Recommendations for Oral Health Stages

Once you know your dog's oral condition, you may want to take appropriate action:

•	Healthy Oral Care - Maintain healthy teeth with regular visits to the vet and with the home care routine outlined below.
•	Gingivitis - Your dog may require cleaning and other treatment. Consult with your vet about home care after any procedures. The vet may choose to use an anesthesia during the cleaning, which can be risky for an older dog
•	Early Periodontitis - Speak to your vet about procedures to reduce the dog's discomfort and stop the advancement of the condition, and seek his or her advice about home care after treatment.
•	Advanced Periodontitis - If your dog's dental problems have reached an advanced stage, your vet may prescribe antibiotics or recommend surgery. Bear in mind, however, that any procedure that requires anesthesia can be risky for an older dog.

Treatment at the Vet's Office

The first step to helping your dog is taking him/her to the vet for an oral examination and proper cleaning. The procedures used to remove tartar are similar to what we go through when we visit the dentist to have our teeth cleaned. The difference is that dogs that have their teeth cleaned are either sedated with a tranquilizer or, more commonly, put under general anesthesia.

Home Care: Brushing

In between visits to the vet, there are things you can do to prolong the results of a cleaning. One of the most important things is to brush your dog's teeth at least three times a week.

To get started, pick up the following oral care supplies (you can find them at your vet's office or at your local pet store):

•	Dog toothpaste containing chlorhexidine, an ingredient that is effective in reducing plaque and bad breath odour.
•	A specialized dog toothbrush or fingerbrush, or a child toothbrush with soft, rounded bristles.

Note that routine home dental care should start when your puppy is three or four months old. As well, it takes an average of two months to train your dog to have his teeth brushed.

Studies by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition have shown that feeding certain specifically designed dental health chews results in a significant reduction of plaque and calculus accumulation, gingivitis and bad breath.

Getting Your Dog Accustomed to Brushing

It's best to introduce your dog to a brushing routine gradually. Start by familiarizing your dog to the feeling of pressure on their gum by simply moving your fingers over their gums. Once they are comfortable with this feeling, put a small amount of the toothpaste on your finger, and gently rub it on your dog's front teeth and gums. Be sure to relax your dog with gentle encouragement and praise. It may take a few tries to get your dog to cooperate with you, but don't give up-eventually he'll learn to sit still.

Brushing Technique

Next, switch from a finger to a dog's or a child's toothbrush and follow these steps:

•	Gently hold your dog's mouth closed. Start by brushing the front teeth only, with a downward motion on the top teeth and upward on the lower teeth-the same way we're supposed to brush our own teeth.
•	Slide the toothbrush in under the lips and along the teeth, farther back in the mouth, brushing the premolars, then molars with the same motion you used on the front teeth.
•	Focus on brushing the molars since that's where plaque build-up tends to be the worst. Do as much as you can with the other teeth. You don't need to brush the inside surfaces of your dog's teeth.

Other Helpful Ways to Clean

Studies by Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition have shown that feeding certain specifically designed dental health chews results in a significant reduction of plaque and calculus accumulation., gingivitis and bad breath.