Keep Your Dog Smiling With Preventive Dog Dental Care

Your dog's healthy teeth and good dog dental care start with proper dental hygiene.

Our info on the best ways to care for your dog's teeth and gums will help guide you safely through the jaws of uncertainy. We're dedicated to getting you the information you need to keep your dog's smile nice and bright.

For starters... you'll want to keep your pet free of the most common dental ailment treated by veterinarians... periodontal or gum disease.

Gum disease is progressive. It usually starts out with the formation of plaque... a sticky bacterial film that forms in the mouth at the gum line.

If plaque is not removed it will harden into tartar above and below the gum line. This builds up and causes the gums to become red and swollen... a condition known as gingivitis.

If gingivitis is left untreated it can lead to advanced gum disease. Red swollen gums will begin to recede as the infection travels down into the root of the tooth and the jawbone.

Once the gums have receded the damage is irreversible and the gums will not grow back.

This is known as periodontal disease and results in loss of bone and loss of teeth. At this advanced stage the bacteria from the oral infection may now enter the bloodstream. This can lead to more serious problems such as heart, liver and kidney disease.

These conditions if left untreated can eventually become life threatening. These problems can also be prevented by implementing a good dental care routine.

Why should I routinely inspect my dog's mouth?

What are the signs of gum disease in dogs?

What should I do if my dog's mouth shows any signs of gum disease?

How important is home dog dental care?

Do I need to brush my dog's teeth?

What should I use to brush my dog's teeth?

How do dog's in the wild keep their teeth clean and healthy?

Will real bones help keep clean my dog's teeth?

Besides real bones what other types of dog chews will help keep my dog's teeth clean?

Why should I routinely inspect my dog's mouth?

By two or three years of age many pets start to show signs of oral disease.

By implementing a home dental routine you can assure that your dog’s mouth stays healthy, clean and pain free.

Start by routinely inspecting your dog’s mouth. A healthy mouth will not smell offensive. The teeth will be clean and will not have any yellow or brown spots. The gums will be a healthy pink color and will hug the teeth.

What are the signs of gum disease in dogs?

These are all indicators of oral disease.

Although bad breath or “doggy breath” is the most obvious sign of a problem, many pet owners fail to recognize it as an indicator of dental care problems until it’s too late.

As part of a good dog dental care routine check your dog’s mouth at the slightest sign of a persistent offensive odor.

Other indications can be:

What should I do if my dog's mouth shows signs of gum disease?

Dog dental care starts by checking your dog’s mouth regularly. If you see any of these signs call your vet to schedule a dental exam. Your dog may just need a routine cleaning.

The cleaning process is performed under general anesthesia. If the condition is minor, it’s not much different than a dental cleaning that you or I would have done.

Your dog’s teeth will be scaled to remove tartar above and below the gum line and then they will be polished. Since your dog can’t rinse and spit . . . the mouth area will be flushed to clear it of any loosened debris.

If the condition is more serious your vet may need to administer an antibiotic to clear up any gum infection before cleaning your dog’s teeth.

Blood work will usually be taken so that your vet can determine if the infection has spread into the bloodstream.

If the disease is in the advanced stages your vet may also need to extract some teeth.

Whatever the outcome, your dog is sure to feel a lot better after receiving some much needed dog dental care.

Remember to... regularly inspect your pet's mouth... schedule periodic dental check ups... and perform routine home dog dental care.

How important is home dog dental care?

Regular cleanings by your vet followed up by a home dog dental care program can help keep your dog’s mouth healthy and disease free.

Even if your dog’s teeth are currently in good condition a preventive home dental care routine is essential to your dog’s health. If not regularly removed, plaque and tartar build up can progress very quickly into full blown periodontal disease.

If you’re new to dog dental care ask your vet to show you how to brush your dog’s teeth. Also find out if there is anything else that your vet would recommend adding to your dog’s preventive home dental care routine.

One recommedation is to entice your dog to chew. Daily chewing exercises will help remove food debris and prevent tartar build up.

They're also great for relieving boredom and separation anxiety. So put your pet to work. Give your dog plenty of fun and yummy real bones, dental dog chew toys and edible dog chews, yummy real bones & knuckles, dental dog chews and dog chew toys as part of your home dog dental care routine.

