5 Pet Dentistry Myths BUSTED

Pet Dentistry Myth Busting – Myth 1

My pet is too old to have a dental procedure.

FALSE! Old age is not a disease. Older pets often suffer from the worst and most painful dental conditions. Don’t let them suffer unnecessarily.

We pride ourselves on our geriatric care at Summer Hill Village Vet and will assess your senior pet’s needs and suitability for dental treatment with the utmost care. We haven’t met a senior we couldn’t treat yet, even if we’ve had to call in the help of specialists to keep them safe.

Pet Dentistry Myth Busting – Myth 2

My pet doesn’t show any sign of pain, so there can’t be a problem in his mouth right?

There are two problems with this myth. First it’s not that pets don’t feel pain, it’s just that they often express themselves differently to how we would. They don’t groan or moan instead they lose energy and vitality – a common sign is that your pet doesn’t want to run or play in the park as much as they used to.  It’s amazing how youthful & happy they can become after we take care of their dental problems.

The second problem is that unlike a broken leg which is instant agony, a dental infection takes months and years to reach the same level of pain, so the poor pet just gets gradually used to living in pain. This is bad news for the afflicted pet because this stress combined with gum infection will take years off their lifespan.

Pet Dentistry Myth Busting – Myth 3

Bones and rawhide chews will keep my pet’s teeth as clean as brushing?

Almost a myth, the answer is maybe but probably not!

How is it possible for bones to help?  The teeth must sink into the bones so that the outside of the teeth is scraped clean of tartar.  For this to happen the bones need to be chewy & soft enough.  Remember very hard bones can break teeth – wild dogs do not live as long as pet dogs & often have broken teeth.

Though bones are logically useful to help clean teeth it is said that there is no difference in the number of dogs and cats that have dental problems here in Australia (where many, many people feed bones) compared with the UK, where very few people feed bones anymore.  But is true in the UK more people brush their pets’ teeth!

Pet Dentistry Myth Busting – Myth 4

Adding a miracle “no effort required” product to your pet’s food or water each day is all you need to do to keep their teeth clean & their breath lovely. 

This is a classic marketing trick – selling products based on over-stated benefits to gullible & lazy consumers. If you go to any pet store then you’ll find a large range of these gimmick products.

The marketing blurb reads like this “Just add a splash to your pet’s water each day to keep his breath smelling great”.

Two problems with this myth. First smelly breath is usually a tooth/gum/bone problem, due to INFECTION. So the best that a product for smelly breath can hope to do is mask the smell, which is worse than nothing, as it helps you to forget there is a problem at all. Meanwhile the infection in your pet’s mouth just gets worse and worse. Bad news all round.

Second problem is that whilst SOME products do actually help reduce plaque & so help keep teeth clean (rather like mouthwash for us) they can’t fix all your pets dental problems on their own but have to be used along with mechanical cleaning like brushing/soft bones/dental food & treats. Look for the VOHC accreditation (Veterinary Oral Health Council) sign.

Pet Dentistry Myth Busting – Myth 5

Brushing my pet’s teeth once or twice a week is really helping

Sorry, but it’s got to be at least once a day!  You know yourself if you don’t brush your teeth for a day how they feel “furry”?  That’s plaque building up. Plaque is a layer of bacteria living on your teeth & if it is left in contact with your teeth for more than 24 hours it starts to lay down tartar (calculus) from the minerals in your saliva & this is like cement render – not easy to get off!

Chronic exposure to the bacteria in plaque causes inflammation in the gum tissue (gingivitis and periodontitis). This can trigger bleeding, pain, redness and in some cases infections.