This is absolutely why dental care and health is so important. Both photos are of the teeth located in the lower right quadrant of a dog. The top photo shows healthy premolar teeth. The tooth roots are solidly attached to the surrounding bone by the periodontal ligaments, there are no cracks to the crown, and there is no lucency at the apex of the teeth. The bottom photo shows severe dental disease. The tooth roots look mottled, there are large apical abscesses, and the bone has completely eroded away leaving the jaw exceptionally fragile. When we ignore dental health, plaque begins to accumulate on the teeth. Plaque is a soft film that is full of millions of bacteria. If left on the teeth, plaque eventually hardens into calculus. Calculus sits on the teeth at the gum line and will cause gingival recession and eventually infection will travel down the tooth root, loosening the periodontal ligaments and causing the tooth to become mobile. Once infection continues down the tooth root, it can cause large abscesses at the base of the root which will cause bone degradation. Animals absolutely require dental care, and regular brushing like we do can prevent issues like this from becoming this bad. Imagine what our teeth would look like if we didn't brush! There are other options if you are unable to brush your pet's teeth like water additives, chews (NOT BONE OR ANTLER), and professional cleanings that will improve your pet's oral health. It is recommended that you get your pet's teeth professionally cleaned under anesthesia to prevent these issues. Non-anesthetic cleanings are not effective and do not improve your pet's oral health. PET ORAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT!!!!
