Dental Health 
Dental Health Gum disease among humans is epidemic. More than 95 percent of Americans, for instance, suffer from bad gums during their lifetime. Among dogs, the situation is nearly as bad. Eighty-five percent of canines over four years of age develop gingivitis—that is, infection and inflammation of the gums. Bad breath is a telltale sign.
Gum disease—also called “periodontal disease”—begins with the formation of plaque, a transparent, adhesive fluid composed of bacteria. The bacterial action eats away the supportive gum tissue of the teeth. When plaque is not removed by brushing, cleaning, or an animal eating the right food, mineral salts in the saliva form hard crusts—called “calculus” or “tartar”—over the plaque, which then irritates gum tissue. You see redness and then swelling, the start of gingivitis.
“If neglected, gingivitis turns to periodontitis, a much more serious condition,” says Jan Bellows, DVM, a holistic practitioner in Florida, who is one of a handful of certified veterinary dentists. “Animals then develop progressive infection, inflammation, loss of the tiny ligaments that bind the gums to the teeth, bone recession, and loose teeth. Untreated gum disease may also contribute to health problems elsewhere in the body.”
Some experts believe that proper dental care can actually prolong a pet’s life by 20 percent, so this is a subject to take seriously. How can you prevent gum disease and veterinary dental bills and extend your dog’s life? Here is what Bellows and other holistic veterinarians recommend.
(Note: If you have Internet access and desire more information on dental health care for animals, see Dr. Bellows’s informative Web site at www.dentalvet.com.)
Diet. In the act of eating prey in the wilds, dogs and cats devour fur, hair, and tough elastic tissue that provides a natural brushing effect on their teeth. But our domesticated animals don’t eat food with such “built-in” toothbrushes. Often the food is soft. Despite all the benefits of a good home-prepared meal, with raw or cooked meat added, the consistency of the food is overall soft. Dogs need something harder included in their diets, something that offers some abrasiveness but doesn’t damage gum tissue. Some people boil oxtails and feed that as a natural brushing additive to food.
We often resort to kibble for our animals out of convenience. Ideally the kibble you are feeding your animal should be high quality. Besides convenience, kibble also has a hard consistency that offers a brushing benefit to the teeth before it is mashed into mush. The quality kibble brand I recommend is Cornucopia. It is not a treatment for periodontal disease, but it helps as part of a prevention strategy.
For tartar control and plaque buildup, I recommend a food called TD—a prescription diet made by Hills and available through veterinarians. The food is designed to provide a brushing effect on the teeth. Nevertheless it does not take the place of daily brushing.
Brushing a must. Whatever your food choices, you should still brush your animal’s teeth if you want to prevent periodontal disease. Brushing is the most important thing you can do for your animal’s dental health, and either you do it or face veterinary dental bills later on. If your animal already has gum disease, brushing is critical. Brush every day, just as you do for yourself. Do it twice if possible. Researchers have shown in dogs that if the teeth are cleaned every other day, the preventive effect still works. If you do it less often, forget it. You might as well not bother. It involves an effort, and many of my clients accept the daily brushing because I make a major issue of it.
Small-breed dogs, such as Yorkshire Terriers and Maltese, are prone to more gum problems because their teeth are closer together. Regular brushing is particularly important for these animals.
Use a natural, soft-bristled brush. Veterinarians and pet stores sell special oral care products. St. Jon’s makes a number of good products. You can also purchase “natural” toothpaste at the health food store. Some of the brands I like are Nature’s Gate (cherry gel), Peelu, and Dessert Essence.
How to brush. When you do this for the first time, approach your dog gently. If you can start the brushing habit when your dog is young, it’s quite easy, but even older pets will accept the process. Try to work the bristles of the brush under the gums. Place the bristles at the gum margin of the teeth. Move the brush in a circular or back-and-forth motion. Gently press the bristle ends into the area around the base of the tooth as well as into the space between the teeth. You can generally cover three or four teeth at a time. Ten strokes should be completed at each location. This is what it takes to clear out the daily accumulation of plaque. If not cleared, it builds up underneath the gums and leads to inflammation, gingivitis, and eventually periodontal disease. The upper teeth attract the most plaque, so spend the most time there.
For noncooperative animals. If your animal isn’t receptive to brushing, use a washcloth or piece of gauze to wipe the teeth, front and back. Gently rub the teeth clean around the gum line. Hopefully, you can graduate to a toothbrush, which is preferable. That’s what it takes to get under the gum line.
If the gums bleed when brushed. See your veterinarian.
Examine your animal’s teeth and gums monthly. Most dogs don’t mind if you peek inside their mouths. Look for inflammation (redness), swelling, and broken teeth. A good place to search for inflammation is in the back of the mouth, where the upper fourth premolar teeth meet the gum tissue. This site is where the salivary glands secrete into the mouth. The fourth premolars are the fourth tooth back on each side from the canine, the so-called fang or eyetooth. Your examination should include the entire face. One side should look the same as the other, with no abnormal swellings. When looking at the head, feel the glands under your pet’s neck. Both should be the same size. If one is swollen, that could indicate an abscess or infection in the mouth. Be alert for any swelling under the eyes. That may be another sign of an abscess.
