In a word, yes! I often advise clients to brush their dog or cat's teeth, and I'm usually met with a laugh. I believe most people envision a cat opening their mouth wide and saying 'ahhhh' while the owner diligently scrubs the far reaches of the oral cavity. I quickly correct them by pointing out that they only need to brush the outside of the teeth, without having to open their jaw. Simply lift each lip to expose the canine ('fang') tooth to start with. Now you can see your first tooth to clean!
There are lots of handy videos on YouTube on this process. One piece of advice I can personally attest to, is to find nice toothpaste. I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually tasted the one I first bought! To my horror, it was actually incredibly bitter. It tasted of cloves, which I hardly think is going to endear cats to the flavour! Off I went to the shops to find a new one. This one was supposedly meat flavour, and looked slightly meat coloured, unlike the other one, so I let myself off the taste test. And tah-da! - she liked it.
As any good trainer or behaviour expert will tell you, start slow and use positive reinforcement at all times. (Ignore unwanted behaviour.) The first day, you'll just be having them taste the toothpaste and showing them the brush. I find a rubber finger brush is the best. Work up from there gradually. As the great cat trainer Jackson Galaxy says, 'eat, play, love' is a good reminder to keep the experience positive. Get out some treats and toys to use before, during and after the session. Soon your furry friend (your dog or cat! I'm side eyeing you) will be looking forward to tooth brushing time every night.
For regular pets, brushing three times a week is fine. If your pet has periodontal disease, they'll need daily brushing. That can be seen by a look for gum recession, red gums or even loose teeth, although the early signs are much more subtle. The smaller the dog, the worse their teeth tend to be. Other breeds with awful teeth include greyhounds and other long nosed or 'doliocephalic' types.
To finish, I'd just like to remind everyone to AVOID giving their dogs certain treats and toys. This includes: tennis balls, rocks, antlers, horns, hooves, bones of any kind, sticks or anything that you can't press your nail into and leave a dent. Alternatively, whack it across your shins. It shouldn't hurt you too much!
If your beloved has any of the symptoms described above, or just smelly breath and/or tartar, you should ask your vet if they need a dental cleaning. A good vet will encourage regular cleaning before the start of any more severe dental problems. Tiny dogs will be likely to need several cleanings throughout their life, starting as young as 2-3 years old. This is where your brushing comes in: the more you brush, the fewer dentals Fluffy will need and the cheaper they'll be - extractions of teeth are often what costs the most! Lets avoid it getting to that stage. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to brush my Persian's teeth... yes, I'm serious!
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