Pet Dental Care: It's More Than Just Curing Bad Breath!

Perhaps when Rover wakes you up in the morning, the experience is less than pleasant. The pungent breath steaming from his mouth may be bad enough to make one ill. Or perhaps Fifi likes to give kisses but the smell is just too overbearing to tolerate.

Many people have heard that teeth cleaning can be done for your pet, eliminating halitosis, or bad breath. But this isn't the only reason to have your pet's teeth cleaned.

Think about this; if you never brushed your teeth during your life time your mouth would probably smell pretty badly too. But think about it a little deeper. It surely can't feel good either!

Believe it or not, dogs and cats are diagnosed with dental disease more than any other infection. In fact, 85% of all dogs and cats over one year of age have some degree of periodontal disease, but only 3% get treated.

What does dental disease do to a pet?

Even with regular brushing, dental treats, dental diets, and chew bones a pet is most likely going to need a dental at some point during his or her lifetime. The bad smell, which is commonly the biggest complaint from owners regarding their pet's teeth, comes from a build up of bacteria as a result of plaque and tartar on the teeth.

But it doesn't just stop there. Plaque and tartar accumulate on the teeth and can then harden and become calculus. The teeth begin to look brown and cruddy. The build up can be enough to affect the gums as well. Inflammation, or gingivitis, starts at the gum line. Infections are common as well.

Other problems that can arise from poor dental health include loose and broken teeth and even abscesses.

Again, it goes further. Dental problems don't stop in the mouth. When plaque and tartar have formed on the teeth, the gums are inflamed, and infection has started to spread, every time a dog or cat bites down to chew, that infection is then spread into the blood stream. The blood flows all through the body, carrying this infection to vital organs.

In short, dental disease not only leads to poor tooth quality, but also heart, lung, kidney and liver disease.

So what can be done about it?