A Crucial Link: How Plaque And Tartar Affect Overall Health In Dogs

January 10, 2024
Photo: A King Charles Spaniel smiles as he has good oral health.

When we think of our furry friends' health, we often consider their diet, exercise, and suggestions our vets make to keep them at their best. Not often enough do we think of dog oral health and wellness, though. The connection between your dog's oral hygiene and overall health is important, influencing everything from their digestive system to their mood! Keeping plaque and tartar away in dogs is way more important than most people know!

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The Oral-Gut Microbiome Connection: A Dog’s Dental Health Matters

The mouth is more than just a gateway for food; it’s a complex little ecosystem teeming with bacteria, known as their oral microbiome. Just like in humans, a dog’s oral health significantly impacts its gut microbiome, which plays a crucial role in their overall health. A balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria is essential.

Poor oral hygiene, characterized by plaque and tartar buildup, can lead to an imbalance. This can cause gum disease, affecting the mouth and introducing harmful bacteria into the bloodstream, potentially impacting the gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome is crucial for nutrient absorption, immune function, and even mental health.

Plaque and Tartar: More Than Just Dental Disease Concerns

When plaque, a sticky film of food particles and bacteria, builds up and hardens into tartar, it doesn’t just cause bad breath and unsightly teeth. It can lead to periodontal disease, a significant health issue in dogs. This condition can cause pain, tooth loss, and infections.

More alarmingly, the bacteria from periodontal disease can enter the bloodstream, affecting vital organs like the heart and kidneys. Scientific studies have shown a link between oral bacteria and systemic diseases in dogs, echoing similar findings in human dentistry.

Prevention Against Periodontal Disease and Care: What Can You Do?

A vet and an aide check the mouth and teeth of a corgi
As a dog parent, your role in maintaining your dog’s oral health is the most important. You’re the one with opposable thumbs, after all! Regular teeth cleanings are important. Regular veterinary check-ups are also important. A veterinarian can often spot early signs of dental issues and provide guidance on specific care for your dog. Remember, early detection and prevention are key to avoiding more severe health problems. Additionally, providing your dog with dental chews and a healthy diet can reduce plaque and tartar buildup.

The thing about dental chews is that they’re not all created equally. Yes, most of them work the same way our Charming Chompers do–we utilize physics and allow science to help scratch away at plaque and tartar with every bite.

But have you ever paid attention to the ingredients in popular dog chews on the market? We have. When we started looking for the best chew for our own dogs, Bernie and Lady, the ingredients were the first things we began reading.

We weren’t thrilled. If you’re going to be putting a chew in your dog’s diet to help your dog’s dental health, then it should be one that definitely dissolves (to prevent blockages) and one that is full of things that help from the inside out. That’s why we chose the ingredients we did for Bernie’s Charming Chompers.

An Inside-Out Approach to Dental Chews for Dogs

We wanted to look past cleaner teeth and fresher breath, though those were important. After talking with experts in the field, we knew an ideal dental chew should be part of a holistic approach to health, which means it should support your dog’s well-being from the inside out. That’s what we wanted for our dogs, and what we strive for with yours.

We included clean and premium ingredients we knew would help our dogs’ oral and gut microbiomes. Fiber aids digestion and regularity, prebiotics serve as food for beneficial gut bacteria, and postbiotics are by-products of probiotic bacteria that can benefit health.

Bernie’s Charming Chompers: For Our Dogs And Yours Too

A beautiful light brown and white pitbull smiles happily in a field
At Bernie’s Best, we understand that true oral health starts with the gut. That’s why our dental chews are crafted to clean your dog’s teeth and freshen their breath, and nurture their well-being from the inside out.

Formulated for optimal digestive health, we infused Charming Chompers with a blend of fiber, prebiotics, and postbiotics, each chosen for their efficacy in promoting a healthy digestive system. These ingredients work together to maintain a balance of beneficial gut flora, ensuring your dog’s digestion is as healthy as their smile.

We believe in the power of natural nutrition. That’s why our chews are based on wholesome foods like sweet potato, real turkey, pumpkin, yogurt, and blueberries. This nutritious base supports not just dental health, but overall vitality. This is what contributes to a happier, more energetic, and healthier life for your dog, and science backs us up in this belief.

Anybody can make a dental chew for dogs, but ours do more than keep teeth clean; they’re a part of our dogs’ overall health regime and we hope they’ll be part of your dog’s too. The gut-boosting ingredients in our chews contribute to a healthy digestive system, which is pivotal for not only maintaining oral health, but also supporting your dog’s immunity, managing allergies, and enhancing their mood and energy levels.

When you give your dog Charming Chompers, you’re not just selecting a dog dental product; you’re investing in your dog’s overall health and happiness. It’s our promise to you and your four-legged family member: to deliver a product that cares for their teeth and their entire wellbeing, one chew at a time.

About the Author

Lori Mullins Ennis has been part of the pet product industry for over a decade, researching and writing about all things fabulous for dogs. A pet advocate and proud foster (fail) parent, she lives in Texas with her husband, her teenage son, and their three four-legged chaos coordinators—Lilly, Lucy, and Louis (aka Baby Beast). She's passionate about natural and holistic pet care, and she’s always on the hunt for the best ways to keep her pups happy, healthy. Always fighting the dog hair battle in her house, she's 100% okay with it being a favorite fashion accessory!

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