Caring for your pet's teeth should be as much a part of daily care as feeding, going for walks, playing, and cuddling. Cats and dogs start getting their "grown-up teeth" by the time they are 4 months old, and all of their adult teeth are present by the 7 month mark. While long-term care of adult teeth is what matters, getting your pet accustomed to a dental care routine should start as soon as you bring them home. The easiest way to start is with a young puppy or kitten, although even if you adopt an adult animal you can still start an effective dental care regimen. This will ultimately make dental care a normal, stress-free part of the family routine.
As is true for so many things, when it comes to dental health, prevention is better than treatment. Doing a few minor things at home can help you and your pet avoid the stress and cost associated with corrective dental work, frequent teeth cleanings, and extractions. Your pet will be healthier and feel better if he does not develop dental diseases in the first place. We all know how painful it is to have a bad tooth, and yet many of our pets live with multiple bad teeth as an part of day-to-day life. While many of our stoic animals may never show signs of discomfort (excessive drooling or a sudden unwillingness to eat crunchy foods and treats), one look in their mouths can give you a hint as to just how uncomfortable they must be. Excessive dental tartar and plaque leads to foul-smelling breath, gum irritation, and can pose a threat to critical organ systems such as the heart, liver, and kidneys.
In order to take care of your pet’s teeth, one of the first things you need to do is make sure your pet is comfortable with you touching and examining her mouth. You should be able to pull back your pet's lips to look at her teeth, keeping in mind that it is often the teeth farthest back that develop the most significant problems. As you pet your animal in greeting or while cuddling on the couch, make a habit of touching his mouth. Even if at first he does not respond well to such attempts, keep at it. Never make the oral exam a source of stress, but try to make touching and messing with their mouths during everyday contact a habit.
Tomorrow: introducing toothpaste
Dr. Danielle Irving is an associate veterinarian at the Richmond SPCA.To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.
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