The Importance of a Healthy Mouth

There are so many benefits to having a healthy mouth (Image Source)

February marks the start of Dental Month in the veterinary profession. This is a very important and often overlooked aspect of our pets' health. While you may be bothered by their furry friend's bad breathe, do you realize that it could be a sign your pet has dental disease? Did you know that when dental disease is present it can affect more areas than just the mouth? To me, the mouth is the gateway to the rest of the body, so if it is diseased, there is a good chance it will spread throughout other systems. Let's take a look at some of things we can do at home and at the veterinary office to ensure our pet's mouths stay nice and healthy.

Brushing your pets teeth is one of the best ways to keep tartar and plaque away! (Image Source)

One of the most effective ways to keep our pets mouth clean is to brush their teeth. This needs to be done every 24-36 hours for maximum benefits. The good news is, they  make special toothpaste for pets that is more appealing to them (and it is ok for them to swallow). You can use any type of toothbrush. While some people prefer finger brushes, other may prefer soft bristled human tooth brushes. Either way as long as your are brushing your a helping keep tartar and plaque at bay. Probably the easiest time to start brushing teeth is when their are young so they are used to their mouth being handled, however this doesn't mean that older pets cannot be taught to tolerate regular brushing. We didn't start brushing my dog's teeth until he was about 3 years old and now he loves it! It takes time and patience but it is worth it in the end.

Dental chews have also become a very popular option to maintain good oral health. (Image Source)

Another option that is widely available are treats or chew bones that can help decrease tartar build up. A couple of things to remember is that any of these products will add calories to your pet'd diet so if they need to loose weight you will have to adjust their daily feeding schedule accordingly to account of the extra calories. You also want ot make sure you are purchasing the correct size chew for your size of pet. If a large dog gets a small dog treat they could swallow it whole or choke on pieces. This could lead to major issues in the long run and decrease in benefits, because they are not chewing it! I also recommend that you never leave pets alone with chews so you can make sure they are not swallowing small pieces and are chewing it appropriately. Overall thought, many pets really love this options to help keep their mouth healthy.

Prescription diets can also help with oral health (Image Source)

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There are also prescription diets that help with oral health. These include Hill's Prescription T/D and Royal Canin Dental Diet. The T/D diet has a unique kibble shape and delicious taste that promotes crunching the food and breaking down tartar. Some dogs love it so much, they think it is a treat! In fact we use this in the office as a special treat. The Royal Canin Diet is also a hard kibble that helps break down tartar but is also states it helps with digestive health.

Our pets still may need a dental cleaning, but with regular oral care at home hopefully those will occur much less!
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Sometimes despite our best efforts, our pets still need to have a dental cleaning performed. This is done under general anesthesia. During this time we will clean all the teeth and also probe them to assess their overall health. If any extractions are needed they can be be formed at the same time. Once the dental cleaning is done, then you have a clean slate to start one or all of the above oral health care options.

As you can imagine it would be difficult to eat with this much tartar on your teeth, and would probably not smell very good either. (Image Source)

Again, it cannot be stressed enough how important maintaining a health mouth is for a pets. With the plaque and tartar comes not only bad breathe, but also bacteria. This bacteria can lead to issues throughout other body systems including the heart and kidneys. It is extremely important to start instituting some form of health care at home for your pet. If you need ideas or any suggestions on products you can look for the VOHC (veterinary oral health council) seal. This means that the product has been studied and the claims they make on the label are verified. It is a great place to start to get ideas to keep your pet's mouth happy and healthy. You can visit their website here.