4 Things You Should Know About Dog Toothbrushes
If not cleaned, dog teeth can develop problems such as tooth decay, gum disease, the buildup of plaque and bad breath. Eventually, you may have to endure bad breath or end up at the vet’s to have the teeth removed.
To prevent this, you brush your dog’s teeth every day. That means you need to get a dog toothbrush because you should not use just any toothbrush. And yes, there is a toothbrush for dogs.
To help you out, here are four things you should know about dog toothbrushes. These will guide you to get the right one for your pet.
- Have Soft Bristles
Dog toothbrushes have soft and gentle bristles to prevent damage to the gums when cleaning. However, they are strong enough to remove debris in between the teeth.
In comparison to a human’s toothbrush, a dog toothbrush should have softer bristles than the baby’s toothbrush. That’s why it is not advisable to use a human toothbrush since it has stiffer bristles that can damage the mouth and gums of your dog.
- Made Using Pet-Safe Materials
The best dog toothbrushes have bristles made using materials that are pet-safe, food-grade, and FDA approved.
The handles are also made using safe and durable materials that don’t break easily. Can you imagine a handle breaking when you are cleaning your pet’s teeth? The consequences can be fatal.
Pet safe and durable materials ensure that the dog will not be exposed to harmful elements when its teeth are being cleaned.
- Have a Special Angle
You will find that dog toothbrushes have angled heads to help reach all teeth and clean the back surfaces. This way, you can reach and remove stubborn tartar and plaque easily in-between teeth and on the farthest teeth.
The neck is also at an angle so as to reach the back of the teeth. It also allows easy cleaning of the canine teeth, since they have different shapes and are longer than those of humans.
- Long handle
Dog toothbrushes have a long handle. This way, you can reach far into the dog’s mouth and reach all of the dog’s teeth up to the farthest end of the mouth when cleaning. The long handle conveniently cleans the dog’s teeth without your hand getting into the dog’s mouth.
Some brushes have textured handles, even if it is on one side, to give a proper grip when cleaning the dog’s teeth.
Also, it comes in different sizes. Your small dog will need a smaller toothbrush while you will need a larger one for your bulldog. So you will find dog toothbrushes of different sizes and shapes.
Some types of dog’s toothbrushes are dual, with a larger head on one side and a smaller head on the other. You can choose the end to use depending on the size of your dog.
It would be best if you did not use a human toothbrush on your dog because the bristles are stiffer and can injure the gums of your pet. Also, it has a larger head angle which means it can’t clean the dog’s back teeth effectively.