February is Pet Dental Health Month. When talking about our pets’ health, we focus on proper exercise and nutrition but another essential component is our pets oral health. The importance of keeping your pets’ teeth clean goes beyond just having nice-looking teeth and fresh breath. Since our pets use their mouth every day to eat, pick stuff up, and carry things around, it’s crucial to ensure their mouth and teeth are healthy. Any pain or issues in their mouth can make them uncomfortable in performing everyday tasks. Here are some reasons why a consistent cleaning schedule is essential.
Prevents Bad Breath
The most obvious reason to clean your pet’s teeth is to prevent bad breath. There’s more to bad breath than just a smell. The lingering odor in your pet’s mouth can be an indicator of far more serious issues or illness. Metabolic diseases such as diabetes and kidney failure, respiratory diseases such as nasal infections or tumors and sinusitis just to name a few. In addition to fresh breath, regular teeth cleaning can maintain the health of your pet’s teeth so they can continue to use their teeth and mouths to perform everyday tasks.
Prevents Dental Diseases
Without proper care most pets will develop tartar. Tartar itself may not be a major problem, but once the plaque reaches the gum line, it will cause inflammation and infections of the tissue leading to gingivitis .If left untreated, periodontal disease will develop leading to damage of the teeth’s ligaments. Preventing dental disease should be the biggest reason to keep up with your pet’s dental cleaning. Any pet can get a dental disease if their oral care is poorly managed. Dental disease can affect both young and old pets alike, so starting healthy and regular cleaning habits is essential. Dental diseases can begin affecting the structures in your pet’s mouth. Once your pet’s gums are involved, it can lead to them having loose teeth or ultimately, their teeth can fall out. In addition to losing teeth, infections in the gums can lead to your pet’s bloodstream, which can cause issues and damage to their internal organs, including their heart. Poor dental care can have serious life-threatening effects, and it’s better to take some extra time brushing your pet’s teeth in the long run.
Maintaining a Regular Cleaning Schedule
Overall a clean and healthy mouth with sturdy teeth will keep your pet feeling happy. Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule for your pet can be life-changing for them. Just like for humans, brushing your pet’s teeth only takes a couple of minutes out of the day. For daily or weekly brushing, a couple of minutes is all you need to be able to clean off the plaque on your pet’s teeth and freshen their breath. You can always book a dental cleaning at your local pet or groomers for more advanced cleaning. The veterinary technicians and pet care professionals can give your pet an expert oral cleaning. You can ensure that these professionals will clean off all the plaque and provide the proper treatment your pet’s teeth need. In addition to the treatments, dental appointments can also involve examinations and X-rays to ensure your pet’s teeth are all healthy.
How to Clean Your Pet’s Teeth
Cleaning your pet’s teeth can be done in various ways. Pet’s teeth can be cleaned with a toothbrush similar to a human toothbrush or a finger slip-on toothbrush. Depending on your and your pet’s comfort level and what they’re willing to tolerate, you may prefer one option over the other. If your pet is prone to bite down when things are in their mouth, maybe a regular toothbrush is the best and safest option. If you have a docile pet that is ok with fingers in their mouth, then the toothbrush slip-on will allow you to have a closer and controlled clean. Both methods are effective!
Other ways to keep your pet’s teeth clean is to buy dental toys that your pet can chew on. Bones too, offer teeth cleaning benefits. You can also buy food and water additives as well as dental chews. These specialized toys and treats ensure your pet gets their teeth cleaned if you don’t have the time to brush them yourself.
The importance of keeping your pets’ teeth clean goes beyond fresh breath. A healthy mouth with healthy teeth is a big part of your pet’s overall health. It’s best to start making healthy habits early on so that you can stay consistent with your pet’s dental care. At Cosmic Home and Pet, we believe in keeping all our pets healthy in every way. Be sure to check out our services and follow and like us on Facebook and Instagram.
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