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Keeping your dogs teeth healthy
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These hints and tips on Dog Dental Health – Teeth and Gums - have been kindly supplied by the
Canine Therapy Centre - www.k9centre.co.uk |
One of the most common medical problems that dogs suffer from is tooth and gum disease.
Most dogs from about the age of three will have some degree of gum disease. The warning signs are:
- Bad breath
- Yellow or brown tartar on the teeth and around the gum line
- Dribbling saliva
- Swollen or bleeding gums
- Eating to one side of the mouth
- Refusing to play with toys
- Not wishing to eat due to sore or loose teeth.
Painful teeth and gums can also cause your dog to become irritable or miserable, so check regularly to maintain a healthy mouth.
Many dogs are given dried food and they tend to eat their food by crunching and using the tongue to push the food to the back of the mouth to swallow.
This way of eating food means that the dog’s teeth and gums do not get the exercise needed to remove plaque deposits.
These deposits, which are made up of bacteria and food particles, build up on the surface of the teeth and cause a small pocket to form between the tooth and the gum. As time goes by, this plaque hardens into tartar (that yellowish formation on the teeth). The pocket between the gum and tooth deepens and infection can then enter causing gum, and in some severe cases, bone disease. When the supporting bone is affected some teeth then become loose and fall out.
There are some dogs, and also people, who seem to have the type of saliva that increases the build-up of plaque.
It is very important for owners to help keep your dog’s gums and teeth as clean as possible to minimise expensive and sometimes stressful dental work in your dog’s life.
All puppy owners should teach their puppies to get used to their mouth being felt. This is strange for a dog to begin with but they soon get used to it.
Treatment for keeping a healthy mouth
1. Getting down to the bones of it.
The most natural way for dogs in the wild to keep their teeth and gums healthy is to chew on rawbones. There is, currently, a lot of controversy about feeding your dog bones, so you must do your research and decide on this for yourself.
Chewing on bones can help to keep the teeth clean and massage the gums. Raw bones are less likely to splinter than cooked ones, but there is a possibility that they may harbour salmonella bacteria. Cooked bones have the fat seeped out of them and are less stable, so much more likely to splinter and cause problems. Hard baked bones can cause fractures in the teeth if the dog chews too hard. No matter what you choose, bones should never be given unsupervised.
| As an alternative to bones, you could give your dog a dental chew. Some of these have special enzymes to help prevent the build-up of plaque. Or you could try one of the plastic or nylon bones or tugger ropes. |
 Click on the picture to buy from the Pawsability Pet shop |
2. Gum Massage
Specially made toothpaste such as Dorwest Roast Dinner Toothpaste can be used to gently massage your dog’s gums and teeth. Many dog toothpastes have enzymes designed to inhibit plaque-forming bacteria. They have an appealing taste, are safe for the dog to swallow, and need no rinsing. The paste can be applied to a soft bristle brush or a rubber finger brush. In order to be effective this needs to be done every day, as plaque starts to develop 6-8 hours after previous brushing. If you have a puppy, you can start getting him used to having his teeth cleaned and mouth handled, by massaging his gums with your fingers on a daily basis. |
Find out more about Tooth brushes, Dog tooth paste, dental gel here |
| An alternative to this is to use a Dental Kong.
This is a strong rubber toy with grooves that gently clean the dog’s teeth and gums as he chews. Toothpaste can be squeezed into the grooves to give a mild abrasive and aid the removal of plaque. |
 Click on the picture to buy from the Pawsability Pet shop |
3. Homeopathic Remedy
| For dogs that do not like having their teeth brushed, or who have already developed plaque and tartar, the homeopathic remedy Fragaria can be effective. This remedy is used to soften, slow down and help prevent the build-up of tartar on the teeth. The suggested dosage for teeth that are encrusted is one pill a day for up to one month, until the tartar is significantly reduced. Dosage for prevention against new tartar build up is one pill per week. |  Click on the picture to buy from the Canine Therapy Centre |
4. New Herbal Remedy
| If you are anything like me, you may be a bit lazy about brushing your dog’s teeth on a regular basis. This new product takes no effort at all, it is just sprinkled on to the dog’s food – as simple as that. PLAQUEOFF is a natural product that works to remove plaque on the surface of the teeth. The active ingredient in PlaqueOff™ is a natural vegetable substance derived from specially selected seaweed. When this natural substance dissolves, the ingredients are absorbed into the bloodstream. The effect is to alter the composition of the saliva, which gains the ability to dissolve tartar, allowing the tartar to crumble away. It also prevents new layers of plaque and tartar from gaining a foothold. The composition of the saliva can help to get rid of the bacteria that encourage the formation of plaque and tartar. |
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PlaqueOff™ was developed a few years ago by a Swedish dentist who had a patient he treated regularly for tartar. The patient moved to Spain, but kept his Swedish dentist. On his first visit after he had moved, the dentist found that this patient had no tartar at all.
The dentist, who also studied the effects of diet and nutrition on the teeth, concluded that there must be something the patient was eating that was preventing him from getting tartar on his teeth. Eventually, by process of elimination, the dentist made the sensational discovery that a particular seasoning in the salads his patient was eating regularly must be that "something".
After many tests and trials, the dentist developed the prescription for "the cure", and so PlaqueOff™was born. The effects have since been confirmed in several separate scientific studies.
Most dogs over the age of three have some plaque or tartar. So it is wonderful that PlaqueOff™ is now available for dogs in powder form. It is simply sprinkled daily on to the dog’s food for amazingly healthy teeth and gums. Healthy teeth and gums also have the added benefit of a sweeter breath.
Many of our professional dog owners are now using this product on a regular basis and have reported great results.
Carol Martin
Copyright © Canine Therapy Centre 2005. All rights reserved.
Notes - ofcourse, if you are concerned about your dogs teeth, please do go and discuss the matter with your vet.
