Natural Teeth Cleaning

All puppies permanent adult teeth are bright white to begin with, then start to become discolored after a year of age. If you raised the upper lip at 1-2 years old, you would notice yellow-brown discoloration near the gum line and streak down the front and back to the tip or points . From 3-6 years of age the discoloration becomes increasingly yellow, and raised as tartar accumulates near the gum line. At this stage the gums start receding as the bacterial infection under the tartar attack the gums and tissues underneath and loosen the attachments. From then on, teeth continue to loosen as infections clear to the root can occur. Pain, infections, and loose teeth can cause some dogs to quit eating as well, lose weight, and not be as active.

How can we prevent this scenario in our pets? The good news is that most dogs do not develop painful teeth problems, and only have discoloration and mild tartar throughout their lifetime. The dogs that do produce lots of tartar leading to receding gums, painful loose teeth, or abscessed teeth need help. But you feed your dog kibble or crunchy biscuits that should take care of the tartar, right? I used to think so, but in reality have not seen a difference in the health of teeth and gums with different types of food....canned or dry. If you ate a bowl of big stale cookies daily would that keep your teeth and gums healthy?

The truth is that the health of teeth and gums are linked to breeds, and some individuals that produce more tartar, and have the tendency for receding gums. The toy breeds (small house dogs), some herding dogs (corgi, sheltie), and squished faced dogs (boxers, Boston’s, bulldogs) have the "terrible teeth" tendencies. Whether you "own" a poodle or "mixed breed"(we all know, they really own us!), they can develop teeth and gum problems from the genes they inherited.

How do you prevent this problem?  Clues can be found in nature. Predators love to chew and we all have experienced the loss of shoes, furniture, belts, car seats, toys, and cell phones etc, from this inherited behavior in our pets. We have all seen nature shows that show wolves chewing on the raw bones and gristle of a carcass for the nutrient rich treasures of the cartilage and bone marrow. This action not only gives them valuable fats, oils, and nutrients to keep their joints healthy, but cleans their teeth at the same time. What does this disgusting practice have to do with our pets? Simply, dogs that willingly will chew on a smoked pork bone, pig’s ear, or frozen raw chicken thigh (with the small raw chicken bone inside) will take care of their own teeth and may not require brushing or expensive veterinary dental care.

I know what you are thinking. Dr. Greg, you have to be kidding!! Everybody knows that dogs should not eat bones!! Especially RAW!!! Believe me, I used to believe the same thing. Stories of dogs being pierced by sharp chicken bones, or needing surgery from a “wad” of steak bones stuck in the intestine, had  always made me steer clear of this practice, and advise against it. Pluis Davern, a client of mine, convinced me this can be a safe practice and that dogs would clean their own teeth with raw or smoked bones if given a chance. If a bone is big enough not to swallow, and is smoked or raw, a dog should enjoy it and not break a tooth chewing on it. Baked, brittle, femur bones, barbecued chicken bones, and grilled t-bones all can cause problems because they can be broken into small sharp pieces and swallowed. Frozen chicken thighs, smoked pork bones, raw knuckle bones, and pig’s ears can be used to keep our pets happy, give them extra nutrition for their joints, and clean their teeth at the same time. Your dog HAS to be a chewer and NOT a gulper or swallower to safely use this practice. All my dogs carefully chew the bones and chicken, but I sometimes need to buy big bones for Tucker ,my 80 pound lab, and saw them into pieces for my two terriers. The frozen chicken thighs do not last as long, but the hard frozen tissue helps clean the teeth, and the small raw bone is not brittle and sharp. Your dog can clean their teeth and get great nutrition at the same time. I give my dogs something to chew on every 2-3 weeks, and do not think I will have to perform a dental cleaning on any of them.

If your dog does not like to chew or is a gulper or swallower, then you may need to brush the teeth several times weekly, or have your vet clean the teeth when needed. Oh...and be careful handling raw chicken if you have immune problems or have infants or seniors in your house. However, frozen chicken is unlikely to cause problems in your household. I think you will enjoy your pet “relish” a frozen chicken thigh, smoked pork bone, or a pig’s ear.