Did you know that dental cleaning is just as important for pets as it is for humans? According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), nearly 80% of dogs and 70% of cats above the age of 3 suffer from some degree of periodontal disease. If you want to prevent your four-legged friend from becoming one of these numbers, consider investing in the teeth cleaning services offered at Twissted Whiskers Pet Hotel, especially if you can’t do it by yourself. Allow our experts to take care of your pet’s teeth. Our teeth cleaning services include teeth brushing and scaling both. These services are specifically designed to improve your pet’s breath, oral health and remove excessive tartar from their teeth. We strive to keep your pet’s mouth clean so that they stay healthy and avoid the risk of oral infections and other dental problems.
Apart from getting your pet’s mouth back into top condition, our teeth cleaning services can help prevent dental diseases among pets and slow them down from developing again in the future. Here are the tips from our experts on how to keep your pet’s teeth clean and maintain their oral hygiene:
Feed Them Dental Food
In order to prevent dental diseases in your pet, replace regular dry food with special dental foods that promote periodontal health. These dental foods for pets use specialized kibble to produce mechanical teeth brushing effect, which helps to remove tartar and plaque at the time of chewing. These foods also include specific nutrients that reduce tartar and effectively clean and reduce deposits of plaque.
Offer Appropriate Chew Treats
Some pet treats that carry the VOHC (Veterinary Oral Health Council) seal are designed to keep your dog and cat’s teeth clean. The VOHC seal signifies that these treats meet the standards of effectiveness for controlling tartar and facilitating dental cleaning for pets.
These chew treats improve smelly breath, decrease overall bacterial loads in their mouths, and soften plaque on the surface of their teeth as well. Once the plaque becomes softer. it can be brushed off easily.
Brush Your Pet’s Teeth Regularly
Let’s just say that brushing is the ‘gold standard’ method for keeping your dog or cat’s teeth white and clean. Just like you brush your teeth twice times a day, you need to brush your pet’s teeth daily.
It is advisable to brush their teeth regularly because the bacteria that cause oral diseases tend to re-colonize on the surface of the tooth within 24 to 36 hours.
When it comes to dental cleaning of your pets at home, especially the finicky cats and dogs, here’s what you need to do:
- Invest in a soft-bristled toothbrush that is specifically designed for pets or get a finger brush.
- Purchase a quality toothpaste that is formulated for pets. Toothpastes that are designed for humans are supposed to spit out, so they can be harmful to pets if they swallow it.
- Now you need to make your furry friend comfortable with the teeth cleaning process. For that, you need to be patient and start slowly.
- Initially, try to keep the teeth brushing sessions brief, lasting for a minute or two, not more. Also, keep these sessions well-rewarded for positive reinforcement.
- Also, before you start the process, make your furry friend familiar with the taste of the product. You can do this by placing a small amount of toothpaste on your finger and letting them sniff and lick it. If they like it, then that’s great as it will make them comfortable with the process.
- Once your pet is comfortable, start brushing their teeth with one or two strokes on a few teeth. Then, gradually increase the number of your strokes. Work the brush in a circular motion and concentrate on the surface of the teeth. Then, slowly move backwards. Spend at least 30 seconds on each side of the mouth.
If you brush your pet’s teeth regularly, they will eventually get used to it and will enjoy the process instead of being resistant towards it. However, this will take some days, so you need to keep calm and be patient when brushing your pet’s teeth.
In case your pet doesn’t like the bristle brush, then consider using a finger brush. The process is similar but you need to use your finger directly. Simply place the finger brush on the index finger and apply pet dental toothpaste on it.
Now start at the front of the mouth using an oval movement over the pet’s front teeth and gum then take it to the back of the mouth. Move your finger back and forth and right along the side of their mouth. Be careful when using the finger brush because it can often agitate the pet and they can become resistant.
Consider Using Tooth Wipes
If somehow you are not able to brush your pet’s teeth, then switch to an alternative solution and that is tooth wipes. Dog tooth wipes are made to be rubbed against the teeth of the dog. This helps remove plaque. They work similarly to a toothbrush. Although it can help keep your pet’s teeth clean to some extent, it can’t go into the tiny nooks and crannies that a bristle brush can. In such a situation, make sure to visit Twissted Whiskers Pet Hotel. Avail our teeth brushing and scaling services. Our experts have the skills to handle and brush the teeth of even the finickiest of pets that can’t stand the sight of a toothbrush.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with us for teeth brushing and scaling services, contact us now.
