Dog Dental Care

Even though Dog Dental Care is indispensable when taking care of the dog, it is very difficult to find dental hygiene completely satisfactory. At the beginning of the century, very few veterinarians opened the mouth of the dog. They would limit to vaccine them once a year and did not see them until the next year. The dental problems in dogs were not part their worries or their owner’s. In that context, a dog dentist would have seemed absurd. Nevertheless, since then Dog Dental Care has evolved greatly. Nowadays the veterinarian dentistry uses all kinds of technical innovations in what concerns prosthesis, clean teeth, etc. The dog is benefited more and more by medical and veterinarian assistance, its life span grows, but its teeth are not always kept in good shape. The control, prevention and the treatments reduce the loss of parts, cavities and other upheavals that are to be treated.

The Dog’s Dentition: The dental formula is the following: each maxillary (inferior and superior) has six incisive and two canine teeth. The superior arch has 8 premolars and four molars, and the inferior arch has eight premolars and six molars, in total the dog has 42 teeth. The incisive teeth are used to cut and rip food, while the rest help grind the food.

The Dog Tooth Structure: The tooth is located in the alveoli. Same as ours, in the interior of the dog’s teeth you can find the pulp. When it gets infected, pulpitis is generated. The inner part of the tooth is the root, and the external is the crown. Therefore, if the structure is identical to that of the human tooth, it is logical that the techniques of prevention and treatment are similar or the same.

Teeth Growth in dogs: The first dentition is the one of the milk teeth, formed by thirty two teeth, which leads to adult dentition. The god has only two dentitions. This means that if the adult dog loses a tooth, it will not regenerate. The first incisive teeth appear in the second or third week, the same as the canines. At four weeks, the milk dentition is completed with the exception of the last molar. The puppy swallows the milk teeth that fall, and they are rarely found. At six weeks dentition is complete. At four months the definitive incisive appear, at five months the adult fangs lose their sharpness. Dentition is complete between the six and seventh months. During this period the dog can develop gingivitis. In this case we can appreciate a red line at the top of the gums. The consequence of this is that the puppy slobbers and bites several things. In order to prevent their pain when they chew, we will give the dog soft food. We can administer a solution to take away the pain or give the puppy an ice cube.

Brushing their Teeth: We will use cleaning products specifically for dogs and not the ones that humans use. The most common product is a paste that is applied with a finger glove. There are also pills. It is convenient that the puppy is accustomed to this kind of manipulations since youth. In order to clean the dog’s teeth we must hold its head passing our hand behind the neck, and we will introduce a brush by one of the sides (never frontally because the dog will bite the brush). Don’t put too much tooth paste, if you do the dog will not salivate. A periodical brushing slows down the formation of tartar. Dog Tartar