Care For Canine Teeth And Gums

Canine Dental Hygiene - How To Care For Your Dogs Teeth & Gums

Clean teeth can boost the health, happiness, and longevity of your canine friend. Your dog's human family will also reap the benefits, including a cleaner, fresher-smelling doggie mouth! Here is some information on the most common dental problems in dogs and ways of treating them.

Common dental problems

- Periodontitis

It is very common among dogs to have gum disease. At the age of two or three, many dogs have either periodontitis or gingivitis.

The most common dental problem for canines is periodontitis, also known as periodontal disease. The disease is caused by various factors: plaque, food debris, cell mucus, and a mixture of bacteria. This results in a film characterized by milky-white on the dog's teeth as well as the gums. When this film gets combined with saliva, the plaque it causes becomes tartar, and very hard to remove.

- Gingivitis

Gingivitis, also known as gum disease, happens when gum tissue suffers from an inflammation. Without treatment, it can lead to periodontitis, teeth loosening, bone loss, and ultimately, loss of teeth.

- Tooth fractures

Tooth fractures occur when dogs chew hard substances, such as hard rocks and cow hooves. The fractures result to infection inside the broken tooth, which is known as the endodontic disease.

How to prevent dental problems

Your dog can fight off these dental problems by removing the plaque before it actually develops as tartar. How to do it? The most effective way is by brushing the teeth of your dog in a mechanical fashion. The brushing would reduce much of the bacteria presence in the mouth, not to mention making your dog's breath smell sweeter.

Six Steps to help manage your dogs dental hygine.

- Get your puppy to become accustomed to hands in his mouth.
- Try some beef flavored dog toothpaste on a finger. If those hands have something that tastes and smells good, it is a lot easier.
- Rub the dog's gums on both sides and in the front.
- Let him lick some off your finger. Even older dogs can learn this way.
- Put him up on something such as the kitchen counter, washing machine or chair, if he strongly objects. He will be more reluctant to move. A towel on the counter or washing machine will make him more secure.
- Get the correct size brush for your dog.
- Gently brush the gum line around all the teeth. Encourage and speak gently to him. Do a little at a time. He will continue to enjoy the taste of the flavored toothpaste.

Toothpaste. There are toothpaste products made especially for dogs. Brush your pet's teeth using dog toothpaste. Human toothpaste is specifically designed for humans to spit the paste washings out. Dogs cannot do that, so pick a dog toothpaste that is safe enough for dogs to swallow.

Toothbrush. Using a toothbrush in its teeth will take some time for the dog to get used to. Let your dog be acquainted and get used to this is by putting some garlic salt, mix the salt with water, and dip the solution in an old toothbrush. Hold the old brush, and let your pet taste and chew it. Your dog will start to realize that chewing a toothbrush is and tastes good. Make it a habit a few times, until he feels comfortable brushing with it.

Finger brush. You could also use a finger brush instead of a toothbrush. A finger brush is a good alternative, although nothing could replace the good ol' toothbrush. The finger brush just fits onto one's fingertip and can let you brush the dog's teeth without the dog knowing it. Well, at least almost. The disadvantage of getting a finger brush to clean your dog's teeth is that its bristles are quite large for the brush to go under the gumline's margin as effectively compared with regular toothbrush.

In addition, after the teeth are brushed, spray chlorohexidine mouth spray on both sides in the back and on the front teeth. Bacteria gather and this keeps that in check.

If you experience challenges with the dog resisting and wiggling out your hands, you can also try standing or sitting over him (depending on the size) with the dog between your legs. You'll be working sort of upside down and backwards, but it actually gets the brush into places you can't get to when working face to face.

Make it a habit of brushing your dogs' teeth on a daily basis throughout the dog's life.

Professional cleaning. If you don't want to do the cleaning by yourself, you could take your dog to a veterinarian and have his teeth professionally cleaned. A good veterinarian will take additional measures in ensuring your dog's clean teeth by anesthetizing your dog, scraping the buildup of plaque from all over the gumline areas, and polishing the teeth for a sparkling finish.

Home checkup. Try to make it a regular habit of checking the teeth of your dog for any cracked or broken teeth. If you see some problematic teeth, check promptly with the veterinarian.

Home safety. Of course, cleaning your dog's teeth does not mean you should disregard other areas of concern. Tough substances, such as bones, rocks, hard nylon, or cow hooves should be removed from areas where your dog could see. Buy your dog chewing toys that are safer like rubber-made toys. You could also provide bones that are soft enough for your dog to chew.

Mouthwash. There are some products in the market that deal very well in helping to kill the bacteria in your dog's mouth and could actually help heal damaged gum tissues. Do not forget to ask your veterinarian on the best products in the market.

Dental problems do not only happen to humans. Dogs also have dental issues as well. If a dog's teeth are not taken care of, a number of ramifications occur as a result of the infections spreading in various ways throughout the dog's body. One is heart disease resulting in heart failure. Think about it...if a dog is constantly swallowing bacteria from infections in its mouth, or the bacteria is spreading via the blood, it can be nothing but detrimental to the dog's overall health. Good mouth care means a longer, happier life for your best friend.

It is up to the owners on how to help their pet dogs overcome their dental problems.

Until next time...Pat A Pooch

Ken Mathie

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