How to Brush a Dog’s Teeth

Brushing is one of the most important steps in taking care of your dog’s overall health. To keep your dog’s breath fresh, you should do this every day. Clean teeth also help your dog improve health, stay happy and prolong life. Plaque and tartar don’t just cause bad breath. It also comes with the risk of damaging teeth. More seriously, poor oral hygiene can lead to painful infections, damage to the kidneys, heart, and liver, and threaten your dog’s life. By regularly brushing your dog’s teeth, you’ll help improve your dog’s quality of life.

Table of Contents

Preparing to Brush Your Teeth

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Choose a good toothbrush for dogs. There are a variety of toothbrushes designed for dogs to choose from. This product is readily available at pet supply stores. ^{[1] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Dog toothbrushes have softer bristles than regular brushes and are designed to help you get into hard-to-reach places in your dog’s mouth. ^{[2] X Research Source}
The choice of brush should be based on the size of your dog. A large dog will need a large brush, and conversely, a small brush to accommodate smaller dog mouth sizes.
There are also cage brushes that fit snugly on your fingertips, helping you brush more precisely. However, this type of brush comes with the risk that the dog will accidentally bite your finger when you put it in their mouth.
Do not use an adult toothbrush to brush your dog’s teeth. You can use a small and soft baby grade if needed.
Other tools should only be tried when your dog refuses all regular toothbrushes, including dental sponges and bandages. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Choose a toothpaste for dogs. Just like brushes, there are many good toothpastes for dogs, so absolutely do not use human toothpaste to brush your dog’s teeth. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Human toothpaste contains fluoride and some other ingredients that can be toxic. Humans don’t swallow toothpaste when brushing their teeth, but many dogs do. Swallowing human toothpaste can cause vomiting and risk of kidney damage. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Dog toothpaste comes in a variety of flavors to make brushing more pleasant for your dog.
You can try a variety of flavors to find the one that works best for both you and your dog. ^{[6] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

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Start doing this when your dog is young. The best time to start brushing is when your dog is a puppy. ^{[7] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to the source} You can start when it is about 8 weeks old.

Starting to brush at an early age will help your dog get used to the brush and daily brushing operations. ^{[8] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}
However, early brushing won’t make much of a difference in a dog’s oral hygiene. Because dogs won’t have enough permanent teeth until six to seven months of age.

Brush Your Dog’s Teeth

Make your dog comfortable with your hand in his mouth. When starting to brush your dog’s teeth, brush slowly, slowly so he gets used to your fingers in and around his mouth. Regularly use your fingers to touch the area around the dog’s mouth and muzzle. ^{[10] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

It may take some time for the dog to get used to your hand touching its mouth.

Let the dog lick the toothpaste off your finger. You can start the job by letting your dog lick a small amount of toothpaste on the tip of his finger. This will help you know if he likes this cream or not, and will also help him get used to the taste of the cream and be easier to accept when combined with a brush. ^{[11] X Research Source}

After the dog has tasted the toothpaste, begin to lift his lips and rub your fingers along his teeth and gums. This is also the action when you brush your dog’s teeth with the brush you will use. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Show your dog the brush. Next, show your dog the brush, let him examine it carefully before placing the brush in his mouth.

You can also let the dog lick a little toothpaste on the brush and praise and cheer him for the action. This will make the dog get used to the brush in his mouth. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Start brushing some teeth. Brush or not, start by brushing the teeth that are easiest to reach. Usually the long fangs are easiest to reach. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Gently lift the upper lip, place the toothbrush on the teeth. And slowly brush back and forth.
This will help your dog experience new sensations with the brush on his teeth and gums, and help you check his reaction.
Some dogs will agree to brushing, but if the dog reacts reluctantly or becomes aggressive, beware. It’s best to do this when there are friends or relatives around who can pet and help calm the dog.
You should use a gentle voice to help your dog stay calm during the procedure. If the dog continues to resist or becomes aggressive, give it a break and try again another day. If this reaction persists, consult your veterinarian or dog trainer for advice.
After brushing a few teeth, praise and reward the dog with a treat and end the brushing session. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Brush the outside of the dog’s teeth. After your dog has tasted the toothpaste and been exposed to the brush, it’s time to get to work. Take a small amount of cream on the brush, brush slowly and gently on the easy-to-brush teeth as mentioned above. Then gradually move along the entire outer surface of both the upper and lower teeth. ^{[16] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Gradually increase the number of teeth to be brushed after each session, until all of your dog’s teeth are cleaned. ^{[17] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}
Try to brush along the gum line. This will help you brush clean without trying too hard to open your dog’s mouth. ^{[18] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}
Each brushing session should only last a few minutes. It will take a few times for your dog to get used to this.
During the process, praise your dog in a gentle voice while brushing. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Teeth Cleaning for Uncooperative Dogs

Use a cloth. Brushing with a toothbrush and toothpaste is ideal. But if your dog doesn’t accept brushing, there are other ways you can try. In this case, you should use a soft, thin cloth with toothpaste on it and try cleaning your dog’s teeth.

You can use old socks, an old washcloth, or take a clean piece of gauze and wrap it around your finger. ^{[25] X Research Sources}
Using this method to “brush” helps you rub, distribute the cream evenly on the dog’s teeth and reduce the accumulation of plaque on the teeth.

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Use chew toys to clean teeth. Toys for chewing not only remove plaque and tartar, massage gums but also have the effect of reducing stress, avoiding boredom compared to brushing teeth. ^{[26] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

You can let your dog chew on rawhide, nylon, or rubber toys. It is advisable to consult your veterinarian first to make the correct decision.
Giving your dog chew toys can be a good alternative to daily brushing. But in the long run, it shouldn’t.

Choose foods that help keep your teeth clean. Feeding your dog dry foods instead of canned foods will help slow down the build-up of plaque on teeth. ^{[27] X Research Source}

There are also special foods that help clean dogs’ teeth, but it is not a substitute for brushing.

Advice

You do not need to rinse your dog’s mouth after brushing. Many dog toothpastes contain enzymes that slow plaque build-up, and it works best while it’s still in contact with the surface of the teeth.
If you yell at your dog, he will perceive brushing as reluctant and likely to react negatively. Do everything gently, relax and be comfortable.
Similar to training, you should have a reward or praise for your dog after every successful step. This helps the dog feel positive and increases the spirit of cooperation. The rewards will greatly assist in this dental cleaning work. ^{[30] X Research Source}
Small and short-snouted dogs, such as the Tibetan lion dog (Shih Tzu) and bulldog, are the ones that benefit most from daily brushing. At least once a day, or twice a day is best if possible, because the teeth of these breeds are very tight and the mouth size is small, making it easy and quick for plaque and tartar to build up. ^{[31] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Warning

Failure to take care of oral hygiene can have many negative health consequences for dogs. Good oral hygiene not only promotes health, but also helps your little friend to live longer and have a happier life.
If you feel your dog needs further assistance, contact your veterinarian for advice.
Don’t try to force it if your dog refuses to brush his teeth. If it shows signs of fear or aggressive reactions during cleaning, stop immediately. You may need to consult a behaviorist to deal with this. ^{[32] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Steps

Preparing to Brush Your Teeth

Brush Your Dog’s Teeth

Teeth Cleaning for Uncooperative Dogs

Advice

Warning

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