Gum Disease in Pets

I felt obliged to do a post on this after attending an eye-opening talk at my local vets on dental health. It is a little known fact that 4/5 pets over the age of 3 suffer from some degree of dental disease which leads to pain and suffering.

As humans we brush our teeth to keep them healthy around twice a day, floss, use mouthwash and go for dental check ups regularly.  However, these 'homecare' methods for reducing dental disease in humans are often overlooked in pets when really their oral needs are very similar to a humans.

A pet will first develop a condition called gingivitis due to the build up of plaque which causes inflammation and infection of the gums.  After this the pet will develop periodontitis which is when the problem spreads below the gum line.  Periodontitis is separated into 4 stages:

Stage 1: (gingivitis)
 Bad breath is present and there is redness at the gum line.

Stage 2: (advanced gingivitis) 
Inflammation of gums and plaque and calculus present above and below gum line.

Stage 3: (periodontitis)
 Slight tooth mobility may be present, calculus, pocket formation and inflammation.

Stage 4: (advanced periodontitis) 
Marked supporting bone loss, loose teeth, and gum recession.


Stage 1 and 2 can be reversed with professional cleaning and adequate home care. However at Stage 3 and 4, tooth extraction may have to be done and the condition can only be halted rather than reversed. 


So home care is the best way to prevent all of this happening in the first place.  Home care includes:


Teeth cleaning: the best possible method of home care-it is better than all the other home care methods put together. It is the brushing action that reduces the plaque formation. PLEASE REMEMBER TO USE PET TOOTHPASTE NOT HUMAN TOOTHPASTE as 1. Pets do not tend to like minty flavoured toothpaste and can be put off teeth cleaning. and 2. Fluoride is TOXIC.


Oral Chews: Oral chews do help but the pet has to spend around a few minutes chewing it to gain any benefit so if your dog can demolish a chew in 30 seconds it will have no effect.  Also be careful as if your pet is overweight many chews are high in calories so it would be recommended not to use oral chews if this is the case and to use other methods of home care.


Water supplements: There are supplements on the market to decrease gum disease.


Dental Diets: Although this is not always necessary dental diets do aid in the breakdown of plaque however can be quite expensive.

So remember to take your pet for dental check ups at least annually and keep an eye on the condition of their teeth and gums.  Prevention is always better than cure and starting home care at a young age can be highly rewarding for your pets dental health.