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Just like us, our cats and dogs need dental care to keep them healthy. Regularly cleaning your pet’s teeth can help keep them strong and healthy. It will also help reduce the need for veterinary treatment, which can be expensive for you and stressful for your pet.
Our cats and dogs use their mouths for all sorts of things. Although our pets are now domesticated, as natural carnivores, their teeth and dental structure remain similar to their wild ancestors.
Because our cats and dogs use their teeth for so much more than just eating, their mouths come into contact with all sorts. To make sure that disease and infection doesn’t occur, it’s extremely important that we provide our pets with a good dental hygiene routine.
To give our pets the correct dental care, you need to know more about the signs of dental problems to look out, how to check your pet’s teeth, and the dental products available for cats and dogs.
Find out more about a particular element of pet dental care by skipping to the relevant section below:
If your pet is suffering from dental problems, there are both clinical signs and behavioural signs you may notice.
Our pets often hide the fact that something is bothering them, so you’re more likely to spot the clinical signs of a dental problem if you regularly give your cat or dog’s teeth a dental check-up. If you don’t regularly check your pet’s teeth, then a behavioural sign may be the first indicator that your pet is suffering from a dental problem. Depending on the severity and specific dental problem, your pet could be in a great deal of pain, causing a normally happy and friendly pet to withdraw and become aggressive.
Read more: Signs of Dental Problems in Cats and Dogs
Some breeds of cats and dogs, such as greyhounds and Yorkshire terriers, have a predisposition towards dental problems. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t help prevent them occurring. For most pets the main causes of dental problems in cats and dogs are:
While dry food encourages mechanical cleaning as your pet chews, wet food (due to its moist consistency) often becomes stuck in or around the teeth. Feeding human food or tidbits from the table also get stuck in cat’s and dog’s teeth, increasing the risk of dental problems occurring.
Some dental problems, like plaque and gingivitis, can be reversed at home by cleaning your pet’s teeth. But other, more serious dental problems, like tartar and periodontal disease, need to be treated by a veterinary professional.
Receiving dental care from a vet can be costly, with some treatments not being covered by pet insurance. The best way to avoid dental problems (and the potential vet bills that come it), is to develop and follow a regular dental routine for your pet and feeding them the correct diet.
The best way to keep your pet’s teeth healthy is daily tooth brushing, just like it is for us. While daily dental care is considered the ‘gold standard’, giving your pet’s teeth a thorough clean 2–3 times a week will go a long way to improving their overall oral health.
Alongside cleaning your pet’s teeth, it’s a good idea to give your pet a dental check-up. This allows your pet to get used to having their mouth and teeth touched, but also means you’re more likely to notice a dental problem sooner rather than later.
To give your pet a dental check-up, gently lift their lips and look for any discolouration or reddening of the gums. You can also run your finger along their teeth and gum line, feeling for any lumps.
Remember, you can’t see plaque without a disclosing solution. Even if your pet’s teeth look clean there could still be plaque build-up that needs to be removed with a dental care product.
Healthy teeth will be shiny and cream/white in colour, with no rough patches on the surface. The gums will be pink, and there will be no bad breath.
When cleaning your pet’s teeth you must use a toothpaste specifically designed for cats and dogs. Most human toothpastes contain fluoride which is toxic to animals and can result in serious health problems, as well as a foaming agent which will irritate your pet’s stomach if swallowed.
There are many dental care products on the market specifically tailored to keep our cats and dogs teeth strong and healthy. When choosing a dental care product, we recommend choosing one containing key enzymes. Enzymes play an important role in dental care, helping reduce plaque, fight bacteria and reduce tartar build-up, even in products that don’t require brushing. Three key enzymes you should look out for when choosing a dental care product for your cat or dog are:
These enzymes are highly effective, even in no-brush dental products, helping to support your pet’s oral health.
Beaphar Toothpaste has a tasty liver flavour, and contains both protease and glucose oxidase enzymes to fight bad bacteria and prevent plaque formation, as well as polishing agents and zinc to help strengthen teeth. It is available individually, or as part of a dental kit with the Beaphar Toothbrush, which is double-ended with one big brush head and one small, so it can fit it in most pets’ mouths.
Also available is the Beaphar Puppy Dental Kit, ideal for kittens and puppies who are just beginning their dental care routine, and the Beaphar Finger Toothbrush, which is excellent for introducing your cat or dog to tooth brushing.
Watch our video below or check out our step-by-step guide to introduce your pet to tooth brushing.
While brushing is considered best practice, there are no-brush dental products that can support your pet’s dental health just as effectively. Beaphar has a wide range of no-brush dental care products, including functional dental treats, products that can be added to food or drink, a gel and spray.
These products are also ideal to use in combination with tooth brushing. If you’re brushing your pet’s teeth 2–3 times per week, a no-brush dental product is ideal to use on the days you don’t brush to provide additional dental support.
Check out our blog about our no-brush dental products for further guidance on which product is most suited to you and your pet.
Find out more about
pet dental care
Learn how to brush your
pet's teeth
Know the signs of dental
problems to look out for