Is separation anxiety causing your dog to act out? Get expert help from our recommended professional dog trainers.

Do I need to brush my dog's teeth?

The most direct method of preventive dog dental care is brushing your dog’s teeth regularly.

Vets usually recommend that you brush your dog’s teeth at least two times a week.

If your dog is prone to dental disease you may need to do this more often.

What should I use to brush my dog's teeth?

If you have a young puppy... introducing a tooth brushing routine will probably be much easier then if you have an adult dog.

In either case start slow, keep the sessions short, and be very gentle while working in your dog’s mouth.

Use lots of praise and reassurance to reinforce good behavior.

Don't give your dog treats during this task for obvious reasons.

Since a dog will swallow whatever you use never brush your dog’s teeth with “people” toothpaste.

This toothpaste is not formulated to be ingested and can upset your dog’s stomach.

It’s also designed to foam which is not desirable when brushing a dog’s teeth. So use a pet toothpaste formulated for dog dental care that does not require rinsing.

You will also need a pet toothbrush. There's a great triple sided pet toothbrush that will get the job done faster than a traditional style toothbrush.

Or if you have a small dog you may want to try a pet finger toothbrush. Finger toothbrushes slip right onto your finger and are easily controlled to reach the common trouble spots up near the gum line.

Add some specially formulated tartar removing toothpaste and you’re all set.

Dog toothpaste is available in all-natural formulas and yummy flavors like chicken and vanilla.

If this is your dog’s first toothbrush look for a dog dental care kit to get you started. These dog dental care kits typically include a pet toothbrush, a tube of pet toothpaste and a pet finger toothbrush.

Pet dental wipes are great for use on dogs that resist brushing. These easy-to-use pet teeth cleaning pads help remove food debris and plaque, kill germs and help to control bad breath.

If your dog will not allow you to use the toothbrush method... try using dental wipes regularly as part of your home dog dental care program.

How do dog's in the wild keep their teeth clean and healthy?

Dogs in the wild are generally much more active than our domesticated pets because they must hunt for their food.

They also spend much more time chewing and gnawing on fresh bones, which helps to keep their teeth clean and healthy.

Our domesticated dogs can spend a lot of time sleeping with their mouths closed while passing long period of time alone. It is commonly believed that the lack of fresh air circulating over the teeth and gums can encourage certain types of bacterial growth in the mouth.

And since our pet dogs get their daily rations served to them in bowls it isn’t necessary for them to spend much time chewing.

Although gnawing on bones is how dogs in the wild keep their teeth free from food debris, bacterial accumulation and tartar buildup, our domesticated friends rarely spend as much time at such pursuits.

Encouraging your dog to chew will make a big difference in the effectiveness of your dog dental care routine.

Real bones, are nature's edible dog chews. But if you prefer not to give your dog real bones there are plenty of wonderful dental dog chew toys and edible dog chews that will get the job done.

Will real bones help keep my dog's teeth clean?

Give your dog some real bones ... Nature’s own edible dog chews. Most people don’t give their dog real bones from the butcher very often, so as to avoid the mess and possible unsanitary residue.

It’s great if you have a place where your dog can indulge in working on a fresh bone. But if not, or you're concerned about germs, try some natural sterlized marrowbones.

These hollow bones are even available prefilled with tasty treats like beef, chicken, cheese, and granola. Any dog would love some!

If you get some unfilled bones you may want to try filling them with your dog’s favorite treats. Try peanut butter, cheese or one of the yummy Stuff'N Paste Fillings by Kong.

And if you would rather not give your dog real bones there are many enticing dental dog chew toys and edible dog chews available that will encourage your dog to chew.

Besides real bones what other types of dog chews will help keep my dog's teeth clean?

Traditional chew toys are still available and are just as popular as ever. But there are also a variety of very good chew toys designed to keep your dog engaged, with the added benefit of cleaning the teeth.

These toys will entice your dog into playfully attending to the required dental hygiene.

They also can keep your dog entertained and out of mischief during those times when you must leave your dog alone.