Tooth Brushing: How To Brush Your Pet's Teeth

We all love a dog with a healthy mouth and sweet breath, and dog tooth cleaning only takes is two minutes a day.  Your dog will love you for it, and your dog’s heart, kidneys, and liver, which are directly influenced by oral health, will benefit.

Two common problems dogs with poor hygiene have, are loose and abscess teeth. You don't want your dog to be one have these problems, so tooth brushing is very important. Studies show that 98% of dogs with bad breath are suffering from periodontal disease, a result of plaque build up. So, Get pet toothpaste, a soft toothbrush, and follow the steps below to get started.

The Principles Of Tooth Brushing For Dogs

Dog tooth cleaning:

• Make it fun.
• Brushing tooth surfaces closest to tongue is optional.
• The junction of tooth and gum is the most important area to brush.
• Focus on upper outer molars.
• Keep introductory sessions short - 5 seconds, and work up to 2 minutes/day.

Equipment for Dog tooth cleaning

10 steps for brushing your dog’s teeth

• Introduce your dog to the pet toothpaste either on a treat or let it lick pet toothpaste off the brush every day for a week.
• Have your pet sit.
• Massage or gently stroke the cheeks for several seconds.
• Start with the upper lip, gently lifting and pulling back so your pet “smiles.”
• For 5 seconds, brush one tooth as you would your own, rhythmically from gum line down toward the tooth.
• Now, the lower lip—gently lift and pull back to create a “smile.”
• For 5 seconds, gently brush one tooth from the gum line up toward the tooth.
• Over the next few days gradually increase brushing time to 1 minute on the upper teeth, and 1 minute on the lower teeth.
• To reach the surfaces of the teeth closest to the tongue, prop a toy between the teeth to hold the jaws open. This step is optional. Try it only with calm, non-biting dogs.
• Praise your pet.

How to brush your cat's teeth?

We all love a cat with a healthy mouth and sweet breath, and all it takes is two minutes a day to brush the teeth.  Your cat will love you for it, and your cat’s heart, kidneys, and liver, which are directly influenced by oral health, will benefit. Get pet toothpaste, a soft toothbrush, and follow the steps below to get started.

The Principles Of Tooth Brushing for Cats

Cat tooth cleaning:

• Make it fun.
• Brushing tooth surfaces closest to tongue is optional.
• The junction of tooth and gum is the most important area to brush.
• Focus on upper outer molars.
• Keep introductory sessions short - 5 seconds, and work up to 2 minutes/day.

Equipment for cat tooth cleaning

10 steps for brushing your cat ’s teeth

• Ideally start when your pet is still a kitten. With an adult, relax and realize it may take a month to introduce toothpaste and toothbrush.
• Go slowly with your cat because your success will last a lifetime.
• Massage or gently stroke your cat’s cheeks for several seconds every day.
• Introduce toothpaste by dabbing it on a treat and giving it to your cat—repeat for several days.
• Dab pet toothpaste on a small toothbrush and let your cat lick it off—repeat for several days.
• Dab pet toothpaste on a small toothbrush and put the toothbrush into your cat’s mouth for a few seconds. Gradually increase to 15-30 seconds, still without brushing.
• Dabpet toothpaste on a toothbrush and brush one tooth in a slow rhythm from the gum to the tooth. Gradually increase to brushing several teeth.
• Retract the lips creating a smile and brush the back molars. Gradually increase brushing time to a total of 1 minute for the upper dental arcade and 1 minute for the lower arcade.
• If your cat tolerates only a short period of brushing, concentrate on upper, outer molars.
• A finger cot is an alternative, so don’t be concerned if your cat doesn’t accept a toothbrush.

Why use pet toothpaste for tooth brushing?

The four big reasons to use pet toothpaste are:

• Pets don’t spit; they swallow their toothpaste.
• Human toothpaste, while not poisonous, is not meant to be swallowed.
• Pets should not have toothpastes with fluoride.
• Human toothpaste foams because it contains sodium lauryl sulphate. Cats hate this. So do many dogs.

Which pet toothpaste is best to use?

• Pet toothpaste is flavored. Favorite flavors are poultry, malt, and seafood.
• There is a vanilla-flavored toothpaste—perhaps more with the pet owner in mind than the pet.
• The best toothpastes contain enzymes, such as glucose oxidase and lactoperoxidase, that dissolve plaque on the teeth.
• The best pet toothpastes do not contain sugar or sugar substitutes.

We recommend C.E.T. Toothpaste.

The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians   1 Date Category Topic

 

Enter question or keyword(s):              or search by pet type:  All Pet Types Dogs Cats Horses Other             TIPS: Search for answers by entering keywords, Use multiple keywords