Dental Care

The following article was written by Rachel Peeples, DVM

The importance of dental care has become increasingly obvious in recent years.  Tartar and plaque buildup will predispose the dog to bad breath and gingivitis.  Gingivitis (infection of the gums) provides a site of bacteria that can seed infections in the thorax particularly the heart.  If the gingivitis is severe enough, the root of the tooth is undermined.  If undermined severely enough, the tooth will fall out.  The more teeth that are lost, the less the dog is able to eat and the greater the risk of malnutrition.  Thus, dental disease has severe potential consequences.

The dog owner can help prevent dental disease in several ways.  The
easiest way is to limit the amount of soft food that a dog receives.   Chewing hard food provides friction that reduces the buildup on teeth.  Bones are another good way to allow the dog to remove tartar.  Beef knuckle bones are great for this.  Several food companies have diets specifically designed for dental care -- for example T/D diet from Science Diet.  As in people, nothing can replace the benefits of regularly brushing teeth. 

There are many products available that are designed to aid the owner in this task.  It is the manual act of brushing that provides the greatest benefit so regardless of the solution used a good brush is essential. Never use human toothpaste on dogs - it can cause fluoride poisoning!  Puppies need to be trained to accept this along with other traditional grooming activities.  Older dogs may be harder to adjust to this activity -- patience and time will often soften their objections.  Finally, the veterinarian can clean dog's teeth similarly to the dentist cleaning our teeth.  This technique requires anesthesia so it is not to be used as a alternative to other prevention efforts.   

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