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Pet dental care is an area most sorely neglected in overall pet health. While pet parents have an excellent interest in proper vet visits, vaccinations, and nutrition, dental care often gets a free pass. In fact, many wonder whether to take care of their pet’s dental health at home or take a professional cleaning. This overview summarizes both approaches, merits, and demerits. Thereby, let us begin with the difference between DIY pet dental care and professional cleaning, with what is said by the best pet clinic in Kolkata, so you can make the right decision for your fur-baby.

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Knowing Why Dentistry is Important for Pet Dental Care

Just like humans, animals also succumb to numerous diseases. Among the most common diseases that animals face include plaque formation, gum infection, and tooth cavity. Filthy conditions make it pretty unbearable for your pet aside from causing numerous critical diseases like heart infection, kidney infection, and systemic infections. Thus, cleaning your pet’s teeth is rather important for overall health.

Why take care of your pet’s dental care?

• Against oral or bad breath, tooth decay, and gum disease.
• Reduces systemic infections likely to affect life-saving organs
• Improve your pet’s quality of life through reduction of pain or discomfort.

The Fundamentals of Natural Dental Care for Dogs

In a general sense, this is referred to as DIY pet dental care—all the preventive measures that can be taken in order to ensure the cleanliness of one’s pet through its mouth. For one, this could be as simple as brushing the pet’s teeth; then there are dental chews or toys for chewing and even pet-friendly toothpaste. It is an easy, hands-on approach toward preventing plaque and tartar buildup between professional cleanings.

Benefits of DIY Pet Dental Care:

• Less expensive: Brushing your pet’s teeth at home is quite inexpensive and will save your pocket money from dental procedures later on.
• Time for Maintenance: The more you brush your pet’s teeth regularly, the slower it will take to develop plaque and tartar inside the mouth, thus making it cleaner for your pets.
• Bonding Time: It can eventually become a habit. And that will help in the bonding you and your pet create.

DIY Pet Dental Care Techniques:

• Brush Their Teeth: Brush their teeth using a soft bristled toothbrush designed for pets with pet-safe toothpaste. Gently rub their teeth in a circular motion and remove that plaque.
• Dental Chews: Dental chews or toys cause different actions with their mouth that scrape away the plaque from their teeth while the pet chews.
• Water additives: There are products that have lately entered the market as being non-toxic to pets and can help in controlling plaque formation inside your pet’s mouth and a fresh oral cavity.
• Tartar, naturally, cannot be avoided. It could be removed only if done by a professional.

Professional pet dental cleaning

While prevention through DIY methods is an absolute necessity, professional cleanings by a vet are a must to allow for deeper cleaning and the early detection of dental diseases. During a professional cleaning, a vet will use specifically approved equipment to eliminate tartar and will carry out a veterinary inspection of your pet’s mouth looking for signs of infection or disease.

Benefits of Professional Pet Dental Cleaning

• Deep Cleaning: Scale and polish—a professional cleaning would eliminate tartar, even below the gumline that cannot be removed when cleaning on your own.
• Disease Prevention: Early stages of periodontal disease, tooth decay or infection may be caught before your pet may even show any discomfort, if it can be seen at all.
• Safe and Through: Professional dental cleaning is performed under anesthesia, so your pet will be safe and as pain-free as possible at every step of the process.

What Is a Professional Dental Cleaning Like?

• Examination: Your veterinarian will examine your pet’s mouth, their teeth, and their gums for common signs of infection.
• Radiography: X-rays might be taken to locate the problems invisible to naked-eye examination.
• Scaling and Polishing: The veterinarian uses specific dental instruments that remove tartar above the gumline, as well as below, to smooth out the rough surfaces on the enamel surface of the teeth.
• Extractions: Extractions are required in cases where your pet’s teeth crack and get infected, thus serving as a prevention from any further complication arising.

Read here for more:- How to Do Pet’s Dental Care

Is DIY Better Than Professional Pet Dental Cleaning?

Having known the advantages of DIY and professional dental care, you may ask, “Which is better for my pet?”

The short answer would be both of them. They should complement each other. DIY dental care is a good way to keep up with your pet between vet visits but cannot replace the comprehensive cleaning and disease prevention offered by the professional.

When Do-It-Yourself Is Enough:

• Healthy teeth dogs
• Minimal to no tartar deposits
• Preventive treatment between professional cleaning

When Professional Cleaning is Indicated:

• Dogs that may progress into more severe plaque or tartar conditions
• Dogs have halitosis or other signs such as bleeding gums or will not eat.
• Routine portion of Veterinary dental examination, every 6-12 months at your veterinarian’s discretion.

How to Keep Your Pet’s Healthy Teeth

• Brushing: Brush your pet’s teeth 2-3 times a week with veterinary-specific toothpaste.
• Dental Chews and Toys: This can be helpful in helping to facilitate the reduction of plaque, and this also can be a fun way to keep your pet occupied.
• Schedule Routine Veterinary Visits: Make sure that your vet checks up on your pet’s teeth at least once every year and will give you his opinion as to whether professional cleanings are necessary.
• Be Aware of Warning Signs: Be vigilant when your dog complains of bad breath, drools more than usual, red or inflamed gums, or changes its behavior with consumption because it is a sign of dental disease.
• See the vet: Take your advice from one of the top pet clinics in Kolkata for specific care.

Input from Top Pet Clinics in Kolkata

According to the best pet clinic in Kolkata, APC Pet Clinic, “DIY dental care is an essential step in keeping your pet’s oral cavity healthy, but it should never replace professional cleanings. Combining both will guarantee your pet leads a long and happy life.”

1. How often do I brush my pet’s teeth?

Ideally you should brush 2-3 times a week, although it is most likely to yield the best results for oral health if done daily.

2. Is it possible to use human toothpaste on my pet?

NO, human toothpaste is toxic to your pet. Only the toothpaste for animals, which also has flavors such as chicken or beef. These make the task very enjoyable for your pet.

3. How often should I get my pet professionally cleaned?

That will depend upon the needs of your individual pet, but most pets could benefit from having professional cleaning under 6-12 months. Your veterinarian should be able to make you the best judgment based on your pet’s dental condition.

4. What are the indications that my pet needs a dental cleaning?

Bad odor from the breath, redness or inflammation of the gums, avoid eating, excess salivation, and visible accumulation of plaque or tartar on the teeth are just some of the signs that show that a professional cleaning is in order.

5. Does it have to be anesthetized for dental cleaning?

Yes, an anesthetic is needed so that the pet can remain completely relaxed and immobile to the vet’s cleaning of their teeth in a way that will not frighten the animal or offend it.

Conclusion

One of the measures that can be taken to ensure total well-being in your pet is through dental care. Even though you can remove plaque and tartar effectively through DIY procedures in home care, which might begin building up in your pet’s mouth, professional cleaning is also equally important in ensuring all removal. Therefore, with both combinations, you will maintain your pet’s mouth fresh, healthy, and pain-free.

The most excellent pet clinic in Kolkata can guide you, step by step, whether you’re a first-time user of DIY dental care or opting for professional cleaning. After all, a healthy mouth forms a happy pet!