Mary Allen
The dog has 28 milk teeth and 42 permanent teeth. The change of teeth should be completed by the age of 6 or at the latest by 7 months. Dental care should become an important part of daily dog care to minimize tartar build-up.
Tartar
In the case of neglected dental care, tartar occurs very frequently and especially in older animals. The susceptibility depends on many factors, e.g. the PH value in the mouth, mineral concentrations in the saliva, amount of saliva, etc.
The plaque deposits turn into tartar. There are many bacteria in the plaque coating or tartar, which not only lead to inflammation in the oral cavity and can smell bad, but they also get through the blood into other organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys and can damage them. The painful inflammation in the mouth leads to the animal restricting or refusing food intake and changing its behavior (crawls away, does not want to be petted).
Tartar removal
The tartar is thoroughly removed by ultrasound from the anesthetized animal and the teeth are examined in detail (rotten teeth? cavities? loose teeth?). The X-ray of the teeth is important to recognize and assess the extent of tooth damage under the gums and in the bone (e.g. condition of the tooth roots).
The thorough polishing of the teeth completes the dental restoration.
What can you do as a pet owner?
After cleaning your teeth, there are various ways of caring for your teeth to delay the new build-up of tartar.
- Brush your teeth: special animal toothpaste and a soft toothbrush – further information on dental care
- Chewing bones: special chewing bones with enzymes
As you can see, dental care is not just a cosmetic problem. Talk to us, we will be happy to advise you and explain how you can best get your pet used to brush its teeth.