Dental Health for Dogs

Periodontal disease is infection and inflammation of the structures that hold teeth in place. It starts with plaque, a soft film of bacteria on the teeth, then progresses through gingivitis to loss of the gum, ligament and bone around the tooth. Cornell University's veterinary college puts it at 80 to 90 per cent of dogs over the age of three.

Left alone it causes pain, infection and tooth loss. The damage may not stop at the mouth either. A 2009 study by Glickman and colleagues in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association followed nearly 120,000 dogs and found the risk of heart conditions such as endocarditis rose with the severity of periodontal disease. A 2008 study by Pavlica and colleagues in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry linked periodontal disease burden to tissue changes in the heart, liver and kidneys. Both studies show association, not proven cause. Vets read them exactly that way.

Dental disease is common and painful, yet most of it can be headed off with routine home care plus professional cleaning when your vet advises it.

Dogs rarely show dental pain plainly. They keep eating through discomfort, so the early signs are easy to miss. Check your dog's mouth once a week by lifting the lip on each side and looking at the teeth and gums. Book a vet visit if you notice any of these signs.

• Breath that smells worse than usual or has changed suddenly
• Red, swollen or bleeding gums, especially along the gum line
• A yellow-to-brown crust on the teeth, often most visible on the large back teeth
• Chewing on one side, dropping food or a new preference for soft food
• Pawing at the mouth or rubbing the face
• More drool than normal or drool tinged with blood
• A loose, broken or discoloured tooth

Healthy gums are pink and sit snugly against the teeth. Some breeds naturally have dark pigmented patches on the gums, which is normal.

Brushing removes plaque before it hardens. Frequency decides whether it works. A 2015 randomised controlled trial by Harvey and colleagues in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry compared brushing frequencies in dogs over 28 days. Brushing daily or every other day gave significantly better plaque, calculus and gum scores than brushing weekly or fortnightly. Daily is the standard to aim for.

How to build the habit:

• Use a soft dog toothbrush or a finger brush sized to your dog
• Use a toothpaste made for dogs. Petz Park makes a coconut-flavoured dog toothpaste. Other brands are available from pet stores and vets
• Start slowly. Let your dog lick the paste first, then brush a few front teeth, then build up over days or weeks
• Focus on the outer surfaces along the gum line, where plaque does its damage
• Keep sessions short and end with praise or play

Never use human toothpaste. It is made to be spat out. Dogs swallow what goes in their mouths. Fluoride is harmful to dogs when swallowed. Some human toothpastes also contain xylitol, a sweetener that can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar and liver damage in dogs.

Chewing helps because it scrubs. Dental chews and specially designed dental kibble help reduce plaque accumulation through mechanical action while your dog chews. The effect is real but partial: a chew reaches the tips and outer faces of some teeth, not every surface a brush reaches.

The most reliable marker of a dental product that does what it claims is the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) Seal of Acceptance. The VOHC is a panel of nine veterinary dentists and dental scientists. It awards its seal to specific products that have submitted trial data showing they reduce plaque, tartar or both. Look for the seal on the pack or check the accepted product list at vohc.org.

A few grounded rules. Chews only work while they are being chewed, so daily use matters more than the brand. Anything much harder than the tooth itself can break teeth, so ask your vet before offering very hard items. Chews are food, so watch the calories. Water additives have thinner evidence than chews; if you use one, choose one from the VOHC list.

Once plaque has hardened into tartar, no brush, chew or supplement will remove it. Removal is mechanical and it happens at the vet. A professional dental examination is done under general anaesthesia and typically includes dental X-rays, ultrasonic scaling above and below the gum line, polishing and charting of every tooth.

Anaesthesia is not an optional extra. The disease that matters happens below the gum line. No dog will lie still for scaling there or for dental X-rays. The American Veterinary Dental College warns that anaesthesia-free cleaning is cosmetic. It whitens what you can see, it cannot clean beneath the gums where periodontal disease starts and it gives owners a false sense of security.

Cost varies with the dog's size, the state of the mouth and whether extractions are needed. Published Australian clinic prices for a routine scale and polish start at around $540 AUD. Published price guides put the range at about $450 AUD to more than $1,000 AUD. Extractions and treatment for advanced disease add to that. Your vet will advise how often your dog needs a professional clean based on breed, age and what they see at check-ups.

Size is the biggest risk factor. A 2021 VetCompass study by O'Neill and colleagues in the Journal of Small Animal Practice analysed UK primary-care records and found one in eight dogs (12.5 per cent) is diagnosed with dental disease each year. Dogs under 10kg had about three times the risk of dogs weighing 30 to 40kg. The highest-risk breeds included the Toy Poodle at nearly four times the average risk, then the King Charles Spaniel, Greyhound and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Flat-faced breeds also ran an elevated risk.

Puppies have 28 baby teeth that erupt from about three weeks of age, then up to 42 adult teeth that replace them by about six months. Small and flat-faced breeds sometimes keep baby teeth that should have fallen out. Retained baby teeth crowd the mouth, trap food and lead on to dental disease, so have your vet check for them at puppy visits.

Age matters because tartar and gum damage accumulate. Starting home care in puppyhood, while your dog is still learning what is normal, makes every later year easier.

A dental supplement is a support layer, not a substitute. It cannot remove tartar and it does not replace brushing or professional care. Where a supplement earns its place is in slowing the build-up of new plaque: useful for dogs that resist brushing and as daily maintenance after a professional clean.

Petz Park Plaque Control for Dogs contains two ingredients per scoop: Norwegian kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum) 1000mg and coconut powder 400mg. Ascophyllum nodosum is one of the most studied dental supplement ingredients in dogs. In a 2018 double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial by Gawor and colleagues in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 60 dogs received either an edible treat containing the kelp or a placebo for 90 days after a professional clean. By day 90 the kelp group's plaque index was roughly 40 per cent lower than placebo (1.67 against 2.71) and its calculus index about 20 per cent lower (1.07 against 1.34). The trial was funded by the manufacturer of the tested product, ProDen PlaqueOff Dental Bites, which holds a VOHC Seal of Acceptance. Petz Park Plaque Control does not hold a VOHC seal, since the seal is awarded to individual products that submit their own trial data.

Plaque Control for Dogs costs $34.95 AUD for 90 scoops or $59.95 AUD for 180, holds a 4.8-star rating from 533 reviews and carries a 40-day money-back guarantee. It contains natural iodine from kelp, so it is not suitable for dogs with thyroid disorders.

Home care and supplements are for prevention and maintenance. See your vet rather than reaching for a product if any of these applies.

• Bleeding, swollen or receding gums
• Visible tartar: a yellow-to-brown crust that does not brush off
• A loose, broken or discoloured tooth
• Swelling of the face or jaw, which can signal a tooth root abscess
• A sudden change in breath, eating or chewing habits
• Your dog resents having its mouth touched when it used to allow it

Established dental disease needs veterinary treatment first. A supplement works best as a daily maintenance layer after a professional clean has set a healthy baseline.