80% of dogs have some sort of dental disease by the time that they are three years old. Having a dental cleaning routine set up with your four-legged buddy is critical to preventing the buildup of plaque and tartar.
Depending on the severity of the build-up, it may be possible to be removed at it home. However, many times tartar buildup has to be removed by your vet.
If your dog has very bad breath, seems to be pawing at their mouth, or dropping food when they eat, they may have severe tartar buildup.
By keeping this plaque off your dog’s teeth, adding an additive such as mouthwash for dogs, and maintaining a consistent cleaning schedule you can keep them healthy for many years.
When your dog eats the food and saliva will get trapped near the gum line in your dog’s mouth. This will continue to build up each time your dog eats. If this is left untreated, the plaque will mix with minerals in your dog’s mouth to form hard tartar.
This tartar will cause your dog to have tooth decay, gum disease, and cause many other dental diseases. Eventually, this tartar will cover the whole surface of your dog’s teeth and may even cause their teeth to fall out.
Tartar is the hard brownish-grey substance that builds up on your dog teeth. This is often very hard like a rock from the calcium and other minerals that are found in your dog’s saliva mixing with food and plaque build-up on your dog’s teeth. This tartar will trap bacteria around the surface of your dog’s teeth causing them to have infection and inflammation of their gums.
There are a few ways that you can remove the tartar from your dog’s teeth. Your dog is not going to sit still enough for you to remove the tartar off very easily. Below are two ways that tartar can be removed from your dog’s teeth.
While you can use a finger brush to help knock tartar off the surface of your dog’s teeth, there is more tartar and plaque that has built up under your dog’s gum line. Using a finger toothbrush can also take a lot of training for your dog to tolerate at first. If your dog has a severe tartar build up the best thing is for your dog to have a complete dental cleaning done at your vet.
Your vet will lightly sedate your dog and clean their teeth the same way the people’s teeth are cleaned at the dentist. Your vet will be able to remove the tartar and build up that is below the gum line.
They will also be able to take x rays of your dog’s teeth to see if there are any issues with the roots of the teeth. If there are any diseases or broken teeth your vet would also be able to remove these teeth to help keep your dog’s mouth healthy.
It is best to try to maintain your dog’s teeth and gums. Having a dental disease can lead to other issues within your dog. Common organs that dental disease can affect are:
Studies show that gum disease can cause dogs to have heart issues. When this bacteria enters the bloodstream from the inflamed gums, it can travel anywhere in your dog’s body.
These bacteria commonly travel to your dog’s heart causes bacterial endocarditis. It will cause issues with your dog’s heart valves and can cause your dog to have congestive heart failure from the valves not working properly. This is often an irreversible issue even with a dental cleaning.
If your dog has dental disease, this can cause your dog to also developed kidney or liver disease. The bacteria trapped will enter the bloodstream and can end up anywhere in your dog’s body. The kidneys and liver are two very important organs that often get damaged by this bacteria.
If your dog has severe periodontal disease, this will cause your dog’s jaw to decay and eventually break. This can lead to pain and sometimes unrepairable fractures of the jaw. Most bones that are broken due to this type of infection have a very hard time healing if ever.
Keeping your dog’s mouth clear of any tartar and plaque can help keep your dog healthy and free of other diseases.
Preventing your dog from developing tartar is the best way to treat any dental issue. These are a few things that you can try to help decrease plaque and tartar build-up in your dog’s mouth.
Giving your dog a dental chew will help decrease tartar and plaque. Dentalicious Doggy Sticks are great treats to give to your dog. These treats help promote dental health while giving your dog a tasty and healthy treat.
These treats have ridges on the surface to help reach those hard-to-reach areas to keep your dog’s teeth clean. These treats come in 3 different sizes so that even the tiniest dog can benefit from the treats. When you first give any new treat to your dog it is best to monitor them to make sure that they are not going to swallow it whole and will actually chew the treat.
Magic mouth wash can be added to your pet’s water to help decrease the amount of plaque and help prevent tartar buildup. This product is great for a dog who does not tolerate having their teeth brushed or for a person who does not have time to brush their dog’s teeth every day.
These additives you can add to your dog’s water to help reduce plaque and tartar in just 7 days leaving your dog with fresh smelling breath. When you first start to use these products it is best to also give your dog access to freshwater without additives as some will be picky and not drink the water additives at first.
One way to effectively keep tartar and plaque off your dog’s teeth is to brush your dog’s teeth every day. With a little time, you can easily train your dog to tolerate having their teeth brushed.
When brushing your dog’s teeth, make sure that you use toothpaste specifically for dogs. These can be found at your local pet store and come in many different flavors.
Tartar and plaque are not good for your dog’s overall health. While many times your dog may need a dental cleaning by your vet. Once all the dental tartar and plaque have been removed, you can start implementing some of these products to help keep your dog’s teeth healthy.
Dental disease is one disease that you can easily help prevent in your dog. Trying a few of these different tips and tricks with your dog you can easily prevent tartar from accumulating on your dog’s teeth helping keep them healthy for many years.
The medical, nutritional, or behavioral advice we provide is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Our editorial content is not a substitute for formal or personalized medical advice from a veterinary professional. Only board-certified veterinary specialists who have examined your pet should diagnose medical conditions, provide personalized treatment, or prescribe appropriate medication. For questions regarding your pet’s health, or if your pet is exhibiting signs of illness, injury, or distress, contact your veterinarian immediately. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on our site.
