The Benefits of Brushing

By Katherine A. Mathes, DVM

Hopefully we all brush our teeth daily and we promise our dentist to floss our teeth daily too. We often ask owners if they are brushing their pet’s teeth. Too many times the answer is “No”. When we lift up those lips, we find tartar and stain building up on the pet’s teeth and causing bad breath.

Recently I examined Rolly, a 10 year old Sheltie. His teeth were beautiful. I asked his owner, Mr. Brown, if he brushed his teeth. He proudly told me “Yes!” Rolly had his teeth cleaned about a year ago. He had some missing teeth and needed quite a bit of care during a dental cleaning under anesthesia. Mr. Brown decided he didn’t want Rolly or his wallet to repeat that experience. He went home and started brushing both of his dogs teeth daily. It took a couple of months – yes months – for them to not fuss when they had their teeth brushed.

Brushing your pets teeth doesn’t take a lot of special equipment. You need a clean, soft, tooth brush and you may want a little tooth paste made specifically for animals. Our tooth paste is not meant to be swallowed and I have yet to teach a pet to spit out anything other than a pill. Concentrate on brushing the outer surfaces of the teeth. Your pet’s tongue keeps the inside pretty clean. Aim for the large molars all the way in the back as they collect the most tartar. Some animals will tolerate having their teeth wiped with a cloth better than brushing. Any friction you can use will help keep those teeth clean and their breath fresh.

At Murphy Road Animal Hospital we enjoy improving lives by cleaning teeth. You can experience this too by brushing your pet’s teeth every day.