Keeping Your Dogs Teeth Healthy
It’s a little known fact that your dog’s tooth care is critical to his health and longevity. It’s important that his gums and teeth be clean and free of tartar and plaque. When your dog’s gums become infected and inflamed due to excess bacteria, plaque and tartar, infection can spread throughout the body resulting in serious health problems.
Gum inflammation has been associated with such serious health problems as heart and kidney disease. The same bacteria that set up an infection in the gums can cause an inflammatory process that affect that wrecks havoc with the entire body. For this reason, it’s important that you understand the proper way to perform a dog dental cleaning.
It’s recommended that you clean your dog’s teeth at least twice a week Always approach tooth brushing in as unthreatening a manner as possible. Try adding some peanut butter to a toothbrush and let your dog lick if off its surface for several days until he becomes comfortable with it. When you dog is comfortable with the toothbrush you can follow these steps for a thorough dog dental cleaning:
1. Gently coax your dog into a sitting position.
2. Lift your dog’s upper cheek on one side to expose his teeth and gums.
3. Carefully isolate one tooth at a time and gently brush with the toothbrush using an up and down motion.
4. Repeat the same process to the teeth on the other side of the upper cheek.
6. Do the same to the lower teeth on each side.
6. Strive for anywhere from 45 second to 60 seconds devoted to brushing each tooth. You may need to start out with less time until your pet becomes comfortable with the process.
7. After the brushing is complete, praise your pet and give him a treat.
8. If you use a toothpaste, make sure it’s a brand specifically designed for dogs. Human toothpaste can cause stomach upset in dogs.
9. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles to avoid irritating your dog’s gums.
To keep your dog’s teeth clean and free of tartar, give him dental friendly bones that can help remove plaque and tartar. It also helps to feed him dry dog food which helps to keep the teeth surfaces free of tartar.
By giving your dog good dental care early, he can avoid experiencing future dental problems that may adversely affected his general health and shorten his lifespan.