Puppies have twenty-eight teeth, which are replaced by forty-two permanent (adult) teeth. Cleaning your dog’s teeth is important for general hygiene and in preventing dental diseases (which can lead to more serious problems in the body). The main reason for brushing your dog’s teeth is the same reason you brush your teeth daily, plaque and tarter buildup on your pet’s teeth. Bits of food, bacteria, and minerals from saliva are the elements of plaque. The buildup of plaque can weaken the tooth and infect the gums, especially the bacteria, which can cause more serious dental problems and infect other organs in the body. Once the plaque hardens to the tooth, it is called tarter. Bad breath is a good sign that your dog is in need of a brushing; also, yellow teeth, especially along the gum line, indicate plaque buildup.
The suggested frequency for brushing your dog’s teeth depends on who you talk to but the answers can vary from daily to every other day to weekly. If you lack the time to brush your dog’s teeth every day or every other day, consider using dental wash and/or dental treats for six days, and brushing your dog’s teeth on the seventh day.
Dental Treats
Treats for cleaning teeth should not be soft or easy to swallow. Hard treats force your dog to use the teeth in the back of their mouth to break up the treat. While they crunch on the treat, it scrapes the plaque and tarter off the surface of their teeth, cleaning the teeth and satisfying your dog. One note to be aware of, check the calories in the treats you are feeding your dog; if you’re using high calorie treats, and giving them to your dog frequently, you may need to adjust the amount of food your dog receives so obesity does not become a problem.
Dental Wash
For dogs that dislike chewing on bones, dental wash is a practical alternative. Administering dental wash to your dog daily is not as time consuming and more enjoyable for both you and your dog, than brushing but still helps to remove plaque and tarter buildup. Dental wash helps to break up plaque before it can harden into tarter.
