How to brush your dog’s teeth

Dental care or brushing your dog’s teeth is one of the most common overlooked grooming tasks.

Like us humans, dental care is a very important task that we must take into account for our dog.

Brushing your dog’s teeth daily is essential.

Why?

Plague and tartar will accumulate on the teeth along the gum line in the dog’s mouth if no attempt is made to clean his teeth. Over time, it is very likely to lead to other dental diseases such as gingivitis and periodontal disease. This can be very painful and lead to tooth loss, abscesses, and bone loss or infection.

The ideal way to keep the teeth clean is to brush the dog’s teeth daily; just like humans.

There are specialty toothbrushes and toothpastes available at pet stores or you can buy them online these days, if needed.

You cannot use human toothpaste on your dog, as your dog will not gargle or wipe his mouth off the paste, but will lick and swallow it. Human toothpaste is a bit harsh on the stomach and the dog can get sick.

You can also buy special treats that could help remove plague or tartar; this is indicated on the packaging label.

I find that feeding them knuckle bones can help remove tartar and plague, especially the back teeth, but not the front canine teeth. Similarly, giving the dog a raw-skinned treat can also have the same effect when he bites into it.

They are also a special oral gel for removing stubborn tartar and plague, but you will need to be patient as it can take up to 30 days for the gel to soften tartar and plague before they can be easily removed. These gels are much more expensive than normal dog toothpaste.

I believe that starting to brush your dog’s teeth when he is a puppy and continue to do it daily is the best approach to his dental care.