Humans do teeth grinding but have you ever noticed your dog’s teeth grinding or bruxism? This action can be a sign of several things. But why do dogs grind their teeth? It can be due to reasons like dental problems, pain, stress, and many more. However, whatever the reason behind it, it is important to stop dogs from teeth-grinding to prevent them from painful gums and teeth, tooth infection, pulp exposure, fractures, etc. Read the article till last so you can know what should you know.
Why do dogs grind their teeth?
Stress or anxiety
Sometimes your pup shows teeth-grinding due to medical conditions while it can also be due to non-medical conditions like stress or anxiety. An accredited behaviorist can estimate your puppy’s particular condition. Determine possible stressors and evolve a behavioral mitigation scheme to diminish their discomfort.
Gastrointestinal issues
Problems in the intestine, stomach, and throat can cause your dog to grind their teeth. If you think this is the reason for teeth grinding, consult your vet. Your vet will give you several advices on how to manage the situation if he considers gastrointestinal problems the reason behind your dog’s teeth grinding. This can be a surgical or a simple medical suggestion, depending on intrinsic reason and what is ideal for your pooch.
Pain
A natural response to pain in pooches is teeth grinding. Whether it is oral pain, abdominal pain, or something else, pain is the ordinary reason why dogs grind their teeth. If you consider that pain is the reason behind puppy teeth grinding then get your pooch a vet visit. The vet will determine the cause and suggest a treatment on that basis.
Dental issues
The misalignment of teeth and any other dental disease like periodontal disease can be a cause of dog teeth grinding. Make a vet visit so he can suggest whether a professional dental cleaning, surgery, or any other cure is needed. He might recommend the decayed tooth removal and a professional cleaning for the rest.
Are teeth grinding harmful for dogs?
YES! Teeth grinding can lead your dog to painful gums and teeth, tooth infection, pulp exposure, fractures, etc. So you have to visit your vet for an early cure.
Discourage your dog for teeth grinding
The pet owners with time and patience can prevent the dog from teeth grinding by ignoring it to discourage the act. Unfortunately, some dogs have this action by birth because of their jaw and facial structure, so it won’t work out in this case.
Use positive rewards to discourage teeth grinding. Give your pup a treat for staying calm and behaving soothe.
What to do for dog teeth grinding?
Even if the pup’s teeth grinding is mild, do not ignore it and call your vet for a visit so he can analyze the underlying problems. He might suggest some tests to determine overall and especially oral health. These tests will help the vet to find the actual reason behind teeth grinding and to ensure the safest cure for pain management, sedation, anesthesia, and many more.
These tests might lead your dog to professional dental cleaning or oral examinations to find the damage extent. Your pup will be under anesthesia for a deep and thorough dental checkup. Dental X-rays may also be performed.
If the vet finds no health concern behind teeth grinding then the actual reason might be stress and anxiety. So vet will suggest some tips like environmental and behavioral modifications and some medications to treat it.
Make sure to have regular checkups for dogs to find any problem at an early stage so the cure can be easy.
You might also like to read, why do dogs chatter their teeth?
Conclusion
Dogs don’t need to grind their teeth always because of dental problems, sometimes it can be due to stress or reason just like us. Though mild grinding is not a problem, still you should not ignore this. Try to discourage teeth grinding. But if grinding is frequent, it can lead to tooth decay so call your vet.
