Pets Have Teeth Too!

Most people don't seem to realize that dogs have teeth too. One of the most common complaints in a veterinary office is that the dog has bad breath. The fastest way to realize what's going on is to ask three questions. 1) How old is the dog? 2) Do you brush it's teeth? and 3) What would your breath smell like if you hadn't brushed your teeth for that long?

Looking after your dog's teeth isn't just a matter of being able to curl up with him on the bed at night. Teeth will develop periodontal disease over an amazingly short period of time. Periodontal disease will result from the plaque that deposits on the teeth and the resulting gum disease. The gums are separated from the tooth and begin to erode the base of the tooth and the bone that it sits in. This will loosen the teeth and cause them to eventually loosen and fall out. But there's more going on here than teeth simply falling out.

The whole process of periodontal disease causes the bacteria of the mouth to 'seed' into the blood stream. This is a slow and continuous process that leads to the bacteria establishing in parts of the body that are poorly supplied with blood. This includes joints (any farmer types that know the term Joint Ill?), and more importantly the heart valves. While the heart valves float freely in the heart, they are themselves poorly supplied with blood and tend to develop a 'knobbiness' to the ends. This means that they will become leaky and allow a backflow, which we hear as a murmer. The resulting physiology leads to congestive heart failure and eventually, death. All because the teeth weren't looked after.

So how do we look after our dogs teeth? Get them used to a tooth brush early. Use it in play. Give treats after so that they associate nothing bad with it. Perhaps use a regular tooth paste, but your veterinarian will have things like Chicken flavoured tooth paste. Malt, beef and others are available.

If a small amount of tartar is present on the teeth, you may be able to scrape this off yourself and then continue to make progress on your own with a brush. You may also need to have a veterinarian do a dental prophy to be able to start at a place where you can do it yourself. A dental prophy is done under a general anaesthesia and consists of exploring all teeth individually to establish health and degree of periodontal disease. Each tooth is then manually scaled. Each tooth is then cleaned with an unltrasonic cleaner, exactly like the one used on our teeth. Each tooth is then polished and perhaps treated with fluoride. This entire process will ensure that you have a healthy mouth to start with.

If you haven't been able to follow a routine like this, and things are either not too bad or a dental prophy will get you to a good start, now how do you stay there? Regular brushing is the best. If you happen to have a dog that simply can't be trained to accept a brush, or it's the mother-in-law's poodle, try cutting up an old pair of pantyhose or nylons into pieces that can be wrapped around your finger. By rubbing your finger around the dog's teeth, they usually won't think it's a brush. The nylon is slightly abrasive and can be used to 'brush' the teeth nicely. Try this with the flavoured tooth paste. It really works!

If the gums have already receded from the teeth, there are a number of products on the market that will help. MaxiGuard Gel is an astringent that will help the tissue grow and will stimulate skin and gum growth. Mushers have been known to use this on the dog's feet to heal web cracks faster.

So take a look in your dog's mouth. Get the mouth healthy, decrease heart disease and improve your dog's breath all at the same time. It only takes a minute and leads to a happier and healthier dog while extending his life considerably.