Healthy teeth and gums are essential to your pets’ well-being. Whether you have a cat or a dog, like you, they also require proper dental care. Poor dental health can lead to gingivitis, bad breath, gum issues, and other diseases. 

However, being a pet parent, getting your pals ready for dental activities is quite a difficult task. It requires a lot of patience and training to make them habitual to the dental routine.

To help you out, here are some of the best ways to improve your pets’ dental health regularly.

• Train your pet to accept toothbrushing: One of the important means to take care of your pets’ teeth at home is to introduce them to tooth brushing. You should brush their teeth as often as you do your own. Brushing gives your pet the best chance to have healthy teeth and gums. So, train your pet to accept tooth brushing by offering a small amount of toothpaste on a pet-friendly toothbrush and let your pets taste and smell it. Once they realise that they are being offered a tasty treat, give their teeth a quick scrub by following the below-mentioned brushing guide:

1. Get in a comfortable position by making your pets sit on the lap or your feet.
2. Gently brush their teeth from front to back.
3. Brush for a minute or so, till they enjoy it.
4. Reward your pal with pats and dental treats.

Avoid using human toothpaste as it will only upset your pets’ stomach. Instead, consider a chicken or beef flavoured toothpaste that is easily available at vets or online pet stores like

Supertails.

• Implement a dental care routine for your pets: Regular cleaning of teeth prevents the build-up of plague. Many vets also suggest having a dental care routine to keep your companion safe from bacteria attacks. Twice a week dental cleaning is a standard rule of at-home pet dental care. However, there are times when pets make it challenging by not allowing you to brush their teeth. In such scenarios, there are some great alternatives to keep their mouth clean. These are:

1. Oral rinses
2. Dental wipes
3. Prescribed dental diet
4. Chews and treats.

Remember to strictly follow a dental schedule to avoid the plague. If you allow too many days to pass without removing it then it can soon become hard as tartar. This can be an alarming situation and requires you to make an appointment with the veterinarian.

• Learn dental disease and signs in your pets: Generally, pets start to show dental illness symptoms from the age of three. But, many pet parents fail to realize it. Hence, you should learn to detect the indications of poor dental health to take proper action accordingly. Some common symptoms are as follows:

1. Brown or yellow tartar accumulated on the teeth
2. Swollen gums
3. Excessive drooling
4. Reluctant to eat hard food
5. Dropping food when eating, etc.

Keep tabs on the aforementioned signs to resolve them before they become painful problems. 

For a clear dental routine and hygienic tips, you can always attend 

online pet consultations with a vet. This will help you to have a good understanding of eating habits and ways to take care of your pets’ dental health.