Healthy Dog Gums - A Sign of Good Health
23 Aug 2008
Your dog’s oral health is also an indicator of the general health of your dog. Many diseases in other parts of the body manifest themselves by certain dental or oral symptoms. On the other hand, sometimes dental diseases can cause other more serious problems and can affect vital organs in the body.
Dogs do not generally have cavities like humans. Dental disease mostly affects their gums. Gum diseases like gingivitis are primarily responsible for tooth decay, abscesses and serious dental ailments like periodontitis.
Healthy dog gums are firm. They are just like the dog’s skin - pink, black or spotted. Dog teeth are initially white in color and tend to darken as the dog gets older. Initially 23 rootless baby teeth emerge. These are pushed out when permanent (usually 42 but much depends upon the breed of the dog) teeth start to develop.
It is important to check a puppy’s mouth to see if the permanent teeth are coming out properly. Put your hand over the muzzle and lift up the jaw and see whether there is any crowding of baby teeth. In rare cases, a baby tooth may be retained. This can cause a bad bite, which is abnormal spatial relation of the teeth when the jaws are closed, known as malocclusion. Malocclusion may lead to problems with eating and tooth decay at a later date and needs to be addressed.
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