Puppy teeth fall out to make room for adult molars. However, with almost 90% of animals being affected by periodontal disease, its never too early to begin a dental regimen that will keep your puppy's teeth healthy well into adulthood.
Periodic Dental Exams
Before you take your puppy for his first dental exam, get your dog prepared for the process at home. Comforting tones will make the exam easier, so remember to soothe and reward your dog for a job well done.
Help your puppy get used to his head being touched simply by touching him. Be firm but loving, and move your puppy's head, while placing a hand on the top and bottom of the snout. Lift his lips with your fingers.
Once your puppy is used to this handling, open the mouth by squeezing the corners of the mouth with one hand, eventually adding the second in order to hold the mouth open.
Regular Teeth Brushing
For general tooth care, get your puppy used to the tooth brushing process. Pet owners should begin brushing puppy teeth between eight and sixteen weeks of age.
Depending on the size of your puppy, you should vary the size of your brush. Large puppies can use normal dog brushes, whereas younger puppies and smaller breeds should be brushed with pieces of gauze. The gauze can easily get into the small spaces in your animal's mouth.
Always remember to give your puppy a treat afterwards, in order to associate the teeth cleaning process with something good.
Keeping Teeth Free of Plaque Build up
There are a couple of ways to prevent the build up of plaque on puppy teeth. One way, that requires minimal effort, is to feed your dog dry food, which will scrape away plaque when the puppy eats his meals. Buy a healthy dry dog food with high quality ingredients.If you want to feed your dog wet food, you can mix a little dry food in with it.
You can also use dry dog treats or biscuits, and giving your puppy hard rubber chew toys that won't break apart can also help keep his teeth and gums clean.