At Home Dental Care

This post we will discuss at home dental care as we continue to raise awareness about oral health during dental health month! There are a number of techniques you as an owner can try out to keep your pet from having to undergo a dental cleaning under anesthesia, or prolong the time in between cleanings. More often than not finding a good system for at home dental care is trial and error. Not all pets will be receptive to the different options. Always feel free to call or schedule an appointment with us to discuss different options and learn what we can do for you to help you provide better at home dental health care.

Brushing you Dog and Cat’s teeth

Brushing your pet’s teeth daily (or however often you can) is the best way to keep your pet’s teeth healthy, and reduce the need for a dental cleaning and expensive dental surgery. The best time to implement brushing is when your pet is a puppy or kitten. With this said, you can start brushing teeth later in their life as well as long as you go slowly when introducing this concept to your pet. Many times when brushing your pet’s teeth is not possible it is because your animal has not been introduced properly. See our posting today on how to slowly incorporate brushing your pet’s teeth slowly into their normal routine.

A few different items can be used to get the same effect. You can use a finger brush (soft, rubber brush that slips over your finger such as you would use on an infants gums), a regular pet toothbrush, or even washcloth wrapped around your finger. Always keep in mind the size of your pet’s mouth, the small the mouth the smaller the brush you’ll need. Always use a toothpaste specific for pets. Human toothpaste is not safe for our pets. There are a variety of flavors available at our hospital. If your pet does not like any of the flavors, brushing with a wet brush/wash cloth and no toothpaste is better than not brushing at all! You can find toothpastes and a variety of tooth brushes at our office. To learn more or have any questions answered, please feel free to call our office or stop in anytime.

Keep in mind most pets will only TOLERATE brushing. Only the rare well behaved dog or cat will sit completely still and let you brush their teeth. Some wiggling and trying to escape is normal. However, safety first! If your pet does not take well to brushing, even with a slow steady introduction and positive reinforcement, do not force your pet. There are other options to try and keep your pet’s teeth as clean as possible at home. Do not subject your pet to a highly stressful situation or subject yourself to a dangerous situation if your dog or cat becomes aggressive.

Oral Hygiene Rinses and Water Additives

-C.E.T. AquaDent
AquaDent is a supplement that you add to your pets drinking water to help maintain oral health. It can be used alone or in conjunction with other dental home care. It was developed by Veterinary Dental Specialists to help freshen your pet’s breath and maintain oral hygiene. It has been clinically proven to kill bacteria that can cause plaque and subsequent dental disease. A very small amount is used with a pre-measured amount of water. Because AquaDent is presented to your pet cat or dog in a very diluted form, most animals notice no difference in taste or smell and will readily drink the water. One bottle tends to last for a long time making it an affordable and stress free at home dental care product. freshens breath and kills bacteria that causes plaque. Samples are available to try before committing to buying an entire bottle.

-C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Rinse
C.E.T Oral Hygiene Rinse for dogs and cats contains ZincChlorhexidate which is a combination of two effective oral hygiene compounds that can help guard against plaque with or without brushing. This rinse combines chlorhexidine, a highly effective anti-plaque compound, and zinc gluconate, which inhibits plaque and calculus formation, which together provide superior antiplaque activity. The C.E.T. rinse also contains a product to result in fresher, cleaner smelling breath. C.E.T. rinse is used on a daily basis, or on days when you have not brushed your pets teeth, ideally used after meals. C.E.T. oral rinse also contains Spherulite technology which allows for extended release of the active ingredients at the site of application for prolonged efficacy. This rinse is ideal for pet owners who are unable or unwilling to brush their pets teeth, or want to provide dental care in-between brushings.

Oral Hygiene Dental Chews

C.E.T Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews for Dogs:
These enzymatic chews for dogs come in a number of different sizes from petite pets such as Chihuahuas to large breeds such as St. Bernard’s. These great tasting chews feature a dual enzyme system with a natural antiseptic and an abrasive texture work in conjunction to reduce plaque and decrease the build up of tartar. These chews can be used daily as a first step for at home oral health care or on days when brushing is not possible. These chews are NOT hypoallergenic and are not suitable for dogs with food allergies.

C.E.T. VeggieDent
These larger Z-shaped chews work with your dog’s chewing action to reduce plaque and inhibit the build up of tartar. The benefit of these chews can only be attained with proper chewing action. If your pet tends to gulp or bite off whole pieces, this chew is not designed for your dog. They are a great tasting treat that can be given once a day as a preventative oral health product.

Therapeutic Dental Diets

Food plays an important part of your pet’s life and dental health. There are literally hundreds of types and brands of food available that all claim to provide your pet with excellent nutrition. Not all foods are created equal, and your veterinarian is your best source of information to provide a recommendation on the type, amount, and brand to feed.

Glove Cities Veterinary Hospital carries a therapeutic dental diet that has been shown to be effective at decreasing the amount of plaque build up and therefore tartar. Therapeutic diets should only be started after discussing them with your veterinarian. They are best suited for patients that either have no dental disease or have recently had their teeth cleaned. If your pet already has signs of dental disease such as gingivitis, these diets may cause pain and irritation to the diseased areas of the mouth. These are all decisions that can be made in conjunction with an oral exam of your pet at least once a year, or more often if needed.

Purina Veterinary Diets: Dental Health Bites for Cats and Dogs
Purina’s Dental Health therapeutic diet is formulated to have an ideally sized kibble with a enhanced texture. The diet is centered around feeding a kibble that is both large enough to promote increased chewing time and that has a special texture to allow the tooth to penetrate deep into the center of the kibble before it breaks. These two features increase the amount of time the teeth are in contact with the roughened kibble texture which equates to increased plaque removal time and therefore decreased tartar build up. This diet is also a nutritionally balanced, suitable for an adult or senior dog or cat, and contains anti-oxidants, glucosamine (supportive of joint health), and has moderate caloric content. This diet has been accepted by the Veterinary Oral Health Council.

There are many foods available that can be bought at local pet stores that are labeled for oral care. The main difference in most of these foods in comparison with therapeutic diets is their labeled and proven efficacy. Most dental diets available to consumers over the counter are labeled to help decrease plaque formation. Therapeutic dental diets are labeled to decrease plaque and TARTAR formation. As tartar is ultimately what leads to dental disease, therapeutic diets are ultimately more effective than over the counter dental diets.

Stay tuned for next week's blog as we discuss what a dental cleaning for your pet within the veterinary hospital entails from the examination to the cleaning and recovery.

Dr. Santspree, Jen LVT