Toothbrushing

Learning to brush your pet’s teeth can feel daunting and overwhelming. Breaking it down into small steps is better for both you and your pet. This process can take some time, so be patient and only progress to the next step when you feel you’re both ready.  The key is building trust, so take it slow and use lots of positive reinforcement.

When establishing the routine of teeth brushing. Begin with just a wet finger cloth.  A finger cloth is going to allow you to learn the shape & depth of your pet’s mouth & also how much pressure is appropriate. As owners we are only needing to address the front surface of all the teeth. The tongue will take care of the inside of the teeth. To set yourself up for success, join this new routine with your pet to an already established routine of your own. It could be in the morning, in the evening or even out at the park, going for a walk.

Separate the components 

Keep brushing & toothpaste separate: Your pet may very well not like the pet friendly toothpaste you have selected or may just feel overwhelmed with the new activity of brushing. For this reason, it’s best to initially keep these two actions separate. This will help us learn if it’s the toothpaste your pet does not like or if it is the action of brushing.

Introduce the toothpaste much like a treat. Introduce in the happiest & most exciting moments of your pets’ interactions with you. For example, when you get home for the day, keep it by the front door or on your person. Reward your pet’s happiness to see you with the tiniest amount of toothpaste to their nose, lips or even incisors (front teeth). Praise the moment. This will build a positive rapport with toothpaste & your pet.

Mouths closed

Because we are only looking to clean the face of the teeth, we don’t actually need our pets to open their mouths. Tilting the head upwards will assist you with keeping the mouth shut & protect your fingers. Placing the fingers of your less dominant hand under their chin & your thumb over the top of their muzzle, gently holding the mouth closed during brushing. Larger dogs are great to approach from behind, having them sit between your legs, facing away. Smaller dogs can also be facing away from you, on your lap or on a bench. If they enjoy lovingly looking into your eyes, a front on approach works well for some pets. Each pet, cat or dog, will vary on where their comforts lie with our approach to them.

Frequency

Every day brushing will successfully help reduce bacteria build up inside the mouth by 80%, Every second day, a reduction of 60%. Anything less than this unfortunately does not hold significant statistics of benefiting oral hygiene. Bacteria turns into plaque build-up & then calcifies into calculus. This is the brown shell-like material you may see covering your dog’s teeth. Keeping these statistics in mind, it’s important for us to acknowledge if brushing is something we can realistically commit too with our time.

The next step

Once a routine has been established & you are both feeling confident, it’s time to upgrade from the finger cloth to a toothbrush. A small children’s toothbrush with soft microfiber bristles is what we want to move on to. Bristles are going to help us reach around the circumference of the tooth more confidently & up under the gingiva.

The brush should be held close to the bristles, with a finger on the back of the head of the brush for stability and sensitivity control.