Dental disease in pets often goes unnoticed, but it affects more than 80 per cent of cats and dogs over the age of three. It’s the most common disease in pets and can lead to a variety of health complications, according to Dr. Lee Jane Huffman, a veterinary dentist at the Mississauga Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital.
Left untreated, dental disease can cause a host of different problems in your pet. A pet dealing with a painful tooth may act differently or have difficulty chewing. According to Dr. Huffman, owners have reported major changes in their pet’s personality and energy level after having a problem tooth removed.
Bacteria from the mouth can also enter the bloodstream and cause problems in major organs, like the heart, liver and kidneys, and abscesses can even weaken bones, leading to fractures and breaks.
The worst case that Dr. Huffman has ever seen was in a small dog that fractured both sides of his jaw while eating breakfast. “If the dog had been recommended a dental cleaning years before, or even a week before that happened, they never would have suffered that,” she says.
Small dogs are more susceptible to dental disease than large dogs and are likely to require more frequent visits to the veterinary dentist.
“When we bred dogs to be these smaller, pushed-in nose breeds, or just smaller in general, we didn’t shrink the size of their teeth. So they tend to have a lot more crowding. It kind of prevents the self-cleaning mechanisms that would be there in the bigger dogs,” says Dr. Huffman.
In general, she recommends a dental checkup every 12 months for large dogs and six months for small dogs.
“At nine months, I think pets should be going to their vet for a checkup to see if they need a cleaning. I did a seven-month-old cat the other day and I had to scale that cat’s teeth,” she says.
If your pet hasn’t received regular dental care, there are some warning signs that indicate a cleaning is needed. According to Dr. Huffman, if your pet has visible tartar on their teeth or bad breath, it’s past time for a checkup.
“If you or I had that in our mouths, we would go screaming to the dentist or people would shun us, but there’s something in us that allows that to go on in pets,” she says.
If you notice your pet has red gums, is no longer interested in chewing or is only using one side of their mouth to eat or chew, dental disease may already be progressing.
Dr. Huffman also recommends that pets undergo an anesthetized cleaning, as she says cleanings while the pet is awake can lead to a false sense of security. “The teeth may look clean above the gum line, but it’s really at or below the gum line where the disease process is going on,” she says.
This also gives the veterinarian a chance to examine the animal’s mouth and tonsils, which can sometimes lead to the early discovery of a tumour.
Dental disease warning signs include:
Visible plaque buildup on teeth
Bad breath
Red or bleeding gums
A loss of interest in chewing
Avoiding eating or chewing using a specific side of the mouth
Aside from regular dental checkups, the most important thing pet owners can do to help prevent dental disease is regularly brushing your pet’s teeth.
While pets don’t require brushing twice a day like people, every other day is the minimum to reap the benefits. “There are studies that show that brushing teeth less than every other day doesn’t make a difference, really,” says Dr. Huffman.
In addition to regular brushing, Dr. Huffman says pet owners can investigate other methods to prevent dental disease, such as water additives, oral gels and dental diets.
How to brush your pet's teeth
Pets need to be slowly introduced to the process of brushing their teeth, “just like you’d introduce hygiene to your child, which can be challenging as well,” says Dr. Huffman.
She recommends getting your pet to lick toothpaste off your finger. As they become comfortable with that, rub the paste on their gums.
Again, when the animal accepts this, start introducing a toothbrush.
“I don’t particularly like the toothbrushes that go on your finger. I find that they’re not as effective and it’s putting your finger in their mouths, which is a danger,” says Dr. Huffman. Instead, she recommends specialty dog and cat toothbrushes, or a human brush with soft bristles.
As with any training process, it’s important to reward your pet for good behaviour.
“Some pets enjoy affection or rewards and praise, and other pets want the food reward,” she says. “There are ways to make them get used to it, and I think if people try, they can actually find their pet starts to like it.”
Dr. Huffman advocates for prevention, which includes regular dental checkups. Being proactive about dental health can help save your pet from unnecessary pain and more serious complications.
“It’s a preventable disease, so I think we have to be more proactive in managing it,” she said. “I think there’s this acceptance of horrendous breath and horrendous teeth, like stalactites growing on their teeth ... as vets and pet owners, there’s an acceptance of that, and we shouldn’t accept that. It’s not fair to the animals, and it’s not fair to us to have to be bowled over by that breath.”
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