Brushing your dog’s teeth can be painful as most of them will not respond to your attempts to open their mouth to keep their teeth clean. If your furry companion hates brushing their teeth and you’re worried about their dental health, do not panic.
Pet owners want their dog’s dental health to be in good condition. But most of them will not accept the fact of having a toothbrush in their mouth. This can get you thinking about how to clean dog teeth without brushing? Is it even possible? Luckily, yes, you can!
Importance Of Dental Hygiene
Dental hygiene is also important for your furry companions like humans. Most pet owners underestimate dental hygiene’s need and significance for their pet dogs.
While humans make it a habit to brush their teeth daily, dog owners must try to clean their dog’s teeth weekly, at the minimum. Poor dental hygiene causes stinky breath, often leading to pain from conditions and infections. Among the various concerns, periodontal diseases and gingivitis are the main ones that will require surgery if left untreated.
Need To Practice Dental Hygiene
By the age of three, you will notice most canine pets show signs of periodontal illnesses. This is why dental hygiene is something you shouldn’t leave unnoticed until you find signs of rotting teeth or bad breath. Though it’s not necessary for your dog to have fresh breath at all times, they should not have smelly breath that makes you gag. In addition to causing gum, jaw, and teeth problems, poor dental health can also affect the kidneys, liver, and heart.
In fact, dental hygiene is essential for the overall health of your pup. Sticking to the teeth brushing routine right from an early age will help your dog enjoy the pain-free life they deserve. However, if they strongly oppose having a brush in their mouth, you need not slack on dental hygiene. You can opt for different ways to clean their teeth without brushing, which is discussed in detail in the next session.
Different methods you can adopt to Clean the Dog’s Teeth Without Brushing
As part of their oral health, your dog’s teeth must be cleaned often. More often, their teeth are not always clean, nor are their breath. But sometimes, brushing their teeth is almost impossible, and some won’t allow brushing at all.
While brushing your canine companion’s teeth fails, you must go on a guilt trip. All you need to do is clean your dog’s teeth with alternative solutions that don’t require a toothbrush. Here are some effective methods to clean the dog’s teeth instead of using a brushing.
1. Dental Wipes Or Clean Cloth:
Dental wipes aid in keeping the dog’s teeth spotless and make them look sparkling white. This option works great for pups who are comfortable opening their mouth but will not allow you to poke around and clean with a brush.
Use the wipes to rub and clean their gums and teeth. This will help remove all the soft tartar and plaque. You can also get rid of the hard plaques by using high-quality wipes.
You can also use a normal unused dishcloth or gauze to rub toothpaste onto their teeth. Though it may not work for the long term, it’ll help slow down the build-up of tartar and plaque.
2. Coconut Oil:
Rubbing coconut oil on your dog’s gums and teeth could be the method as it contains natural bacteria killers. Some pups enjoy the feeling they get as you massage their gums, allowing you to clean their teeth without resistance.
Coconut oil helps get rid of plaque-causing bacteria and food particles from the teeth. Due to the oil’s microbial properties, it helps in freshening your canine pet’s breath. You can either apply it directly to their teeth weekly for maximum effect or include the oil in your dog’s food.
3. Chew Toys
Chewing is an inherent nature of dogs. The reason behind this chewing is that it keeps their teeth clean. You can make use of this natural approach to maintain your dental hygiene. Dental chew toys will last much longer than one chewing session.
Introducing chew toys supports your dog’s dental care routine and is also an effective way to reduce stress and boredom. Chewing on these toys will slowly scrub the plaque and tartar and give a gentle massage to their gums. Toys can also effectively scrape off the tartar from the hard-to-reach molars.
4. Hard And Raw Bones:
Chewing on raw bones is the best alternative for dogs who prefer a natural option than chew toys. Raw bones help maintain good dental health hygiene. These hard bones effectively chop off the tartar and clean the gum line.
While chewing a raw bone, your dog tears off the connective tissue and chomps the bone down. In the process, it cleans the surface layer of the teeth and the gaps in between the teeth. However, before using raw bones for oral hygiene, you must consult the vet first.
5. Dental Sprays And Gels:
Dental sprays and gels can keep your dog’s teeth clean, loosen tartar and plaque, and keep their breath fresh. It contains ingredients that prevent the growth of bacteria and slow downs the buildup of tartar.
If your furry pet allows you to open their jaws and apply the gel or spray the solution, it is a great option. High-quality gels and sprays have antiseptic properties that prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria in the mouth.
Your pooch may not find all these options to be comfortable, but there will be options he is sure to enjoy. Choose the ones that suit your dog’s liking, where they won’t even realize you’re cleaning their teeth.
Conclusion
Brushing your dog’s teeth with a toothbrush regularly will help them get used to the task. But in some cases, they tend to get tired of it quickly. This is why you need to come up with an option where you can keep their teeth clean without brushing. It makes your pooch comfortable and happy while keeping their mouth clean and healthy.
So in order to keep those pearly whites clean and healthy without brushing, you need to consider the above dental hygiene alternatives.