All dogs can be affected by dental issues, but there some breeds that more predisposed to the condition. These include: I have been using a combination of a wash cloth and Dr. Brown's finger toothbrush and it always goes well. My son would even look forward to it as he would grab my finger with the toothbrush to put it in his mouth." Great for cleaning your pets' gums and teeth, helps to reduce plaque and tartar buildup, eliminate pet bad breath.

Many small breed dogs, including Yorkshire Terriers, Dachshunds, and Chihuahuas, are prone to periodontal disease and tooth loss, which makes their dental care even more important. However, you won’t be able to brush their teeth with a giant brush, so look for one specifically made for smaller breeds like this one from Arm & Hammer. As you would expect, the single-head brush is shorter to give you a better grip, and the head is smaller, too, so you can better reach all the nooks and crannies of their mouth where tartar likes to hide. Unlike other options it only comes in one color, so you may need to label it if you have more than one pet. Features soft brush material and allows you to reach hard to clean areas to remove tartar and plaque without the risk of hard bristles hurting your pet. Special features: Some toothbrushes come with a blinking light or vibrations that will shut off once the recommended time of toothbrushing is done. Others come with handles that make them easier for babies to hold, or anti-choking guards that prevent them from going too far into a baby’s mouth. These features may or may not make your life easier, so consider whether you want to pay a premium for them. Toothbrushes may even become contaminated from toilet plume, which might play a role in transmitting infectious diseases.To use, first add a little bit of water to the inside of the brush to create a more secure fit on your finger. The water will help the silicone stretch or shrink depending on the size of the finger you are using. Then apply toothpaste to one side and gently insert into your dog's mouth. With bristles on all sides, the 360 Pet Finger Toothbrush makes it easier and faster to reach more sections of your dog's mouth and their tongue, removing buildup and freshening their breath. For a convenient all-in-one option, Vet's Best Dental Care Finger Wipes for Cats & Dogs fit over a finger and are pre-soaked in pet-safe toothpaste solution. The lightly textured wipes provide gentle scrubbing power to freshen breath and help clear plague. No additional water is needed for use—making the Dental Care Finger Wipes an excellent option for travel—and the toothpaste contains a combination of grapefruit seed extract, green tea extract, spearmint oil, and thyme oil. Both the AAP and AAPD consider fluoride essential to fighting cavities and decay. They recommend using fluoride toothpaste as soon as you can see your child's first tooth. If your family's drinking water does not have added fluoride, you should ask your pediatrician about fluoride supplements. A glove toothbrush is also a finger brush but instead of a silicone tip, it is a coarse fibre. This is much gentler on your dog’s teeth and gums and you’re able to feel where you’re brushing and what kind of pressure you’re using. Maintaining good oral hygiene is not an option as it prevents gum disease, tooth decay, and bad breath. It is even more crucial as one grows older since, with age, one is more prone to oral problems like cavities, tooth sensitivity, and gum recession.

When you adopt a dog, you need some essentials like a good collar, leash, harness, lots and lots of poop bags, and even a toothbrush. Yep—it turns out that just like us humans, pups need regular teeth-brushing to keep plaque, tartar, tooth decay, and other dental diseases, like gingivitis, at bay. In fact, if you don’t brush your dog’s teeth, you put them at risk for bacteria from their mouth, causing infections in other parts of their body, too—like their kidneys and heart. While some older adults can use a standard toothbrush to brush their teeth, it is not often the best choice for most. Typically, a standard toothbrush requires one to use their strength while brushing their teeth. A recent study 3 revealed that individuals are likely to brush their teeth harder when using a standard toothbrush than they would with an electrical one. Made of liquid food-grade Silica gel materials,Safety and environmental protection, Flexible, tear-resistant, good ventilation. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that caregivers brush children's teeth twice a day for two minutes at a time. But estimating time isn’t always easy. Fortunately, Firefly won't let you forget: Squeeze the bottom of the brush and a soft light turns on and flashes for one minute: first yellow, then red when the timer is nearing completion. When it turns off, your child knows they should have finished brushing half their mouth; turn the light on once more to time the other half.Like finger toothbrushes, glove-type brushes are ideal for small dogs and for dogs who hate having their teeth brushed. Summary Trying to use a large brush in a small breed’s mouth is going to cause more damage while brushing your giant breed’s teeth with a small brush isn’t going to be very effective at all. The Length Matters Too https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/oral-health-topics/toothbrushes Similar to a regular brush, double-ended models simply feature a brush head at each end, and are usually slightly longer in overall length. The point of these brushes is usually that the heads come in differing large and small sizes. This means you can effectively use the large end to brush your pup’s larger teeth properly and then use the small end to clean smaller teeth without damaging their gums. 360-Degree Heads If you’re looking for a dual-ended toothbrush for your pup, look no further than this option from Vetoquinol. Equipped with a large brush head on one end and a smaller head on the other, both are on an angle, making brushing easier. However, they are larger than other options, so even the smaller size can be too big for dogs or cats with particularly small mouths. Ergonomically designed, it also has an extra-long handle that makes it easy to reach even the hardest corners of your dog’s mouth. Available only in a bright green color, you will have to label these if you plan on buying for multiple pets.

Good dental and oral hygiene are vital, especially as one grows older. There are different special toothbrushes for the elderly, and all are available in a range of colors and unique features. Plaque will start to accumulate 12 hours after a scale and polish or brushing, therefore it is no surprise that cats and dogs will benefit from having their teeth brushed. Design: Bright and bold or soft pastels, the specific color isn’t important. What matters is that what you choose is fun and engaging to your child. Similarly, there are a lot of toothbrushes on the market designed with familiar characters to make brushing more fun. Two heads are always better than one, even when it comes to brushing teeth. They usually have a small head one end of the brush and a larger one on the other side and lets you switch between molars and incisors like an award-winning baton-twirler. Double-Headed Toothbrushes: U-shaped toothbrushes are also known as auto-brush or mouthpiece toothbrushes and are a variation on the electric toothbrush. They are designed to clean your teeth at once and in a shorter period, so they are pretty effective and get the job done much faster than a manual toothbrush.

BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. Paper towel. Wrap a textured paper towel that has been dampened over your finger. Place toothpaste on the paper towel and use the same steps as those used for finger brushing. Of course, you should also always take into account how damaged the brush has become by chewing or biting from a boisterous pup. Ideally, you should replace a brush every time it becomes damaged to avoid risks of pieces breaking off into your pup’s mouth or scratching them.

It is recommended to startcleaningyourchild'smouth even before his or herteeth come in. Wipe the gums off after each feeding with a warm, wet washcloth or a dampened piece of gauze wrapped around your finger. You can also buy thimble-like, soft rubbery devices like this Dent-O-Care finger toothbrush (they fit over your index finger) to use for rubbing off excess food. I started with the banana toothbrush then worked my way to an actual toothbrush with toothpaste. At first we just played/rubbed her teeth with the banana one then put tooth paste on it then upgraded once she got comfortable. Now she loves it and opens her mouth as she sees it."The wipes are suitable for daily maintenance, and for best results Vet's Bet recommends keeping food and water away from your dog 30 minutes before and after application.