Smell your pet’s breath. If it smells bad, that’s a sign of gum disease or digestive problems, and a trip to the veterinarian is in order.
A regular dental checkup by your veterinarian is advisable. Gingivitis can usually be reversed with a thorough cleaning by a veterinarian while the animal is anesthetized. If treated early, the gums can return to normal appearance and function. If left untreated, periodontitis results. If you need a specialist, contact the American Veterinary Dental Society (800-332-AVDS).
Tooth pain. Cloves are a good stopgap measure for relief until you can see a veterinarian. Cloves contain analgesic properties. Apply the ground clove directly to the affected area.
Fractured teeth from chewing cow’s hooves. Many dog owners like to give their animals cow’s hooves to chew on. The problem is this: The pressure that dogs apply on the hoof as they chew often breaks the fourth premolar tooth. Bacteria then work their way up the fractured tooth into the root, resulting in abscess. Cow’s hooves are not a good idea. Don’t give your dogs anything harder than the tooth surface to chew on. I suggest Gumma bones, made by Nylabone, available in most pet stores. If your animal fractures a tooth and is in obvious pain, you can help alleviate the situation by applying arnica ointment to the gum area twice a day for a day. You can also use the homeopathic remedy Arnica in the pellet or liquid form to speed the healing process (see the section on surgery where arnica is mentioned). Arnica works well. But be sure to see a veterinarian. If the tooth is fractured, and the nerve is exposed, the situation will require either root canal therapy or extraction.
Ease the stress of puppy teething. For the discomfort of teething, chamomile works very well to decrease swelling and soothe disturbed gum tissue. A sign of discomfort is an animal pawing at its mouth. Simply apply a chamomile teabag to the gums. First boil the teabag, then put it in the refrigerator. Apply cold. Do this two or three times a day for a few moments until the teeth come in.
Vitamin C and coenzyme Q10 to fight gum disease. In humans, a low level of vitamin C in the tissues is associated with a predisposition to periodontal disease. I prefer vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbate crystals mixed in the food. The vitamin decreases pain, builds up the immune system against infections, and helps to fortify connective tissue and the tiny ligaments binding tooth to gum. Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble vitamin and antioxidant that decreases inflammation, swelling, and pocket depths. The mouth must be cleaned first professionally in order for this nutrient to have a pronounced impact.
Vitamin C: Start with 250 milligrams twice daily. Increase daily dose by 250 milligrams each week until bowel tolerance is reached (see note to the reader at the beginning of part 2 for an explanation of bowel tolerance).
Coenzyme Q10: Small dogs, 10 milligrams twice daily; medium dogs, 50 milligrams once daily; larger dogs, 50 milligrams twice daily.
I recommend raw, meaty bones at least once a week, more often if you can. Give knuckle bones and marrow bones to the big guys and chicken necks to the small dogs. Neck bones don’t splinter into long pieces and so are much less risky. Bones help scrape the teeth clean.
I have had many animals facing dental treatment who avoided it just by going on a simple bone program like this. After three or four weeks their teeth are clean.
Most butchers know what you want when you ask for bones for pets. By keeping the teeth clean this way, you don’t have the constant tartar and infection in the mouth.
Polish your dog’s teeth and gums regularly with Pearl Drops, a dentifrice available in drugstores. This does a good job to clean the mouth and counteract plaque formation. Apply the drops with gauze or a washcloth.
If you are interested in performing a more rigorous form of oral housekeeping, ask your veterinarian to show you how to use a dental scaler on your animal. Scaling the teeth once a month is a good way to prevent plaque buildup.
To help prevent gum disease, apply calendula, a homeopathic remedy. Purchase a bottle of the mother tincture of Calendula and put 6 drops in 1 ounce of distilled water. Brush with this solution on a daily basis. If there is inflammation, you may want to take a cotton swab and add some additional cotton (from a cotton ball) so that it soaks up the liquid. Use that to cover both the outside and inside of the gums with the Calendula.
If you have a dog with gum and tooth problems, a good general nutritional supplement to benefit the mouth specifically is Biodent. This human product, made by Standard Process (800-848-5061), can be ordered for you through your veterinarian. It contains bone meal, carrot powder, spleen, and other nutrients that will create a healthier chemistry in the tissue of the mouth and help contain inflammation, while supporting any veterinary treatment that is being given. The product can help reverse deficiencies that have often existed for years.
The supplement takes time to work, so be patient. Keep the mouth clean. Brush the teeth on a daily basis if possible and keep building up the tissue with these nutrients. Also, by feeding animals better food, including some raw meat and vegetables, they tend not to develop a lot of the typical oral conditions.
Give twice daily. Small dogs, 1 tablet each time; medium dogs, 2 tablets; larger dogs, 3 tablets.
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