5 Ways To Keep Your Pet's Teeth Healthy

Your veterinarian can check for bad breath, inflamed gums, tartar build up, fractured teeth and other signs of periodontal disease that may be causing your pet pain. Catching problems early can help prevent a bigger problem down the road for your pet and your pocketbook. A professional dental cleaning with dental radiographs will help assess and treat your pets’ teeth under anesthesia.

2) Brush your pets’ teeth every day to help prevent tartar build-up.
Most people brush and floss their teeth 1-2 times daily; imagine if you didn’t what kind of dental problems you would have. You will need a soft bristle toothbrush or finger brush and pet safe toothpaste. Start with toothpaste on your finger and work up to using a brush. You only need to brush the outside surfaces of the teeth, as the tongue keeps these areas fairly clean.

3) Dental chews
Dental chews are one of the easiest ways to help keep your pets’ teeth healthy. Look for a product with the VOHC (Veterinary Oral Health Council) seal of approval. This seal indicates that when used as directed, the product meets standards of effectiveness for reducing tartar in pets.

4) Therapeutic food
You already need to feed your pet, why not choose a food with the VOHC seal of approval? There are a few over the counter brands, or ask your veterinarian for a prescription formula.

5) Mouth rinses
There are products available that you can add to the water, spray or rinse directly on the teeth.