Banishing doggiebreath and more

Kim Campbell Thornton • E-mail

When was the last time you brushed your dog's or cat’s teeth? Can’t remember? Counting on dry kibble and a daily hard biscuit to keep his fangs clean and breath sweet?

Well think about this: If you ate a Milk Bone every day but didn’t brush your teeth, probably not even your dog would want to come near you.

Daily brushing is the single most important thing you can do to keep Buster's and Boots’ breath fresh and teeth tartar-free.

More important, good dental hygiene contributes to your pet’s overall health and can even increase his life span.

“I usually tell people that if they aren’t going to take care of their pets’ teeth, the decreased life span is at least two years,” says Jan Bellows, a veterinary dentist who operates All Pets Dental in Weston, Fla.

That’s because the bacteria that build up beneath the gum line enter the blood stream and can settle in the heart valves, kidneys and liver. That’s not great for any animal, but in an older pet or one with a compromised immune system, it’s really bad news.

Beyond brushing
The good news is that in addition to brushing, there are lots of new ways to help keep your pet’s mouth healthy. Dental diets, treats impregnated with plaque-busting substances, and tartar-control rinses, sprays, gels and wipes can all take a bite out of periodontal disease.

If you’ve been feeding dry food because it’s supposed to help keep teeth clean, you’re on the right track.

“There’s some evidence that dry food is not as sticky as moist food, so if dogs would actually chew it, then there’s a benefit not only in having sort of a squeegee cleansing effect, but also from having food that’s not very sticky to begin with,” says Kenneth Lyon, a veterinary dentist at Arizona Veterinary Specialists in Gilbert, Az.

The problem is that most pets wolf their food instead of chewing it thoroughly before swallowing. Enter dental diets. There are two types on the market.

“Hill’s TD mechanically scrapes off the plaque by staying in contact with the tooth a lot longer than regular kibble,” Bellows says. “With regular kibble, they bite it and it crumbles. With TD, both in dogs and cats, it stays in contact with the tooth longer so it squeegees off the plaque.”

The other dental diets contain sodium hexametaphosphate (HMP), which works by slowing the rate at which plaque hardens into tartar, making it more easily removed from the surface of the tooth.

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