Dog chews are very important for dogs, but maybe not like you think or have been told, repeatedly in advertising for the last few decades.

Firstly, we will go through what why you should consider dental chews for dogs at all.  Then we will look briefly what they are and what they are not. And yes, you will be surprised.

Like mini humans, dog’s teeth are very important to them.  And not just because it keeps their breath fresh.  But without good teeth, your dog can’t rip and shred meat or animal-based treats. And without good teeth, they will either be in pain, the pain will escalate or they will lose the best way they have of communicating.  This last one is important for any animal without opposable thumbs.

WHY your dog needs clean teeth by dental chew

Just like humans, they need their teeth cleaned regularly.  By our hand, or by a dental chew.

I only found this out recently, but it is now recommended to clean your dog’s teeth daily with a tooth brush.  If you haven’t trained them early in life to accept this, its going to be an epic battle.

Why your dog’s teeth need to be cleaned for teeth’s sake alone:

When your dog eats food or just lives a normal life, it will have bacteria in its mouth.

Food particles in between and on teeth and the gum line combine with saliva and bad bacteria ->  PLAQUE – a sticky film.

PLAQUE  when not removed ->   TARTAR.

Tartar is just mineralized dead bacteria, along with a number of mineralized proteins from saliva.

Tartar through the combination of bacteria and proteins results in THREE common compounds: calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate and magnesium phosphate.

 Tartar can form on teeth and under the gum line.

TARTAR ->  GINGEVITIS.

Gingivitis  will cause painful inflamed gums making it hard for your dog to eat and sleep.  Change the nature and behaviour of your dog.   Gingeivitis is gum infection.  Not only can it cause irritation, but redness and swelling of your gums.  Untreated it will make the gums recede and cause tooth rot at the base.  Gingivitis can also cause canker sores, leucoplakia, oral lichen planus, and oral thrush.

But this is just gum disease what about the tooth themselves.

TOOTH DECAY in dogs

We mention gum disease or gingivitis first, because this is often what most people see or smell first.  When an owner smells really bad dog breath, that often motivates them to find a solution.

But tooth decay directly occurs when the yellow film of plaque turns to tartar.  The combination of tartar (dead bacteria) and live bacteria feasting on the sugars on your dog’s teeth erode their teeth and cause decay.  Soft spots where the calcium is leached and the tooth is easier to break, or just dissolves.

What stops your dog from having clean teeth

SUGAR.

Yes trapped food between your dog’s teeth, be that meat or plant matter will rot and cause that distinctive smell (the remnants of feasting bacteria) and will weaken your dog’s gums, leading to instability in their teeth set.

But the quickest direct way of breeding bacteria, is to have a lot of carbs on our dog’s teeth.  Simple carbohydrates (or sugar) ISNT present in most animal products.  But is massively involved in plant food.

Since most commercial dog food is up to 70% plant matter (grains or veggies) –  and these are usually mostly carbs,  THIS is the best way of getting your dog’s teeth rotting early.

CONCLUSIONS

If you are diligent and clean your dog’s teeth after every meal, then that might be ok, but most people don’t do this.

You will also find that either wet food, or kibble crumbs are perfect for sticking to your dogs teeth or hiding between the teeth, or between the teeth and the gums, helping start the plaque process ->  tartar ->  gingivitis.

At the same time the tartar sticking to the dog’s teeth erodes it directly.

As you can see, your dog’s sweet tooth diet is a major contributor to them having tooth decay and pain of gums, and losing teeth.  And that is why we always suggest using good animal dog treat based Dog teeth cleaning products  to provide both a great clean AND nutrition.

Either find a toy or a meat-based treat to help clean away those crumbs and tartar, or risk tooth and gum disease.  Even vets agree! (Except though they will mostly sell you a vegetable-based stick that has little nutritional value but has a great markup price).