#TeethCare
Did you know that we have 42 teeth in our mouths?? Those teeth are made up of four different types, with different purposes...
Incisors are the small teeth in the front that are used to tear meat from a bone and for self-grooming.
Canines are the pointy teeth. These four teeth are used to puncture and hold on to something…especially helpful when playing tug-of-war.
Premolars are located behind the canine teeth and are used for shearing.
Molars are the flat, heavy-duty teeth found in the back of the mouth and are used for grinding and chewing.
Having pearly whites isn’t just fashionable, it’s a sign of good health, as well!
Did you know that chewing not only helps stop the buildup of plaque and tarter on our teeth, but it can also help knock off any that has already built up? There are lots of products that promote helping keep your teeth clean, but we prefer to use real food.
We choose to get our real food chews from Farm Hound Treats, (Use PBJPACK20) their products come from small farms committed to raising animals free of hormones, antibiotics, chemicals, and pesticides and humanely raised to support regenerative agriculture! They’re doing it right!!
Using real food as a tooth brush is simple, nutritious and healthy! You can use RAW bones, but they’re kind of messy. We prefer using dehydrated bones and chews. (Please make sure the bones you feed are not cooked! Cooked bones can splinter and cause internal injuries.)
To brush our teeth, we have Chew Sessions. They last 20-30 minutes and happen a few times each week.
Mommy and Daddy will hold the chew for us, to make sure we’re chewing and not gobbling. And, also to make sure we’re using both sides of our mouths, so our teeth are getting equal cleaning time.
Depending on your size, and the chew you choose, determines how long the chew itself will last.
Chicken feet, duck feet, chicken neck and beef esophagus are examples of some easier chews. They will only last for 1-2 chew sessions.
Beef pizzle, beef flexor tendon, turkey feet and hog hide rolls are examples of harder chews. For us they can last many, many chew sessions!
In between chew sessions, Mom wraps the chew in parchment paper and stores them in the freezer.
This photo is of Bruiser’s teeth. The last time he had a professional dental cleaning was two years ago.
This is Jax’s teeth. At 3 years old, he’s never had a dental cleaning.
A year and a half ago, Pebbles had her teeth cleaned when she had to have some teeth removed, due to loosening that comes along with little dogs and old age. But, at 14 years old…her teeth look pretty darn good…if she does say so herself!
We don’t really know what the first many years of Benji’s life were like. But, for the last five he’s been eating real food and real chews. When we adopted him he was already missing quite a few teeth, but he’s held onto all his remaining teeth and has been able to keep them in good shape!
We like to go the extra mile, so in addition to chewing, Mom also brushes our teeth each morning, with a homemade toothpaste and these fun oral swabs and mini spatulas.
Our homemade toothpaste recipe has evolved over time. This is our current mixture. It focuses on being antibacterial and easy to use.
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp baking soda
- 2 drops human/food grade peppermint oil
- 1 drop human/food grade eucalyptus oil
- 10 drops colloidal silver
- 10 drops grapefruit seed extract
- pinch of cinnamon
We may not love having our teeth cleaned, but we love licking the toothpaste!
Brushing our teeth each morning, also gives Mom the excuse to give us a solid lookover to make sure everything continues to look good. She’s obsessed with making sure we stay healthy!