How To Clean Dog Teeth With Baking Soda | 8 Simple Steps
Are you wondering about your dog’s dental health? Don’t worry; I’m Kawkab, and today I’m going to talk about how to clean dog teeth with baking soda.
Everybody knows that dogs are the most loyal creatures to human beings in the world. Even after a miserable day, they can bring smiles to your face. But what about dogs’ dental health as they cannot take care of their teeth like us.
If you have a pet dog, you should brush your dog’s teeth regularly, especially with baking soda paste, to keep their teeth and gums free from bacteria. Not only does brushing kill bacteria in your dog’s mouth, but it can also keep his/her teeth away from periodontal disease.
If you leave your dog’s teeth uncleaned, your dog’s mouth diseases can spread throughout the body. This is why you should make your dog be used to having his/her teeth brushed. In this article, I’m going to share with you an easy way, consisting of 8 simple steps.
So, let’s get started!
Handy Hint: to read more about dogs, visit our other article about clean dog ears with vinegar and dogs full grown.
How to Brush Your Dog’s Teeth with Baking Soda Paste
If you’re willing to brush your dog’s teeth, you have to be patient and take it positively for your beloved pet. In order to be successful in brushing your dog’s teeth, you have to praise him/her throughout every step.
1. Accumulate the Essential Ingredients and Tools
First of all, you have to collect all the essential tools and ingredients you need to brush your dog’s teeth. The items you’re going to need are–
- Baking Soda
- A Toothbrush
- A Cup of Water
- A Bowl (to mix everything in)
2. Make Baking Soda Paste
To make baking soda paste, you have to use water with the baking soda. All you want to do is make the baking soda paste with a tablespoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of water. If the paste gets thick, add more water (not too much; just make it wet).
Handy Hint: to read more about dogs, visit our other article about clean dog’s paws so rough [here].
3. Hold Your Dog Securely and Lift Lips
If you’re going to brush a smaller dog, gently hold him/her in your lap, facing the head away from you. However, if your dog is larger, have your dog sit on a chair next to you. Comfortably hold his/her shoulder and lift the upper lips to reveal the upper gums and teeth.
Besides, if your dog is tough to handle, feel free to seek help from a friend of yours. The friend can help you hold the dog’s head and lift lips. After that, you can brush your dog’s upper and lower teeth quite comfortably.
4. Make Your Dog Get Used to the Baking Soda Paste
If your dog hasn’t had his/her teeth brushed yet, make him/her get used to the taste of your baking soda paste (because baking soda tastes salty). To do this, finger your dog’s teeth and gums by using a small amount of baking soda paste.
Once your dog has accepted the taste of the paste, put a little paste onto a soft cloth and rub the dog’s teeth and gums with it. Consequently, your dog is thoroughly used to having his/her teeth brushed. While making him/her taste the paste, you have to be more careful.
5. Scrape the Paste onto the Toothbrush
Once your dog has been accustomed to enduring the taste of baking soda paste, you can brush his/her teeth with the toothbrush. Scrape the paste onto the toothbrush as we do, and then let your dog sniff the toothbrush as he/she likes.
6. Brush as Many Teeth and Gums as Your Dog Allows
To brush your dog’s teeth, pull the upper lip up and gently brush the teeth. Make sure you’re brushing the gums as well. For the first few times, try to brush as many teeth as possible. When he/she gets used to brushing, you can brush more teeth and gum areas at a 45-degree angle.
7. Repeat This Process for the Bottom Teeth
By following the same process, brush as many as your dog’s bottom teeth with baking soda paste. To do this, you’ll need to lift his top jaw or make his/her mouth open so that you can brush his/her bottom teeth and gums.
8. Give Your Dog Reward
Once you’ve done brushing your dog’s teeth, give him/her a reward in the form of a treat, for example, chicken, pees, etc. In this way, your dog will be pretty interested in having his/her teeth brushed for the next time.
Exclusive Recommendations
- Brush your dog’s teeth regularly to prevent bacteria. If you do that regularly, you can remove plaque from your dog’s teeth and improve his/her overall dental health.
- Try to brush your dog’s teeth at least 2 to 3 times a week so that your dog doesn’t have bad breath or any other teeth problems.
- When your dog gets used to having his/her teeth brushed, take a break during brushing and brush a few teeth at once.
- Some dogs don’t like toothbrushes in their mouth because they’re big and usually made of plastic. That’s why you should use a child’s toothbrush, which comfortably fits in their mouth.
- If you have a larger dog, you can use an adult toothbrush because you may need to cover more area in his/her mouth.
- Once you’ve done brushing your dog’s teeth, keep in mind that you have to give him/her a reward in the form of treats. Your dog will definitely be interested in having his/her teeth brushed for the next time.
- Don’t use human toothpaste while brushing your dog’s teeth. Some human pastes may contain ingredients, such as fluoride and xylitol, causing a bad tummy ache for your dog.
- Instead of baking soda paste, you can use dog toothpaste. This kind of stuff comes in many flavors, including chicken, pees, and more (something your dog definitely loves). You can find the toothpaste in any local pet store.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Many dog lovers want to learn more about their dogs’ dental care. They’re willing to know whether baking soda is safe or not for their dogs. In this section, I’m going to answer some of the questions people frequently ask me.
1. Is baking soda safe for dogs? /Is it safe to brush dogs teeth with baking soda?
Ans: Baking soda in a large amount can be harmful to your dog. If you brush your dog’s teeth with a paste of less than a teaspoon of water and a tablespoon of baking soda 2 to 3 times a week, I assure you that this won’t harm your dog.
2. What home remedy can I use to clean my dog’s teeth?
Ans: To make a homemade dog toothpaste without baking soda, you can use coconut oil, grapefruit seed extract, or cinnamon to brush your dog’s teeth. Besides, natural dental sprays can be useful to clean your beloved pet’s teeth.
3. Can I brush my dog’s teeth with baking soda and coconut oil?
Ans: You can definitely brush your dog’s teeth with a solution of baking soda (as I already mentioned above) and coconut oil. For that, mix an equal part of baking soda and coconut oil to prepare the paste and then use this to brush your dog’s teeth. You can add a little peppermint oil to the paste so that your dog has fresh, minty breath.
4. Why should I brush my dog’s teeth?
Ans: When your dog is at the age of 2/3, he/she may have periodontitis, an infection of the tissues around his/her teeth. Periodontal disease may cause the loss of teeth. If you want your dog to be free from this disease, you should brush your dog’s teeth at least a couple of times a week.
5. Is it okay to use human toothpaste?
Ans: Brushing dogs’ teeth with human toothpaste is not absolutely all right. These kinds of toothpaste have fluoride and xylitol, safe for humans but highly toxic for dogs. If these kinds of toothpaste don’t have toxic ingredients, they contain higher sodium, which is bad for dogs’ stomachs.
Final Words
Now that you know how to clean dog teeth with baking soda, you should brush your dog’s teeth to prevent harmful diseases. Since a dog’s mouth contains many harmful bacteria, once you’ve done brushing your dog’s teeth, you have to wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
Besides, you have to rinse the toothbrush thoroughly every time you brush your dog’s teeth. If you have multiple dogs, you should keep a different toothbrush for each of your dogs. Replace the toothbrush regularly to prevent harmful bacteria.
