Do animals need to brush their teeth?

For humans, brushing our teeth is still a must, but understanding and adjusting our diet is just as important in protecting our smiles. And for animals, maintaining a natural habitat and diet is still the key to staying healthy without a toothbrush.

Daily brushing of teeth may be an indispensable part of human life, helping to maintain oral health and prevent related diseases. However, this is not necessary for most animals. The image of a bonobo with a perfect smile makes many people wonder: Why don't animals have to brush their teeth, while we can't help but? To answer this question, dentist Peter Kertesz, who has many years of experience caring for animals' teeth at ZSL London Zoo and many other facilities around the world , shared interesting stories from his work.

Dental care for wild animals

Peter Kertesz is one of the few dentists in the world who specializes in caring for the teeth of animals, from cats, elephants, tigers to dolphins and sloths. His journey to becoming an “animal dentist” began by chance when he received a call asking him to fix a small cat’s tooth. From there, it became a passion. “If I’m going to continue doing this, I want to be better equipped than anyone else in the world,” he says.

Together with dental nurse Monika Mazurkiewicz, Kertesz has provided dental care to hundreds of animals. His patient list includes rare species such as gorillas, dolphins, walruses, pygmy hippos and rhinos. The work requires not only specialized skills but also a deep understanding of each species' habitat and natural habits.

There are some animals that are known to have the ability to 'clean' their teeth, but their technique for doing so is hardly similar to the way we clean our teeth, which is by brushing them with a toothbrush. In addition, the lifespan of many animals is shorter than that of humans. Therefore, dental problems often do not appear in time or are not as severe.

Why don't animals need to brush their teeth?

Kertesz explains that most animals don't suffer from cavities like humans do because of their natural diet. In the wild, animals don't consume refined carbohydrates - the main cause of cavities in humans. Instead, they eat self-cleaning foods, such as grass, raw meat or natural fruits, which keep their teeth healthy.

In captivity, however, the situation can be more complicated. Animals in zoos tend to live longer lives due to better care, but they are also prone to dental problems related to aging and an unnatural diet. A prime example is the rock hyrax, a small desert mammal. They are fed fruit in zoos, which is unnaturally high in sugar, leading to severe tooth decay, infections, and organ damage.

Unlike humans, animals living in the wild do not consume cooked food. Whether they are herbivores or carnivores or both, they eat only raw food and drink nothing but water. For this reason, their teeth are not at risk of being eroded by foods high in refined sugar or flavored drinks.

Dental trauma is the most common problem in wild animals, according to Kertesz, rather than tooth decay. Animals that frequently bite, chew on hard objects, or use their teeth in fights are at risk of breaking or chipping teeth or damaging the oral structure. Large animals such as tigers, elephants, and gorillas in particular often require complex dental interventions to repair these injuries.

The role of natural diet

A key factor in maintaining an animal’s oral health is a diet as close to its natural state as possible. “The mouth is the gateway to the body, and unhealthy teeth can have major consequences for major organs,” Kertesz emphasizes. Understanding the environment and diet appropriate for each animal species is crucial to maintaining their oral health.

In the wild, animals regularly wear down their teeth by chewing rough foods such as bones, bark, or plant fibers, which naturally cleans their teeth. In captivity, however, if their diet is not carefully monitored, animals are prone to serious dental problems.

Herbivores, which are animals that rely on live, high-fiber foods (like cows and buffaloes), need to chew their food for a very long time to make it easier to digest. In the process of chewing these high-fiber foods, they also inadvertently clean their teeth.

Through her work, Kertesz emphasizes the importance of diet in dental health. While humans typically rely on brushing and other dental hygiene measures, animals show that a healthy diet can significantly reduce the risk of tooth decay and other dental problems.

Even though they don’t need daily brushing, animals still need specialized medical care to address dental issues as they arise. And for Kertesz, performing animal surgeries is not only a professional challenge, but also an opportunity to explore and learn more about the diversity of the natural world.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/dong-vat-co-can-danh-rang-khong-172241231071451167.htm