Dental disease affects the majority of adult dogs and causes chronic pain that owners frequently fail to recognize, making preventive care a critical welfare priority.
Chronic dental pain profoundly affects dog welfare and quality of life, yet owners often misinterpret the signs - reluctance to eat hard food, pawing at the mouth, and behavior changes - as aging rather than pain. Dogs instinctively hide dental pain because showing vulnerability is a survival disadvantage. Regular home brushing and annual professional examinations catch disease early when treatment is less invasive and recovery is faster.