Dental disease is among the most common and most undertreated welfare problems in companion animals. Veterinary dental care significantly improves quality of life but remains financially and practically inaccessible for many animals.
Dental pain is one of the most common forms of chronic suffering in companion animals, yet it is largely invisible because animals cannot report pain and dental examinations require anesthesia. The welfare impact is enormous: animals live with chronic pain that diminishes their quality of life while their owners are unaware. Making dental care a routine part of veterinary wellness programs, combined with home dental care education, would prevent enormous amounts of preventable suffering.