INTRODUCTION:
A study shows that dental disease affects approximately 80 percent of dogs and cats over the age of three. Compromised oral health always presents a greater risk of toxin absorption into the blood stream causing illness. The complete and proper dental care is critical not only for your pet’s oral hygiene, but it is also crucial for its overall health and well-being. Maintaining good oral hygiene can prevent your pet from experiencing pain, loss of teeth and secondary health issues caused by bacterial infections, such as heart, liver and kidney problems.
We have enlisted a few of the important reasons that explain the need for taking good care of your pet’s teeth:
Oral care can help get rid of bad breath
We all love our beloved animal companion, but what about the strong breathing odor; not quite! Minimum breathing smell is acceptable, but a powerful oral odor is a sign of a major dental illness. Regular dental check-ups and daily brushing can expel the bacterial growth in your pet’s oral cavity and effectively remove bad breath.
Dental disease can lead to major repercussions
Just like in humans, the most substantial oral health issue in pets is periodontal illness, also known as dental disease. It is basically an infection of tissues holding your pet’s teeth which is a result of plaque build-up on teeth and gums because of poor brushing and flossing techniques. If not treated in time, it may cause bleeding gums, pain while chewing and often results in tooth loss.
Regular dental assessment can help you save money
Our household pets have inherited the quality of hiding pain and other signs of illness. Anatomically, more than half of your pet’s teeth’s structure is out of the sight lying below the gum line, making it difficult to recognize any dental illness unless examined closely. Some pet owners do not like to spend on preventative procedures when they do not see any illness, not realizing that their pet may have to suffer with pain and other dental illnesses making them pay more for the vet bills if they do not take their pet for dental check-ups regularly even if everything seems alright from the outside.
Avoid painful situations
Pets go through the same level of pain as we do while suffering from a dental illness. The worrying thing here is that pets do not know why they are hurting. Therefore, if you can take care of your pet’s oral health, you can prevent them from going through the pain which can sometimes be unbearable.
Keep major illnesses away
Pets skillfully manage their pain and illness. You will not realize about their dental ailment till the time it has spread all across his oral cavity causing more damage and suffering. Taking your pet for regular oral exams can help you detect any oral illness right from the beginning before it becomes difficult to deal with.
No falling out of teeth
Other than chewing food, there are various other activities pets perform on a daily basis using their teeth such as carrying or picking up objects, playing games and so on. If your pet does not receive regular dental care, a minor oral ailment can progress to an advanced periodontal disease, which may lead to tooth loss. The empty space in the oral cavity may turn out to be a permanent home for various germs causing different types of oral diseases. This could seriously hamper your dog’s food intake and other activities he used to carry out using his teeth.
Dental ailments can result in weight loss
With the continuous dental illness, your pet’s food intake can significantly get reduced, or he may completely abandon having food as it could be extremely painful for him to chew it. This soon results in weight loss and often leads to a compromised immune system as they are unable to fulfill their daily nutritional requirement with their minimum or no food intake. A weakened immune system means that your pet is prone to other illnesses as well.
Your pet could become prone to jaw fractures
If our pets do not get regular dental care, they are likely to develop abnormal dental conditions such as abscessed teeth or periodontal disease. Such illnesses gradually make our pets’ jawbone very weak and fragile. Even the simplest of activities such as having crunchy kibble or jumping off a table can result in a jaw fracture.
Regular dental care keeps extractions away
The severe periodontal disease causes damage of bones that work as supportive structure of teeth. When bone and gum tissue is destroyed, it is impossible to heal the diseased tooth, and tooth removal is the only way out. Brushing your pet’s teeth on a daily basis and regular visit to your pet’s dentist can put a stop to a dental illness advancing to a stage which requires extraction.
Bad dental health effects the entire body
Oral illness is not limited to causing adverse effects to your pet’s teeth or oral cavity only, but it can damage your pet’s overall health as well. After infecting your pet’s teeth and gum tissues, bacteria and other germs move into the bloodstream and travel throughout the body causing damage to key organs such as the liver, heart and kidneys.
Conclusion
In the end, maintaining proper oral hygiene and taking your pet for an oral assessment regularly is the key to prevent your pet from suffering with any major illness. Discuss with your veterinarian and prepare a curative plan to minimize the possibility of any oral disease and give your pet a quality life for as long as feasible.
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