Caring for Your Dog's Teeth

Help your dog keep his healthy smile!

Hands up anyone who has had dental pain!

I have and my goodness, it is right up there with some of the worst pain I have ever felt!

Apparently, I was bad tempered (!) and withdrawn and I spent most of one, very long sleepless night, googling how to remove a tooth myself...........

An extreme response I know, but I could not get away from the pain and over the counter pain killers and my holistic approach were doing little to ease my throbbing tooth. I was on the phone pronto in the morning booking a dentist appointment.

Caring for Your Dog's Dental Health

As pet parents, it's our responsibility to ensure that our companions teeth are as healthy as possible.

Did you know that over 80% of dogs aged over three suffer from dental disease?

Unfortunately, dental disease is common in dogs with some breeds being more prone than others due to the anatomy of their mouths.

Here is why this matters and how you can help your dog maintain a healthy smile.

Understanding You Dog's Teeth

Puppies are born without teeth and at 3-4 weeks their puppy teeth form. By 3-5 months of age they will usually have all 28 of their puppy teeth including incisors, canines and premolars.

At around 3-7 months of age the permanent teeth start to erupt forcing the puppy teeth out and are replaced with 42 permanent teeth, 20 teeth on the upper jaw and 22 on the lower. This is the same for all breeds of dog whether a Great Dane or a chihuahua!

Incisors

The teeth at the front of a dog’s mouth are called incisors, they have 6 in the top jaw and 6 in the bottom. In both dogs and cats, these teeth are relatively small and have one root per tooth.

Incisors are mostly used to grab objects like food, but they are also used for chewing and grooming.

Canines

The canine teeth are the longest teeth in the front of the mouth that are often known as “fangs.” The canine teeth have just one root per tooth but often there is more root within the jaw than the amount of tooth showing! Dogs have 4 canines, 2 on the upper jaw and 2 on the lower jaw. These teeth are slightly curved to grip objects.

Premolars

Next are the premolars which live just behind the canines. Adult dogs have 16 premolars - 8 on the upper jaw and 8 on the lower jaw. These teeth are used for ripping through and grinding up food. The premolar teeth have 1 to 2 roots per tooth that anchor them in the mouth.

Molars

Molar teeth are located in the back of a dog’s mouth. They can look a lot like premolars, but are often slightly larger and flatter. Molars are used for grinding food into smaller pieces to make it easy to swallow and digest. There are 4 molars on the upper jaw and 6 on the lower jaw and they have 1 to 3 roots anchoring them in the dog’s mouth.

Common signs of dental disease:

Bad breath
Red, swollen or bleeding gums
Loose or broken teeth
Increased plaque build up
Excessive drooling
Difficulty chewing or weight loss
Refusing food
Chewing on one side of the mouth
Dropping food whilst eating
Facial swelling
Frequent lip smacking or lip licking
Reluctance to be stroked around the head and face
Taking to their bed / unusually grumpy/ behavioural changes
Reluctant to open mouth or unable to open / close the mouth properly

Dental disease doesn't stop in the mouth, research shows pets with periodontal disease not only have these symptoms but are more likely to develop heart, kidney and liver disease, due to bacteria from the mouth entering the bloodstream and sticking to the arteries around the heart.

Preventing Dental Disease

1. Brush Regularly

The best way to keep your dogs teeth in tip top condition is to gently introduce co-operative daily brushing. Getting them used to having their head handled, lips lifted and licking the toothpaste off the toothbrush to experience the taste, are all good pre-curers to actually introducing a brush to the mouth. When started young this can become a regular part of your daily dog care and after a period of introduction can be tolerated as easily as grooming.

A specially designed doggy toothbrush, suitable for the shape and size of your dogs mouth, will make the job easier.

Only use doggy toothpaste. There are many versions out there but I regularly use Dorwest Herbs – Roast Dinner Flavour Toothpaste for Pets as I tend to find that mint and other flavours are not particularly favourite with dogs. Please do not use human toothpaste! It has a high foaming agent and is meant to be spat out, some human products also contain Xylotol which is highly toxic to dogs.

2. Dental Products and Toys

It has to be said that if you have an older dog who has never been introduced to brushing that the job of introduction can take a little longer. Start slow and work up. If you are having difficulties talk to your Vet team who may be able to help with tips and tricks!

Some dogs however, will be resistant whatever you do – in these cases there are special pastes, products you can add to drinking water, supplements you can add to their food and toys specially designed to encourage chewing which helps with plaque removal.

3. Diet

I am a fresh food advocate and where possible, I recommend either raw or lightly cooked food for my dogs and those of my clients.

One of the benefits of fresh food is that it helps the dog to use it’s teeth correctly and this naturally helps with plaque reduction.

You may also, as part of fresh feeding, choose to feed raw, meaty bones. This is one of the best ways of keeping your dog’s teeth clean and breath fresh, however it must be done mindfully.

Make sure that any bones are raw and are of suitable size for your dog. Here is a good article from Bella and Duke on feeding bones: Click for article

If you have a dog who bolts his food without chewing, bones may not be suitable as the benefit is in the dental work produced during gnawing, but please be really careful with any substitutes you offer. Rawhide is popular amongst some pet owners but please DO NOT use rawhide – please watch this short video to understand the process and why it is not suitable for any pet: Click for video

4. Regular Check Ups

Dental check ups should form part of your regular doggy maintenance and during their health checks with your Vet. If you notice any areas of concern or symptoms as detailed above don’t delay in getting Veterinary advice.

Final Thoughts

Caring for your dog's dental health prevents pain, improves overall health and ensures they keep enjoying their meals! Start a dental care routine today and make this month the beginning of a lifetime of healthy smiles.

Want To Learn More?

Practicing Veterinary Surgeon - Dr Sophie Bell BVMS MRCVS has a course on Oral and Dental Health in Dogs and Cats. I can thoroughly recommend Sophie's courses they are excellent value for money, packed with information and having worked as a Veterinary Nurse for 23 years I pick up new knowledge from Sophie every time! Click here to view the course