Dental disease is nearly universal in older dogs and causes chronic pain that significantly impairs quality of life, making regular dental care one of the most important senior welfare interventions.
Senior dogs with advanced dental disease live with chronic oral pain that impairs their quality of life in ways their owners frequently do not appreciate because the signs are subtle. The observation that dogs continue eating despite severe dental disease is often misinterpreted as evidence that dental disease is not painful, when in fact it demonstrates the remarkable capacity of dogs to suppress pain responses. Post-dental-treatment behavioural changes in senior dogs are often dramatic and reveal how much chronic pain had suppressed normal activity and engagement. Regular dental assessment and prompt professional treatment of established disease is one of the highest-impact welfare interventions available to senior dog owners.