DENTAL HOME CARE OPTIONS

WHAT CAN I DO AT HOME TO MAINTAIN MY PET'S ORAL HEALTH

Nothing works as well as brushing. The tooth brush picks out particles of food and debris from the gum line and cleans plaque off the tooth. If this is done at least three times weekly, a spectacular amount of tartar deposition can be completely prevented. Special brushes are made to fit the angles of the pet's mouth and special flavored tooth pastes are available.

How to brush your pet's teeth:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB3GIAgrTPE

Most pets never get their teeth brushed with any regularity and that is unlikely to change.

As much as we wish our pets’ teeth could be easily brushed, it just never seems to work out that way and convenience becomes paramount.

HOME CARE FOR DOGS

 ORAVET^® DENTAL CHEWS

This year’s dental special features Oravet^® Dental Chews for dogs. This new product is sized specifically to fit in the dog’s mouth and is of a consistency that encourages rolling the treat around inside the mouth to cover all surfaces of the teeth. The product contains chlorophyll for breath freshening as well as a central area of delmopinol which not only removes plaque but prevents attachment of new plaque. For proper results, a treat is given daily. Partially eaten treats should be discarded. Chlorophyll can stain fabric so if your dog is a sloppy chewer, take care on where the chew is given.

Other chews are on the market and they are all helpful but these appear to have the most scientifically sophisticated approach to using a chew as a dental device.

For more information visit oravet.com

HOME CARE FOR CATS AND DOGS

 ORAVET GEL

Oravet also makes a gel (more like a wax) which can be applied weekly to the teeth (especially where the teeth meet the gum line) so as to prevent plaque attachment.

For more details visit oravet.com

DENTAL WIPES, RINSES, SPRAYS AND PADS Some animals, especially those with tender gums, will not tolerate brushing but are more amenable to disinfecting wipes or pads. These products will wipe off plaque deposits from the surface of the tooth and, though they lack the ability to pick food particles out of the gum socket, they are probably the next best thing to brushing and, like brushing, these products are best used daily.

(original graphic by marvistavet.com)

WATER ADDITIVES A couple of spoonfuls of dental water additives in your pet's drinking water help prevent plaque attachment and bad breath. This is not going to be as complete as brushing the teeth but it helps with redness and gingivitis similar to the way a mouth wash might work for a person. Some animals simply will not allow any sort of mouth manipulation and a dental water additive can be very helpful in this situation. Alternatively, the water additive product may be a good addition to a regimen using the other dental products.

(original graphic by marvistavet.com)

DENTAL DIETS

Several diet companies have created dental kibbles. These kibbles do not crack and shatter when chewed like normal dry foods do. Instead, dental kibbles crush around the tooth removing plaque as the tooth sinks into the kibble. Dental kibbles are inherently larger than regular food kibbles and can be mixed with regular food but the higher the proportion of dental kibbles, the better the results.

For more details on home care products, visit our periodontal disease library page.