Yes, I do, I really do.  
At least 80 percent of my patients have dental disease.  
That is a lot.  
And that includes patients who are coming in for “well visits and vaccinations”.  
That does not include patients who have a little tartar or dental staining.  Those 80 percent have disease! That disease could range from stage one periodontitis (or gingivitis) all the way to stage four periodontal disease where many teeth have lost 75 percent of their boney attachments and are surrounded by food, hair and pus.
Treating periodontal disease in pets is expensive because of the need for anesthesia.  Unfortunately, however, there is no choice.  Once there is periodontal disease, teeth need treatment to avoid pain in the mouth and secondary infections elsewhere in the body.  People always like to argue with me about this, but I like to point out that, if it was his or her toenails that were red and infected, you’d notice it every day, smell it, and come to me to get it treated. Just because periodontal disease is hidden in the mouth does not mean it is not an uncomfortable condition for your pet.  
And, periodontal disease hurts.
You may think that it does not because you friend eats normally, however, careful examination of the mouth often reveals that the pet avoids chewing around the affected teeth, using the other side of the mouth or simply swallowing food whole.  Remember that a pet will eat even if his mouth hurts.  If he  or she doesn’t eat, then they have a painful mouth and are hungry.  Pets will generally try to curb the hunger no matter the pain in the mouth.
So, how do we prevent this common disease?  
Start by brushing your pet’s teeth when they are very young, and, do it every day.  Plaque bacteria colonize a clean tooth in 24-36 hours, so brushing once a week is futile or only when they go to the groomer is futile.
Start slowly and use patience and positive reinforcement to condition you pet to allow this brushing process.  Place a small amount of veterinary toothpaste on your finger and let your pet sniff and lick it.  If he or she likes the toothpaste, use it.  If your dog isn’t interested in the toothpaste, brush the teeth without it.  Do not use human toothpaste because:
• pets hate mint
• fluoride should not be swallowed
• can make a pet vomit
• does not contain important enzymes to help break up plaque.  
Concentrate on the outer surfaces of the teeth.  Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the tooth surface, with the bristles pointing toward the gum line. This allows you to get just under the gum line while you are cleaning the surface of the tooth. Work the brush in a circular motion.  Try for 15 seconds on each side.  If things aren’t going well, wait a few hours before trying again.  After brushing, take your pet for a walk, play ball or even give him or her dinner.  This will help them understand that something good happens after he or she gets their teeth brushed. They will begin to look forward to this activity.
If you didn’t train your pet to enjoy teeth brushing when he or she was little, you may not be able to overcome the attempts to get away or even bite you.  In those cases we recommend other ways to reduce tartar build-up.  Dental specific diets can help.  Hill’s Science Diet, Purina Veterinary Diets and Friskies Petcare each make a food with enhanced textural characteristics to mechanically clean the teeth.  The Iams Company makes Iams Dental Defense and Eukanuba Adult Maintenance Diet for Dogs.  These foods have a polyphosphate coating that binds and chelates minerals in the saliva to make them unavailable for calculus development.    Royal Canin Dental DD diet combines the above properties.
Dental chew treats are very popular and, although not as effective as brushing, they are a lot easier to use. I like the Enzadent Chews by C.E.T, but there are many similar products out there. Look for the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal of approval to be sure a product has been proven to do what it claims. Avoid products that are harder than the tooth surface as they can cause fracture of the enamel.  These include some nylon bones, cow hooves and real bones.
OraVet is a more recent option for preventing periodontitis. This product is applied just after a professional dental cleaning and the owner reapplies the product once a week with a small spongy applicator.
Oral rinses and gels are oral disinfectants that kill the bacteria that can cause periodontal disease and bad breath. I like to use these in conjunction with brushing in animals that have significant gingivitis, however they can be used alone in pets that have mild disease.
There is also a vaccination available for pets who may have a genetic or conformational predisposition to periodontitis.  The jury is still out on whether this vaccine should gain wide spread use. Some veterinary dentists emphasize that you still have to maintain a high level of oral care in these predisposed pets, so why not just teach good home care.  Others swear by the results of the vaccination.  
I’ll keep you up to date as the product spends more time on the market.
In the meantime – brush!  Nothing beats it.

 Dr. Katherine A. Saenger, DVM, owns Bees Ferry Veterinary Hospital and Boarding Kennel (www.beesferry.com) and is a former board member of the Charleston Animal Society (formerly John Ancrum SPCA.) If you have questions about pet behavior or health, or suggestions for column topics, e-mail her at vetsaenger@bellsouth.net, and watch the column in coming weeks for her responses. See more columns at www.moultrienews.com.