Many dogs over the age of three have some form of gum disease. Symptoms of gum disease can include bad breath, tartar around the base of the teeth and gum line, and swollen or bleeding gums. We take care of our teeth, brushing them every day, so why would you not take care of your dog’s teeth as well?
The plaque builds up on your dog’s teeth by food and bacteria building up and not being removed during the process of eating. Over time, this plaque builds into tartar, which is much more difficult to remove and can lead to gum disease. If the tartar gets in between the gum and tooth, it can cause infection. In more serious cases, the infection can lead to bone disease causing the teeth to become loose and fall out, making it difficult to eat.
The best and most natural way of cleaning your dog’s teeth is letting them chew on raw bones which helps to clean the teeth and massage the gums. However, if you don’t want to feed your dog bones, then a specialist dental chew does the same job.
From a puppy, it is worth getting them used to their mouths being checked and cleaned, then when they are older, checking will be much easier. Prevention of plaque build-up is much more effective and less stressful to your dog than getting infections and possible dental work. Most people don’t like going to the dentist so why subject your pets to the same trauma?
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