Dental disease affects the majority of dogs over three years old and causes chronic pain. Regular dental care prevents significant suffering that is routinely underestimated by owners and sometimes vets.
Dental disease is the hidden welfare epidemic of companion animal medicine. The vast majority of dogs over three years have significant periodontal disease causing chronic pain, yet because dogs rarely stop eating or show overt pain signs, owners assume their dog's teeth are fine. The pain of advanced periodontitis — inflamed gums, exposed roots, tooth resorption, jaw bone loss — is substantial and continuous. Dogs cannot communicate tooth pain in ways that owners recognise, making regular veterinary dental examination essential. The welfare transformation when dental disease is treated — dogs that were previously quiet and withdrawn become more playful and engaged — reveals the chronic suffering that preceded treatment. Prevention through daily brushing started in puppyhood is by far the most welfare-positive approach.