Pet dental care is one of the fastest developing segments in the animal industry. A pet’s general health begins with his mouth. The mouth, teeth, jaw and gums all play a vital role in ingesting, chewing and swallowing food. Therefore, the condition of the pet’s mouth has a considerable impact regarding its general health. Proper dental care is a necessary part of daily hygiene for pets as well as humans.
Science: Tartar is the hard mineral deposit that is visible on the outer sides of the back teeth of older pets. The “calcified” material is actually chipped off during a dental cleaning. It tends to be greenish in color and will harbour bacteria and promote inflammation, especially at the junction with the gums. This combination of events often leads to periodontal disease.
Plaque is an invisible amalgam of materials, not the least of which is bacteria, and when associated with dental etching, eventually predisposes to tartar development. So, even when your pet’s teeth look fine, ongoing dental care of some nature is in order. This is especially the case if your pet has bad breath. Halitosis is a common occurrence with bacteria degradation of food particles and can be an early warning sign. There is probably no substitute for a good tooth brush or finger cot, particularly when combined with a specialty toothpaste. The individual animal and the owner’s capabilities play a large part in the dental health of your pet.
New solutions: Nutrience offers a special dental hygiene concept named Dm3, found in the Supreme dog and cat dry foods. Dm3 offers your pet three actions necessary to help clean his teeth and freshen breath:
MECHANICAL ACTION
The effects achieved by chewing kibbles helps reduce tartar from the pet’s teeth. Kibbles are specially formulated and extruded to create a brush like effect to help remove tartar through gentle abrasion.
BREATH FRESHENER
Adding ingredients such as parsley and mint leaves naturally help freshen breath.
ENZYMATIC REACTION
Nutrience has added green tea to certain formulas to help remove and prevent the formation of dental plaque.
The formations of plaque can lead to dental cavity, gingival inflammation, and periodontal disease and eventually tooth loss. Plaque is a mixture of bacteria, epithelial cells, leukocytes, macrophages and other oral exudates.
Bacteria produce glucans from sucrose and other foods found in the oral cavity. These glucans, adhere to the tooth enamels as hard plaque. It also generates production of lactic acid, therefore dissolving tooth enamel. That, in brief, is the mechanism of cavity production. To help prevent cavities it is necessary to keep plaque off the teeth. Green tea can suppress the process by which cariogenic bacteria create glucans and may also destroy those bacteria.
It has long been known that fluorine can strengthen teeth and help prevent cavities. Green tea contains natural fluorine and is thought to help with the prevention of cavities. Green tea can also kill other oral bacteria responsible for bad breath.
