Dental exams, depending on age, are usually done every 6 to 12 months. Younger dogs typically don't need dental cleanings yet, but the teeth should be evaluated for the need for a dental usually at least once a year.

Through routine evaluation by your veterinarian, they will evaluate the mouth and see if there's development of tartar or calculus on the teeth, redness to the gums, sometimes the teeth become mobile and loose, sometimes they can be broken. These are all things that lead us to believe that we probably need to get our dog's teeth cleaned.

There are some chew items out there. However, we focus predominantly on brushing and periodic dental cleanings through the veterinarian.

Cats don't get true cavities or caries, as they're called in the human world, but they do get some lesions called odontoclastic resorptive lesions. This is a unique issue that predominantly happens with cats, which act very much like cavities where the actual tooth enamel and the dentin becomes resorbed. They can become very fragile and be painful for the cat.

Yes, chew items, like greenies, are good to help remove the tartar, but brushing the teeth provides a more abrasive action, removing some of that biofilm and the bacteria that form on the teeth.

Human toothpaste is not recommended for cats. Typically, they don't like mint flavorings, so we use specific toothpaste for cats that usually come in more palatable flavorings, like tuna.

One of the things is, early in life, trying to get cats accustomed to touching their mouth and lifting their lip up. Those are some things that can be helpful. If that acclimation to teeth brushing has not been done prior, you can always try to give them a treat or something afterwards, making it a rewarding procedure.

The best thing to do is to brush the cat's teeth as often as you can. Every day is ideal, but as often as you can is certainly a good goal to achieve.