Dog lovers can testify that dog is indeed a man's best friend. Without fail, a healthy dog wags its tail and practically smiles at the sight of its owner walking through the door. How can you show your pet how precious they are to you?  Well, one way is to take care of your pet's smile. Did you know that what your dog eats can affect their oral health?

As Humans, we need to brush and floss our teeth regularly to keep them clean and bright, and must also take action to healthily maintain our tongue and gums.  Research has recently discovered a correlation between good oral hygiene in humans lowering the risk of heart disease.  If good oral health can have such a profound impact on people, then it only makes sense to consider the benefits it can have for man's best friend.

Similar to the way we maintain our oral health, it is important to brush your dog's teeth regularly in order to keep plaque and tartar from building up. If you don't have time, even using a damp cloth to wipe his gums and teeth clean is better than nothing.  
A dog's diet also plays a vital role in his oral health. Some questions you may pose to yourself as a caring owner may be: Do I typically feed my dog dry or canned dog food?  What kind of toys and treats do I provide for my pet?  All of these things can be factors in whether or not your dog will experience trouble with its dental health.

When you take the time to review your dog's diet and ensure that it contains essential vitamins, nutrients, and enzymes, not only will it's general health benefit but it's oral health will increase as well.  Taking that into consideration, feeding your dog dry dog food instead of a moist canned food is better for your dog.  Hard food which usually contains tiny kibbles' have a hard surface which rubs against the teeth to help remove and reduce plaque.  It is important that the food is actually hard and crunchy when the dog eats it as this is the very property that enables it to clean the dog's teeth. Even if you are tempted to add a little water or gravy to the mixture to add flavor, you would be defeating the purpose and effectiveness of hard and dry dog food.

Doggie treats that you commonly give your pet which are part of your dog's diet can be compared to snacks in a human's diet.  As humans, we are prone to disregard our snacking habits as a major factor in our diet, so it can be just as easy to disregard the importance of scrutinizing the treats we give our dogs. It is a good idea to carefully consider any and all food products you allow your dog to eat.

Do you occasionally treat your dog to bones, rawhides, jerky treats, or dog biscuits?  Maybe your pooch prefers corn starch chews or greenies.  You may not have realized it, but tossing poochie a rawhide chew is similar to throwing him a chocolate bar.  The rawhide chew, for example, contains calories that may add up between meals.

Although many of the common treats and snacks you supplement your dog's diet with may turn out to be empty wasted calories, some choices of treats, on the other hand, provide a great opportunity to improve your pet's oral health.  Rawhides, greenies, hard dog biscuits, and bones all help to reduce the accumulation of tartar.  The softer variety of snacks, such as beef and pork jerky treats, do not provide much protection against the buildup of plaque.  Perhaps just as important, at least from a social standpoint, the healthy treat, on occasion, will also prevent your dog from having bad breath.

A dog's diet must be healthy as well in order to maintain excellent oral health.  Dry dog food is best whenever possible.  Be mindful when selecting the best treats for your dog and be certain that your choice will enhance its diet.  Making a conscious effort to monitor your dog's diet will absolutely improve your four-legged best friend's oral health.