How to Clean Your Dog’s Teeth Without Brushing
Look, I totally understand. It’s difficult remembering to brush you and your children’s teeth daily–much less your dog’s teeth. With that said, oral hygiene is just as important for your dog as your family, so try these dog teeth cleaning tips that take less than one minute per day.
Wipe Your Dog’s Teeth
Wiping your dog’s teeth every day does a pretty good job at removing tartar buildup and it only takes 60 seconds. In our home, we wipe our dogs’ teeth daily and follow up with weekly teeth cleanings to remove any buildup between the teeth. It does take slightly longer to wipe my Rottweiler’s teeth. It takes a minute and a half because he’s huge, and there’s way more tooth surface to wipe than on my smaller dog.
How to Wipe Dog Teeth
Here’s how I wipe my dogs’ teeth daily. Please note I rotate between using paper towels and DentAcetic wipes (dog-specific tooth wipes), depending on how much time I have that day:
- Using a dry paper towel sheet, wrap it around your index finger and wipe each tooth sideways, moving front to back of each tooth. Don’t forget to wipe the gum line also, as tartar loves to grow up there.
- As you’re wiping a tooth sideways, move the paper towel downwards to deposit any tartar into the paper towel. This also ensures you’re not spreading tartar from tooth to tooth, but removing it.
- Before moving to another tooth, move a clean section of the paper towel onto your finger and wipe the next tooth.
- Wipe, swipe downwards and slip a clean paper towel over your finger until all teeth have been wiped.
Usually, it takes a whole paper towel sheet for my Rottie and half a sheet for my smaller dog (she’s 28 pounds). Don’t forget to recycle the paper towels. While you can use a thin washcloth to wipe your dog’s teeth, it might be a bit too thick and soft to really get in between each tooth.
If your dog is not comfortable having his mouth touched, check out tips on teaching your dog to say “ah.”
Add Safe Tooth Dissolving Solution to Your Dog’s Water
Adding a plaque-dissolving solution to your dog’s daily water can seem a bit scary at first. I felt the exact same way until a veterinary dentist recommended Dog::ESSENTIAL healthy mouth water additive after Stella’s (Miniature Bull Terrier) tooth capping procedure. This natural solution uses papain, which is a papaya enzyme that acts as a tooth cleaner, yet is mild enough for sensitive tummies. The ingredients are mostly plant-based with a sprinkle of added vitamins. I’m super picky, so I tried this product at a lower dissolution for the first several weeks. I was worried. I have to admit, my dogs’ teeth looked amazing and accumulated plaque was easy to wipe off after using the solution. Check out their videos on weekly teeth wipe results. This product makes our dog’s dental health much easier to manage.
Offer Daily Chews
Chewing removes tartar, so provide your dog with plenty of chew toys. Now, some long-lasting dog chews are made of hard plastic that will damage your dog’s teeth and gums, which is counterproductive to keeping your dog’s teeth healthy. By far, my favorite dog chews are bully sticks, Greenies and raw bones.
Why Wipe Daily? Is It Necessary?
Wiping your dog’s teeth daily prevents tartar from building up over time, and we all know built-up tartar must be scraped off. Plus, handling your dog’s mouth daily ensures positive learning experiences, which makes dog teeth cleaning easier. Additionally, wiping and cleaning your dog’s teeth daily keeps $150-$250 in your pocket because it prevents annual or bi-annual veterinary dentals.
Incorporate tooth wiping into your daily schedule. After your dog’s dinner, grab a paper towel or tooth wiping pad, and wipe his teeth clean. Voila, pearly white dog teeth and money in your pocket. Cha-ching!