Periodontal disease is the most common health condition in adult dogs, affecting up to 80% of animals over three years of age. Yet it is largely preventable and causes significant chronic pain when left untreated.
The welfare burden of dental disease in dogs is substantially underestimated because dogs mask pain effectively. Research using owner-reported quality of life assessments before and after dental treatment consistently shows significant improvements in energy, playfulness, and appetite following treatment, suggesting that dogs were experiencing chronic discomfort or pain prior to treatment that was not apparent to their owners. The progressive nature of periodontal disease means that early intervention prevents the tooth loss and jaw bone damage that characterises severe untreated cases. Veterinary dental anaesthesia carries some risk, particularly in older animals, but this risk is generally outweighed by the welfare benefit of treatment. Preventive dental care from the earliest weeks of a dog's life - including handling of the mouth, introduction of tooth brushing, and appropriate dental chews - is far preferable to repeated treatment of advanced disease.