KIMBERLY A. WERNER, VMD

Your Pet's Teeth

Brushing Your Pet's Teeth is Beneficial:
		Minimizes mouth odors
		Minimizes the occurrence of gingivitis and periodontitis infections (See Periodontal Handout)
		Increases the time in between professional cleanings=fewer anesthetic events
		Maintains 'normal' oral health which helps maintain a great quality of life
		Monitoring for early signs of oral disease helps maximize good response to treatments

BRUSHING TEETH:Regular teeth brushing will probably be a big surprise to your pet. To minimize the stress of learning this new procedure, you will want to start off very slowly and make small steps toward progress, continually providing positive reinforcement as you work toward regular teeth brushing. Recent scientific studies have clearly demonstrated that a daily tooth brushing is best in pets as it is known to be in people.

	Brushing Tips:
		The basic start up for your program should be to get your pet to simply 'hold still' while you gently handle his/her head for several moments a few times each day.
		As your pet comes to accept this handling, start working on 'hold still' while you gently move his/her lips around some and calmly move their head to see their mouth better.
		Always move slowly and avoid situations which may involve harm to yourself or your pet.
		Once you are able to move lips and examine teeth, try gently massaging the gums with a wet finger or a small wet gauze pad.
		Slowly increase the amount of attention you give to each tooth. The outside surfaces of dog and cat teeth are more important areas to work on.
		Pay special attention to the area along the border of the teeth with the gums as this is where plaque build up will lead to gingivitis. Eventually try to work your pet into allowing the use of a soft-bristled brush, or finger brush.
		Small circular motions and vertical brushing motions are all helpful, always being gentle to avoid hurting the pet.

Products:
A veterinary pet toothpaste can be introduced once your pet allows mechanical work in their mouth. Most pets dislike human toothpastes (too much mint and foam) and pets are not supposed to swallow all of the fluoride over the long-term, so use a veterinary product. Good veterinary toothpastes are peroxide-based and some also have chlorhexidine added to increase their antibacterial and anti-plaque effects.
There are also several veterinary oral rinses available which are also useful in pet's mouth care.
Follow the recommendations of your veterinarian in proper use of any of these products.