How is dental calculus formed in dogs? It’s not too late to brush teeth now

Sep 21,2024
3Min

Causes of dog dental calculus formation

Generally speaking, the formation of canine dental calculus is related to dietary habits. Dogs of any breed, gender, and age may suffer from dental calculus. Canine calculus is formed due to the carbon dioxide, pH value, phosphatase, etc. in the saliva, which causes inorganic salts, hydrolyzed phosphorus, protein-decomposed calcium, etc. to precipitate on the tooth surface.
When dental calculus forms, the periodontal pockets formed due to the extrusion of the gums and bacterial infection will promote the further accumulation of dental calculus, leading to the destruction of the periodontal ligament. Ultimately, due to severe periodontal tissue damage, only resort to Tooth extraction treatment.
So, if you ignore the small dental calculus, the end result will be that the dog will suffer huge tooth extraction pain!

Methods to prevent dental calculus in dogs

1. Start with eating habits and eat dry food as staple food. Because dry dog ​​food can grind teeth and remove plaque. Secondly, you can feed vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins and high fiber. Remember, although soft food can make dogs eat faster and easier to digest, in the long run, it is harmful to the dog’s teeth;
2. Keep brushing teeth and cleaning gums. You can use dog toothpaste and toothbrush to clean your dog's tartar regularly, and the effect will be significant over a long period of time. However, some dogs are not cooperative, so Xiao Ming suggests buying some snacks that can help clean teeth, or dog tooth cleaning gel (which can be drank directly as water);
3. Check regularly. Early dental calculus is soft and can be cleaned by itself, so early detection can save a lot of teeth cleaning expenses (most importantly, it requires anesthesia, which has certain risks!). Therefore, the scavenger should do it regularly for the dog. To check, you can open your dog's mouth, smell it for bad breath, and check to see if there is any abnormal tartar, plaque or calculus on the surface of the teeth.
4. If you have severe dental calculus, please seek medical attention promptly. If the dental calculus has hardened and ordinary brushing and hand picking are ineffective, it is recommended to use ultrasonic tooth cleaning. But if the dental calculus has seriously damaged the periodontal ligament and has a tendency to deteriorate, the tooth will have to be extracted...
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