A pet generally needs an annual professional dental cleaning to prevent and treat periodontal problems. However, each pet has their own unique characteristics and health issues that influence their dental cleanings’ frequency. To help you formulate an appropriate schedule for your pet’s dental cleanings, our Advanced Veterinary Care of Pasco team recommends you consider seven factors that play an important role in determining the frequency of your furry pal’s required professional veterinary dental care.

#1: Your pet’s breed and size

In general, small pets develop dental disease at a faster rate than large pets, mainly because of overcrowded teeth. Breed and genetics also play significant roles, as the following breeds have a predisposition to dental disease development:

  • Dachshunds
  • Yorkies
  • Chihuahuas
  • Shelties
  • Greyhounds
  • Flat-faced (i.e., brachycephalic) breeds (e.g., bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers, Persian cats)

#2: Your pet’s age

Pets can develop dental disease early in life, with up to 90% of all cats and dogs having dental disease by 2 years of age. However, dental disease is more common in older pets, because a lifetime of wear and tear on the teeth causes minor enamel imperfections that lead to accelerated plaque and tartar accumulation. In many cases, older pets require more frequent dental cleanings to maintain good oral health.

#3: Your pet’s lifestyle

The ways in which your pet chews and plays greatly influence how often they’ll need professional dental cleanings. Compare the situation to how you drive your car. If you take good care of your vehicle, such as coasting gently to a stop, accelerating slowly, and performing routine maintenance, it should require less frequent trips to the mechanic. Your pet’s oral health is the same. If your four-legged friend chews appropriate treats and toys, forgoing rocks, sticks, and tennis balls, the time between their professional dental care visits is prolonged.

Typically, a dog who chews aggressively, no matter whether the items are acceptable, requires more frequent dental care because they have extensive enamel damage. On the other hand, a pet who does not chew much generally experiences a more rapid plaque and tartar accumulation rate. Nevertheless, always keep in mind that the frequency of your four-legged friend’s professional dental care requires a careful balancing act between chewing and playing

#4: Your pet’s diet

The theory that dry food is much better than canned food for scraping away plaque and tartar has some credence. However, this assumption has been mostly disproven. The bottom line is that feeding your pet an over-the-counter (OTC) dry food rather than canned food only provides minimal dental benefits. 

To garner the most oral-health benefits from their food, your pet needs to eat a prescription dental diet. Prescription food that promotes oral health is composed of a unique matrix that keeps the kibble intact rather than shattering when your pet crunches into it. As the kibble piece clings to your pet’s tooth, the chewing motion forces the food to scrape along the teeth’s surface, removing plaque.

A poor-quality diet with unbalanced nutrition can also contribute to dental disease. Without appropriate levels of calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A, B, C, and D, and various other nutrients, your pet is more likely to suffer from gingival inflammation and weakened tooth enamel.

#5: Your pet’s underlying health conditions

Certain health conditions can affect your pet’s oral health and vice versa. Pets with autoimmune and resorptive diseases and diabetes typically need more frequent dental cleanings to keep pain and infection away and to make chronic disease management easier. For example, cats with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) or feline calicivirus (FCV) may be predisposed to chronic gingivitis and stomatitis, which require frequent dental cleanings to reduce inflammation. Also, diabetic pets need to have their teeth professionally cleaned often to eliminate bacteria that can interfere with insulin absorption and utilization.

#6: Your at-home pet dental care regimen

Although our Advanced Veterinary Care of Pasco team is exceptionally thorough and skilled at performing professional dental cleanings, your furry pal still needs daily at-home dental care to help maintain good health. Without regular toothbrushing, plaque can quickly turn into cement-like tartar, which you cannot remove through toothbrushing and at-home care. If you do not have a good dental care plan in place, your pet will require more frequent professional dental cleanings to manage periodontal problems.

 #7: Your dedication to regular professional veterinary dental care

Not only does your at-home dental care regimen greatly influence the frequency of your pet’s dental cleanings, so does their professional care. If you brush your pet’s teeth and give them plenty of appropriate dental chews, their teeth may appear clean, but they may still have a lot of infection-causing bacteria lurking below the gumline. 

Your furry pal requires regular veterinary dental care to evaluate and maintain their oral hygiene. Most pets should undergo an annual physical exam that includes an oral cavity examination, along with a comprehensive professional dental cleaning. Although a majority of pets benefit from an annual professional dental cleaning, some need more frequent professional veterinary dental care, while few can prolong the time between professional dental care appointments.

To determine your pet’s professional dental care needs’ frequency, schedule their oral exam with our Advanced Veterinary Care of Pasco team.