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Veterinarians Answer: Does Chewing Promote Dental Health?

Jana Rade again called upon me and some of my fellow veterinary colleagues for My Dog's Symptoms. This time we veterinarians are lending our perspective on our canine patients' oral cavities (i.e. their mouths). More-specifically, do we feel that that chewing benefits dental health?
I'm a fan of having my canine (and feline) patients chew on veterinary-approved products to help reduce the accumulation of plaque and tartar on teeth. Some of my patients are quite proficient at keeping their teeth clean through the action of chewing.
Although it can help keep dogs' teeth cleaning, chewing can also have detrimental effects depending on the object on which a dog may chew. Such is why chewing should play second fiddle to daily home dental care. Using a toothbrush is my top recommendation. I've also seen a plaque-removing effect thorugh the use of dental wipes for pets that are resistant to brushing (especially if one's nail is used behind the wipe to gently scrape away from the gumline), but the toothbrush more-effectively gets in between teeth.
Read the article here Veterinarians Answer: Does Chewing Promote Dental Health? and share with your fellow pet-loving friends.
Dr. Patrick Mahaney
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Copyright of this article (2018) is owned by Dr. Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and Certified Veterinary Journalist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr. Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr. Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.
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