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Is brushing your pet's teeth necessary
Results so far:
| Yes | 60% | 54 votes | Total: 90 votes | |
| No | 40% | 36 votes |
Yes
by Cassandra Lohr
Created on: September 12, 2010
Pets have teeth just like we do. They are made of the same things as our teeth: enamel, roots, pulp, etc. So what would happen to your oral health if you did not brush your teeth?
It can be hard to brush your pet’s teeth as many of them would rather you don’t poke around in their mouth. However, if you start very early, when they are puppies and kittens, and use a slow introduction method you can greatly increase them accepting you brushing their teeth. Use a pet finger brush instead of a regular toothbrush. This is less intimidating to them. Be sure to use pet toothpaste, not human, as it is safe for them to swallow and it usually comes in flavors they find appealing, like chicken or tuna. Starting out, just put a small amount of toothpaste on the finger brush and just do their very front teeth. Then tomorrow, do just their left or right side teeth. Continue in this fashion and gradually work into doing more and more teeth each time. Eventually, they will allow you to brush all of their teeth and they will love the taste of the toothpaste!
Not brushing your pet’s teeth can lead to horrible dental disease. They get plaque and tartar build-up and if you do not brush their teeth, this will lead to gingivitis and puss/infection under the gum line. That nasty “puppy breath” most people think is normal is NOT. They should not have such bad halitosis you cannot stand to smell their breath. What you are smelling is actually infection and bad bacteria in their mouth. When dental disease becomes this severe, it is almost always necessary to extract some teeth. Dogs and cats do not usually get cavities (they don’t eat a lot of sweets) but they do get root exposure, neck lesions (areas where there is loss of enamel by the gum line), and other tooth problems when their dental disease progresses.
Bad dental health affects their internal body systems as well. They swallow all that infection and bacteria which enters their blood stream. It travels through their vessels and their liver, kidneys, and heart have to try to get rid of the “bad stuff”. Their organs have to work so hard to try to rid the body of infection and the bacteria that kidney disease, liver failure, and heart failure can happen.
It is important to visit your veterinarian about once a year for a professional dental cleaning (just like when you go to the dentist). It is necessary and very important to brush your dog’s teeth at home to avoid bad dental disease and possible organ failure.
Learn more about this author, Cassandra Lohr.
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No
by Charlotte Howard
Created on: January 31, 2010
Unhealthy mouths can lead to rotten teeth that cause a serious amount of pain, abscesses and toxins being leaked into the blood stream causing problems with the kidneys and liver. Caring for your pet’s teeth is absolutely necessary to keep them and their gums health and free of disease. However, brushing your pet’s teeth is not vital. There are many ways to keep their mouths clean and healthy without having to risk your fingers.
Some animals, especially cats, can be particular about their mouths and attempting to brush their teeth could result in injury to yourself or them if you are not careful. For these animals, and for the lazier owner who just prefers not to bother, there are products available on the market that can do a job just as well as any toothbrush.
Logic Gel
Logic gel is an oral hygiene paste that can be used as like toothpaste, but also works if placed on the food or paw. By putting this gel on a dog or cat’s paw they will lick it off, and it will work in the mouth as if you were brushing their teeth. The amount of gel used depends on the size of the pet. 1 centimeters of gel will work well for a cat or small dog, whilst medium sized dogs will need 2 centimeters a day and larger dogs will need 5 centimeters. It works by being an abrasive gel that helps to increase saliva flow, washing away bacteria and germs.
Granules
There are products such as ProDen Plaque Off Granules that work by adding the granules to your pet’s food. This product in particular is sometimes classed as a supplement as it contains many nutrients important to a cat and dog’s diet. The granules are thought to work by softening hard tartar and stopping plaque from sticking to the teeth, instead being digested in the stomach.
Dry Diet
One of the easiest ways of keeping your pet’s teeth clean without having to use a toothbrush is by giving them a dry kibble diet. Most feeds are available in a complete dry meal so that wet meat is not needed. Not only is kibble easier to digest, so gentler on the stomach, but the crunching action also helps to remove any plaque and tartar.
Prescription Diet
Hills T/D Diet is designed to help oral hygiene by using a kibble that is designed to help remove tartar and freshen the breath. It also has a good level of antioxidants to help maintain the immune system. Being a prescription diet, it is only available through veterinary surgeons. This particular specialist food has also been approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council.
Dental Check Ups
One vital part to keeping your pet’s teeth healthy and clean is by taking them to the vets for a regular dental check up. This is especially important in pets that have problems with their teeth. A rodent’s teeth continuously grow and if not kept trim by giving them hard feeds they will need to be clipped. At these check-ups the vet will be able to give you more advice on how to keep your pet’s mouth healthy.
With all these different ways of keeping your pet’s teeth clean, there is no need to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste. But, it is still very important that your pet’s mouth is kept healthy. Remember that to keep a pet healthy they should also be regularly vaccinated and treated for parasites.
Learn more about this author, Charlotte Howard.
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