DENTITION

A Pragmatic Approach To A Healthy Mouth

Julie Lorentzen Kennel Hazinas

So a while back I was at a show where a judge noticed and commented on the well kept teeth of two of the bitches shown.

We are used to judges checking bite and teeth, but rarely do they comment on the health state of the teeth.

It gave me a sense of pride and fulfillment that the work I put into keeping my dogs in the best health was noticed.

I consider myself lucky that all my dogs have reached old age without any issues of paradentosis or other dental disease. I have only ever had problems when they have fractured teeth from trauma. But actually luck may play a smaller role than the fact that I keep a simple, but very consistent management routine.

To my belief there are several factors that we as dog owners can influence that affects our dogs general and dental health; -food, -dental care and access to using teeth and gums for their purpose.

There is one factor that we can not affect in a living dog; -genetics. I will not be addressing genetics when writing this, except to mention, that if your dog is by ill chance affected by a genetic disposition for poor dental health, it is even more important to be vigilant about keeping his teeth in the best possible state.

The Food Factor

I have absolutely no “religious” opinion about what type of food to feed. Whether you feed kibble, home cooked or raw does not to my best knowledge make any difference. What does make a difference is that what you feed is suitable in nutritional values and made of quality ingredients. As all other things in a dog’s body, the dental health is affected by what kind of nutrition it is receiving. I will, though dare to state that you should never rely on your dog’s teeth being cleaned solely by certain types of food or chewing treats. They simply will not do the job needed. Indeed, this is to my knowledge also the case for chewing raw bones. That has other beneficiary effects, but it will not keep your dog’s teeth clean.

Also I never give my dogs sweets. Sugary food is known to break down tooth enamel faster than anything.

Using Teeth And Gums Purposefully

I strongly believe that our dogs need to use their teeth and gums as they were intended, which includes chewing, ripping, crushing. I use a wide range of raw bones and dried natural treats to serve this purpose. With big strong dogs my primary objective is to find bones and treats that are big and dense enough to actually serve their purpose. This ensures that my dogs have their teeth, gums and jaws stimulated, securing good bloodflow, and thereby keeping the entire mouth healthy.

The Dental Care Factor

I am fairly convinced that the practice of regular dental care is the number one factor in keeping my dogs teeth healthy.

I have seen different breed lines exhibit very different dental health even though they were taken care of in exactly the same way. Therefore you may be lucky enough to have one dog that hardly builds up any plaque even though you never go near his teeth. Still that dog will have corners in his mouth that need cleaning and regular check ups for cracks or breaks.

My dental care program consists of a once a week visual check of teeth. I do this along with the nail clipping and coat care that is obligatory every week.

I often use my fingers/nails to just rub off anything that is not supposed to be there.

About once a month I will more extensively clean my dog’s teeth. I use a fingerbrush and give every tooth a good rub, being particularly meticulous with the big molars in the back and the small premolars that can easily evade you as your dog’s tongue can be lying over them.

The most important place to keep clean is the transition between the gum and the tooth where plaque builds up.

If I notice plaque build up and I can’t remove it with the fingerbrush I use a scraper and carefully remove it.

In a perfect world I should probably brush their teeth everyday, but as this routine seems to work for me, my dogs and I have settled for this more pragmatic scheme.

My Best Advice For Dental Care

Teach your dog from puppy to tolerate the cleaning. Like teaching them to have their nails clipped it is a question of lots and lots of positive reinforcement.

Make it a weekly routine, along with nail clipping, brushing, house cleaning day.

Use a headlamp to keep your hands free.

Use a fingerbrush, instead of an actual tooth brush. It gives you better access and feel of each tooth.

Happy cleaning.