Dental disease is the most common health problem in dogs, affecting over 80% of dogs over three years of age, but routine prevention and early veterinary detection can dramatically reduce suffering.
Dental disease causes chronic pain that dogs mask through behavioural adaptation rather than obvious distress signals. A dog with significant periodontal disease continues to eat, play and greet its owner — but at a lower level of comfort and quality of life than a dog with a healthy mouth. The masking of oral pain means that owner-initiated prevention and vet-initiated detection are the only reliable pathways to addressing dental disease. The preventive investment of daily brushing established in puppyhood, combined with annual professional assessment, prevents the progressive suffering of untreated periodontal disease across a dog lifetime of 10-15 years.