Oral disease affects the majority of pets by age three, yet preventive care and home maintenance remain underutilized despite their significant welfare impact.
Dental disease is one of the most common causes of chronic unrecognized pain in companion animals. Because animals hide pain as a survival mechanism, dental disease often progresses silently for years. Owners frequently misinterpret behavioral changes associated with oral pain — reduced appetite, preference for softer food, reluctance to play with toys — as normal aging rather than treatable disease. Professional cleaning under anesthesia addresses existing disease, while home care prevents recurrence. The welfare argument is straightforward: preventing or treating dental disease eliminates a major source of chronic suffering that would otherwise persist unaddressed throughout an animal's life.