Oral Hygiene and Dental Care

Dental problems can pose a serious threat to a dog's health if left untreated. Although dogs don’t typically seem to suffer from dental decay or cavities, any plaque that’s allowed to build up excessively on the teeth can turn into hardened tartar, which results in bad breath, and can cause bacteria to build up at the border with the gums. These bacteria in turn release toxins into the oral tissue, which can lead to periodontal disease, a problem of the gums. The bacteria cause the gum tissue and tooth to separate from one another which causes ‘ pockets’ to develop, where yet more bacteria can congregate. The teeth can actually become loosened as the toxins move into the deeper layers of the gum tissues, and painful abscesses can form. Bacterial toxins can also enter the bloodstream, and this poses a risk to the kidneys, lungs, liver and heart, and ultimately the entire immune system. 

Some breeds (especially smaller dogs and flat faced dogs) seem to be more prone to dental problems than big dogs. This may be a genetic issue, or perhaps high carb diets and in some cases, owners of tiny breeds may also be nervous about feeding their dogs with whole chicken necks & wings (the types of bones that require true chewing and gnawing and help to lessen plaque buildup in bigger bone-crunching breeds) for fear of choking. Small dogs are also more prone to their teeth being crowded together (which in turn can make brushing or clean with bones and cartilage, even more difficult). Unfortunately, many owners take their dogs' dental health for granted and assume that no proactive care is necessary, only to discover that years down the road, a serious dental health concern has arisen, and costly veterinary bills to undo the damage (sometimes including uncomfortable extractions) are on the horizon. 

But Kibble Cleans Teeth, Right? 

With lots of pet food manufacturers promoting their dry, crunchy kibble products as capable of cleaning the teeth, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the dog’s teeth can be all but ignored if she’s eating pelleted food. But the fact is that in the majority of cases, dogs and cats don’t actually even break up their kibble with their teeth. Have you ever seen your dog vomit or regurgitate her kibble? Almost without exception, that kibble returns to the world in the exact same form as it was consumed, round pellets. There’s no way the pellets could have cleaned the teeth because they were never even chewed, and were simply swallowed whole! Secondly, most kibbles are so laden with processed simple carbohydrates, that any pellets which are actually chewed, run the risk of impacting starches and sugars into the gum-line, thus increasing the likelihood of periodontal disease over the long term. In contrast, most home-prepared diets do not seem to contribute to the same levels of tartar buildup as processed dry foods and a fresh, minimally processed pet food diet causes almost no tartar buildup in most cases. 

Dental Cleaning Products

There’s also a growing sub-industry of pet dental products, ranging from specialized toys and chews to powders and liquid products that are added to the food or water, and claim to promote dental health. Some examples of these products that work in different ways are:

• LUCAA probiotic dental spray https://www.ingenious-probiotics.com/products/probiotic-pet-dental-care

• DENTAL PRO CLEAN https://dogsfirstshop.ie/products/dr-bradys-dental-prothyroid

A canine toothbrush or finger-toothbrush can be a good investment for owners of dogs who are especially prone to plaque and tartar buildup, and regular at-home cleaning can help delay or completely avoid the need for professional dental cleanings. You can get your dog used to a toothbrush by applying pleasantly flavoured toothpaste to it and just allowing him to lick it off.

You Can make your own toothpaste by mixing together ;

• 50% baking soda

• 50% virgin organic coconut oil

  
  

Once he is comfortable with this, you can begin gently brushing the teeth. Most canine tartar buildup actually occurs on the sides adjacent to the cheeks and not inside, by the tongue, which makes cleaning a little easier! The frequency rate of the cleaning schedule often ends up correlating directly with the dog’s willingness to have his teeth cleaned with a toothbrush, those who love the process tend to make it a much more rewarding experience for the owner, and this results in more frequent cleaning compared with the dog who hates it, fights with the brush and causes an exhausting struggle which may only be braved once or twice a year!

To Dental or not to Dental?

If tartar buildup is very severe, professional cleaning may be necessary to give you a ‘clean slate’ to work with but as with most things, if you can get into good habits early on, or incorporate fresh foods and bones when appropriate, the management and maintenance of dental health are much easier.

When dental cleaning does become a necessity, there’s some debate about whether this should be done under anaesthetic, or ‘anaesthesia-free’. Many conventional vets claim that the teeth can only be very thoroughly examined and cleaned on all facets when the dog is completely anaesthetized and unable to protest.

Nowadays some groomers offer a teeth cleaning service that can give great results using the emmi - pet ultrasonic toothbrush https://emmi-pet.uk/

Raw Meaty Bones

One of the best tools for cleaning the teeth enjoyably and what most dogs adore is having a fresh raw bone to chew on; it will provide hours of gnawing enjoyment and the abrasive action of the bone against the teeth and pulling off any scraps of meat, can reduce plaque buildup, scrape off any developing tartar and even clean between the teeth as sinew is pulled off.

Results aren’t usually seen overnight but offering a good bone to chew on a couple or three times a week will almost always help with dental health. There are some concerns about a risk of tooth fracture in more ‘aggressive chewers’ when gnawing on raw bones so you must establish how voraciously he chews, and then decide. One of my own Labradors fractured a tooth in the past which required extraction, so now she only has ‘softer’ bones such as lamb ribs and duck necks, and has her teeth brushed regularly.

Dogs who eat a raw or homemade diet tend to suffer less from dental problems overall than their counterparts who eat processed food. Remember the bones you feed your dog must always be raw and it’s important to choose the appropriate sized bone for your dog’s size and chewing style. You can learn more about what raw bones you can give to your dogs by reading Dr Conor Brady’s article on safely feeding bones here https://dogsfirst.ie/raw-faq/how-to-feed-a-dog-bones/

In Conclusion

Ultimately, the way you approach dental health will depend on what you are comfortable with as an owner and the time you are willing to spend. The key thing to remember is (as with most things) prevention is far better than cure. So whether it’s a speciality custom-made dental product or good old-fashioned meat and bones, reducing the risk of plaque buildup is much less unpleasant for your dog and your wallet, compared with a visit to the vet for major dental work and the risk of having to have teeth extracted.

So, for my own three dogs, we have made a habit of brushing their teeth from puppyhood. The brushing is not as thorough as I brush my own teeth, but I feel that it does help. It’s also something that we all enjoy and gives an opportunity for us to examine the dog’s mouths to check for any abnormal lumps or bumps, and to visually inspect the teeth. See the video below. This was how I discovered that one of my dogs actually had a fractured tooth; I felt a very sharp edge with my finger and was then able to take photos of the tooth for our vet to assess. In the summer months, dogs can also get ticks on their lips (it happened to a friend local to me), especially if they eat grass. A visual inspection is also recommended to check for this and any other mouth abnormalities.

Elizabeth J. Wass, No Bull Just Natural Health For Dogs

References

References from https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/?s=Teeth&_ga=2.133435468.35334351.1762700005-2091174365.1760309875 and personal experience with our dogs Betty, Belle and Glen.