plaque and bacteria from your pet’s teeth, once calculus has formed it’s time for a professional clean. See our nurses for a free dental check to discuss home dental care and whether your pet is due for a clean!