DENTAL HEALTH TIPS FOR DOGS & PEOPLE

Let’s talk teeth. Why does dental health matter?

Because no one wants to put their dog through dental cleaning with anesthetics, through invasive surgery, through anesthesia that has risks, especially if they’re older or have other health challenges.

And bad teeth plus bad bacteria in the mouth (tied to the gut) can wreak havoc on a dog’s well-being over time. Ours, too. Dental disease can harm the heart and other organs plus cause pain. Dental and gum infections can sabotage the immune system.

Let’s start with our canines – our actual canine family members.

·       Chewing raw meaty bones, though messy, maintains dog teeth quite well.

It can get rid of plaque before it turns to tartar. Plus, chewing is soothing and gives dogs a project. Different sized dogs do better with different sized bones. Cooked bones should never be given to dogs. They can splinter and cause serious damage requiring surgery. They can also be too rich and take too much energy without the enzymes of raw food to help digestion.

·       Putting the dental prebiotic powder called Teef in your dog’s water everyday

can be so effective that your vet might say they’ve never seen a dog his age with such good teeth. That happened when we started it and had a visit with a new vet soon after. It mitigates bad bacteria around the gum line and loosens up tartar so you can scrape it off onto a paper towel or small towel with a dental scraper. And no, I don’t have a lisp – it’s actually called T-e-e-f, not t-e-e-t-h. :)

·       Brushing our teeth twice a day is pretty routine, but it’s worth making it routine to brush your dog’s teeth

every night, too, especially if not using Teef, raw meaty bones or seaweed supplements. Silicone toothbrushes can be cleaned after every use. Dogs need their own toothpaste like I suggest in the dog wellness guide. Ours often has xylitol, which is very toxic to dogs. Now if you or your dog still has bad breath after toothbrushing, that could be about bacteria all the way down to the gut. That requires some other shifts we can talk about it if you reach out.

·       Back to seaweed, it’s like a wonder drug for the mouth.

Dr. Conor Brady can wax poetic on it for hours …. Not just about teeth, but because it’s removing carbon from the environment and regenerates fast and so on. He sells a few seaweed supplements and Animal Essentials has a few, too – another good brand. Kelp and other seaweeds have iodine – good if electrolytes are needed, bad if your dog has an overactive/hyper thyroid.

As for human dental tips, here goes:

·       Swishing coconut oil around in your mouth for 15 minutes can whiten your teeth if done consistently – you may see results in a week or two. But spit it out into a garbage vs down the drain, ideally.

·       Halitosis isn’t always remedied by brushing. It’s about an overgrowth of the wrong bacteria whether in the mouth or down the pipes.

·       But do brush your teeth for everyone’s sake. And floss. Then wash your hands.

·       But don’t eat raw, meaty bones with your dog. They can’t drive you to the ER.

·       Did you know there are holistic dentists? No heavy metal toxic fillings. Less chemicals. Less invasive procedures.

And check out our free dog wellness guide with 13 categories including dental care. You can fetch it from the home page. Product links are included for convenience.