As I have mentioned before, prevention is always better than cure! Dental disease IS PAINFUL, no matter whether our pets show us signs that they're in pain or not, so any pet with bad teeth will have a reduced quality of life, and we don't want that.
Preventative home dental care is essential. We all need to be thinking about looking after our pet's teeth from a young age. That way, we have the best chance of keeping them clean and training our pets to be amenable to dental care. If your pet is a bit older and/or you think he/she may have some dental issues already, it is probably best to speak to your vet first before starting any new dental care regime.
Brushing is the Best Preventative Home Dental Care
According to the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) and scientific research, brushing is by far the most effective way of reducing dental disease by reducing the build up of plaque. Plaque builds up within 24 hours of cleaning, so we should aim to brush everyday, just like we do for our own teeth!
The toothbrush used is much more important than the toothpaste. Flavoured toothpastes can help your pet accept brushing if they enjoy the taste, but ultimately you need a brush with bristles to mechanically remove the plaque. Electric brushes can be used but may be a bit overwhelming/scary for some pets!
Because brushing is so important, I will write a follow up article dedicated to this topic and go through it in more detail.
What if I can't brush?
We get it. Some pets won't accept brushing. Or life gets in the way and it can be hard to remember to brush everyday. This doesn't mean that you should ignore preventive dental care. There are many other things that we can do at home to help keep teeth clean using products purchased at the pet shop or online. There are so many products available that claim to clean teeth, promote healthy gums, freshen breath, but which products actually work?
The best way to find out if a product works, is to review all available scientific research which backs up the claims. That sounds like a lot of work! The good news is that the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) has done some of that work for us.
The VOHC is made up of veterinary dentists who look at the research and give a VOHC seal of approval (see picture to left) to the products that reduce plaque and/or reduce tartar and are safe. When shopping, look out for products with the VOHC logo on the label for some assurance that it may help. The full list of products that they have approved for dogs and cats can be found here: http://www.vohc.org/all_accepted_products.html.
Special dental diets have a larger kibble size designed to promote chewing and maximise contact with the teeth, and these can help to reduce plaque formation, if fed as the majority of the diet. They generally only work on the teeth that do the chewing i.e. the teeth further back in the mouth, not the incisors and canines at the front. Dental chews work in roughly the same way to promote chewing but again they generally only target the back teeth, and care must be taken as they are often quite high in calories so can contribute to weight gain. Very hard chews e.g. antlers can cause fractures of teeth so should be avoided.
Additives to food and water are available and have been shown to help improve oral health. These include seaweed extracts, antibacterial agents and anti-plaque agents added to food or water.
The reality is that a combination of treatments is best, ideally consisting of some brushing (paying particular attention to teeth at the front), and another non-brushing method e.g. Plaque-Off, a seaweed extract added to food every day.
Animail is here to help!
We have looked at VOHC recommended products and have experience working in veterinary practice so we are to help you choose the right dental care products for your pets. Whether you can or won't brush, we have boxes packed with dental products to suit you and your pet's needs. You can even have our boxes delivered on subscription so you'll never run out of your essential dental product again!
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