While you may not have to worry about cavities with dogs, there are several other concerns to look out for, such as plaque, swollen gums, infections, and tartar build-up. If you haven’t spared much thought to cleaning your pet’s teeth, you might want to reconsider the importance of pet dental care.
Is it the first time you’re considering brushing your dog’s teeth? You probably have a gazillion questions like, “How can I clean my dog’s teeth at home?” or “Is it important to clean my dog’s teeth?”
Don’t worry! We’ve done the heavy lifting for you and created a handy guide to doggy dental care that will bring you clarity and give you some food for thought.
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Five Easy Ways You Can Clean Your Pet’s Teeth At Home
Brushing your dog’s teeth can seem difficult and complicated, but it’s an important part of maintaining your pet’s overall health. And it isn’t as hard as you’d imagine.
You can keep your dog’s teeth clean using the simplest methods at home. In fact, teeth cleaning can be considered easier and less time-consuming than bathing your dog. Wondering, “How can I clean my dog’s teeth?”
Here are five easy ways you can clean your pet’s teeth at home.
Brush Using A Good-Quality Toothpaste
Maintaining oral hygiene always begins with brushing your pet’s teeth, but if you were planning to use your regular toothpaste to brush your dog’s teeth, don’t. The toothpaste we use contains ingredients like fluoride and xylitol that are toxic for dogs.
Your dog needs good-quality, canine-friendly toothpaste to keep its teeth clean. And while most dogs are wary about peculiar tastes and smells, doggy toothpaste nowadays comes in various delicious flavors like peanut butter, chicken, and vanilla that may please your dog’s palate. Brushing its teeth wouldn’t be so difficult after all. Wondering, “How can I get plaque off my dog’s teeth?”
Use a toothpaste that contains tea tree oil that controls the build-up of tartar and removes plaque in just a few uses.
ALSO READ: Why Does My Dog Play With His Food
Chew Toys And Bones
If you’ve been wondering, “what is the black stuff on my dog’s teeth,” that’s tartar build-up. You may not know this, but dental chew toys and bones help wipe tartar away from your dog’s teeth. Known to boost oral hygiene, chew toys come in yummy flavors like bacon and beef. The best part? They contain zero calories!
Wondering, “Why is my dog bleeding from the mouth?” It could be because of bleeding gums, or your pup may have chewed on something sharp and abrasive. Since it’s every dog’s natural instinct to chew, giving your pup a chew toy or bone to munch on will help with reducing tooth pain, gum bleeds, and plaque formation significantly.
Designed specifically for dogs, bones and chew toys are made from a wide array of materials such as rubber, rawhide, nylon, or plastic that are made to last. You can even give your dog different chew toys each time to curb its boredom and help scrape off plaque when required.
Spray Pet Dental Spray
Foul breath in dogs is a common symptom of negligent dental care and poor oral hygiene. When you don’t clean your dog’s teeth regularly, all forms of bacteria make their way into your dog’s mouth and encourage the formation of plaque.
Fortunately, you have pet dental sprays to deal with this problem. They’re easy to use and convenient and help diffuse foul breath, kill germs, destroy stink-causing bacteria and keep your dog’s mouth fresh and healthy.
If you’re thinking, “Can I scrape the tartar off my dog teeth,” you can do so using dental sprays. Pet dental sprays help eradicate foul odor and prevent the accumulation of tartar and plaque.
Use Tooth Wipes
Most dogs detest toothbrushes. If your pup is the kind to throw a fit every time you bring out a toothbrush, use tooth wipes instead. Since wipes are softer than the bristles of a toothbrush, your dog is likely to get used to them faster without much fuss.
Known To Soothe Toothaches And Strengthen Gums, Tooth Wipes Offer Several Benefits.
Easy to use and convenient to store, tooth wipes can effectively clean your dog’s teeth when you’re short of time. Wipes are portable and easy to pack, too.
Regular Trips to the Vet
While home dental care has its advantages, nothing compares to the kind of dental treatment your dog can get at the vet. Regular trips to the vet are the best way to ensure proper dental care and oral hygiene in dogs.
Apart from cleaning your pet’s teeth, vets can also inspect your dog’s mouth for any oral issues that you may have missed. It can help prevent periodontitis, a disease most dog breeds are susceptible to. Vets can also scale your dog’s teeth and polish them using precise machines as well as do dental screenings to check for jaw alignment.
Do dogs feel better after teeth cleaning? Regular trips to the vet can help your dog feel healthier and relieved if they have any oral issues.
ALSO READ: How to Choose the Best Food for Your Dog
What Happens When You Don’t Clean Your Pet’s Teeth Regularly?
Dental care is directly linked to the smooth functioning of several other organs like the kidneys, heart, and liver. So, ignoring dental health can lead to a slew of painful diseases. Even though dogs don’t have cavities like humans do, their teeth are prone to the incessant build-up of tartar, plaque, bacteria, weak gums, and foul breath.
You may also expose them to gingivitis, a disease primarily caused by poor oral health, or cause the bones and ligaments in your dog’s gums to weaken. Eventually, your dog’s tooth alignment could completely lose shape and you may even need surgery to fix this problem.
Why put yourself and your dog through so much pain when you can easily ensure proper pet dental care at home and with consistent vet visits?
Importance of Dental Hygiene in Pets
Dental hygiene in pets goes a long way in maintaining your pet’s overall health and well-being. Poor dental hygiene can also cause invasive and painful health issues like ulcers, tumors, and even mouth cancer.
The best and only way to avoid severe health problems in the future is to take small and effective steps to keep your dog’s teeth clean.
Besides, you can save a lot of money by being consistent with your pet’s dental hygiene. Tooth extractions, root canals, and implants are expensive and need constant care and attention after the procedure is done.
You can avoid such ordeals by simply looking after your dog’s teeth with regular care.
We often don’t pay much attention to the oral hygiene and dental care of our pets. But dental hygiene can have a significant impact on your dog’s overall health.
If you were wondering, “How can I clean my dog’s teeth,” you now have the necessary information to start looking after your dog’s dental hygiene. Prioritize dog dental care today to avoid teeth and gum-related problems in the future.
