Tips to Maintain Your Dog's Dental Hygiene at Home

Your dog’s dental hygiene is just as important as yours. If your dog’s dental hygiene is neglected, it can lead to serious health problems such as liver, kidney, and heart damage. Practicing good dog dental hygiene at home is an easy way to help keep your dog’s oral health up to par and diseases away.

Luckily, maintaining your dog’s dental hygiene at home is easier than you think. There are also multiple ways to help keep your dog’s teeth and oral health in tiptop shape, even for the busiest dog owners. In this article, we’ll go over a few simple and effective ways for you to maintain your dog’s dental hygiene at home.

Use Dog Dental Spray

When you’re on the go but your dog needs quick dental hygiene maintenance, it’s handy to have a dog dental spray around to spritz and help freshen your dog’s breath quickly. Dog dental sprays are a quick and easy way to help take care of your dog’s oral health and keep their breath fresh throughout the day. Dental sprays would also be ideal for helping maintain your dog’s dental hygiene in between teeth brushing.

Dental sprays are made to kill plaque-causing bacteria, eliminate odor, and help prevent plaque build-up. To give your dog the benefits, all you have to do is simply spritz onto their teeth and gums, and they’re good to go. To get the most out of dog dental sprays, make sure your dog doesn’t eat a half hour before or after using the spray.

Use Dental Dog Treats

Get your dog excited about their daily dental hygiene by swapping their daily treats for chewable dental dog treats. Dental dog treats clean your dog’s teeth and mouth while satisfying their craving for delicious treats. Most dental dog treats help minimize plaque and tartar buildup while keeping your dog’s teeth sparkly clean at the same time. They come in different sizes for small or large dogs, so keep that in mind for if you decide to buy these.

If your not sure about what dental treats to get your dog, we reccommend you read a Buzzfeed product review on mint flavored dental chews. Or ask your veterinarian if you’re still not sure which dental treats are best suited for your dog.

Try Dry Food Instead of Wet Food

Another easy way to help maintain your dog’s dental hygiene is to consider switching out their food. Dry food is actually better for a dog’s oral health than soft food. The texture of dry food actually helps scrape away tartar as they eat, whereas soft food is more likely to get stuck in their teeth and lead to plaque build-up faster.

Try slowly switching your dog over to dry food if they’ve been used to a soft food diet for a while, or talk with your veterinarian about your dog’s dietary needs and if they can make any dry food suggestions. Some dogs may require special diets or foods for optimal dental hygiene.

Promote Oral Health with Chew Toys

Chew toys aren't just great for keeping your dog occupied and using up their energy. They also are beneficial for maintaining your dog’s oral health. Dogs begin to use their teeth to explore their surroundings as puppies. Chewing helps keep dogs mentally stimulated, soothes tooth pain, and is their natural way of teeth cleaning since gnawing on something helps scrape away plaque.

You can experiment with a variety of different types of chew toys and materials to find out what your dog enjoys chewing on the most. If you notice your dog gets bored with their toys easily, we highly reccommend you visit HuggleHounds. You can find less bland looking chew toys there. And don't forget to stay orginized with a Molly Mutt dog toy basket, it's double quilted and your dog's toys wont go missing.

Brush Your Dog’s Teeth

Just like humans, brushing teeth is the foundation of good oral health for dogs. Ideally, it’s best to brush your dog’s teeth daily for the best care and results. If you’re unable to brush your dog’s teeth daily, then once a week will get the job done. Your dog may not like it at first, but most dogs will tolerate and appreciate their regular at-home teeth cleaning once they get used to it.

You can buy a toothbrush specifically designed for dogs to make at-home teeth brushing easier. You’ll also need to purchase toothpaste made specifically for dogs as well, since human toothpaste contains chemicals that are considered toxic to dogs. To make at-home teeth cleaning even easier, dog toothpaste also comes in many different flavors your dog will love, like chicken, beef, and peanut butter. If you’re unsure if you can brush multiple times a week, start with once a week and build from there. Establishing a regular teeth cleaning routine for your dog will go a long way toward improving their oral health.

Conclusion

Dental hygiene maintenance for your dog can seem like a hassle or time-consuming chore, but it’s the best way to prevent oral or other diseases that start with the mouth. Not to mention, maintaining your dog’s teeth at home will save you money in the long run. Try these simple and quick tips to help keep your dog on a regular dental hygiene routine and keep their teeth and mouth clean and fresh.