I bet you can think of a lot of things you’d rather do besides brush your pet’s teeth. It’s not easy, and it’s not much fun, either. But there are some things you can do to make it easy to keep your pet’s pearly whites healthy.
- Get your pet used to you handling his mouth — before you even get the brush out. Touch his face, lift his lips, and rub his gums. Be patient. This can take a while.
- Pick out an appropriate toothbrush. You may feel most comfortable with a brush that slips over your index finger — or you may like a different style. Choose a brush that is suited for the type and size of your pet.
- Introduce your pet to the toothbrush. Let him sniff it, lick it, whatever.
- Try a nice, smelly toothpaste. Don’t use human toothpaste — it can make your pet sick. Try a meat flavor (chicken and fish are popular) or something sweet if your pet has a sweet tooth.
- You don’t have to worry about brushing the inside of your pet’s teeth — the tongue keeps that area nice and clean. Just focus on the outside.
- Brush a little bit each day — this will help keep your pet used to the “torture”.
There is always more you can do to help keep your pet’s teeth healthy.
- Offer teeth-cleaning treats. Rawhides are great for dogs — the chewing can help polish teeth.
- Try a kibble that reduces plaque build-up. Kibbles with larger pieces force your pet to chew — rather than gulp. The grinding can help clean teeth.
- Pick toys with tooth-cleaning textures. Rubber toys with ridges and grooves help scrub away plaque. Rope toys act like dental floss, cleaning between teeth.
- Look for supplements you can add to food and water to help fight plaque and bad breath.