Your Pet’s Dental Care
Posted - February 20, 2023
By Dr. Lindsay Butzer
As a veterinarian in a busy animal hospital, I see a lot of dental emergencies and a lot of problems that could be minimized. Pet parents forgetting about their pet’s dental health is so common. This is not because our pet owners don’t care about our pets’ pearly whites, but brushing our canine and feline companions’ teeth is difficult and time-consuming. Pets don’t love having their teeth brushed unless they have been accustomed to having their gums lifted and a hard object shoved in their mouth to brush their teeth.
80% of cats and dogs over six years of age suffer from dental disease. Dental disease starts when bacteria, food, and saliva combine to form plaque. If plaque isn’t removed by brushing or chewing it combines to form a hard substance called tartar. When tartar starts to move up into the gums it irritates the gums and causes gingivitis.
TOOTH BRUSHING
So how can we prevent dental disease? The number one way is tooth brushing. This can take a while to have your pet get used to having their teeth brushed, but if you work with your pets over time, they will let you do it!
So why is brushing your dog’s teeth so important? The reason is that manual brushing and physical debridement of the surface of your dog’s teeth remove any chance for tartar to form. The Oratene® Toothpaste gel for dogs and cats is a light, tasteless gel that can be applied to any toothbrush for your routine manual brushing. Using a finger applicator toothbrush makes things quick and easy for cats, but if your dog allows the bristle brush for more aggressive brushing, then go for it! Their mouth will be left feeling clean and they’ll be happy you did so!
BRUSHLESS
Other great alternatives to brushing are brushless oral care products that are antibacterial and can be added to your pet’s water bowl to help reduce the amount of bacteria and wash away food particles from your dog’s mouth that can build up tartar. Oratene Water Additive by ZYMOX® is tasteless and perfect for this. These products won’t reverse the hard tartar that is already there but they will freshen the breath and slow the process of plaque building up. I recommend using Oratene water additives in all your pets’ water sources to gain its benefits.
If your pets aren’t good water drinkers, you can use the Oratene Brushless Breath Freshening Spray with a gentle mister to simply spray directly into your pet’s mouth to decrease bacteria and prevent oral disease as well.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There are a lot of health benefits to caring for your pet’s teeth and brushing is the gold standard. However, there have been advances in pet oral care and there are great products available that don’t require brushing. Incorporating simple dental care products like Oratene into your pet’s daily routine will slow dental disease in your pet.
