How to check your dog's teeth at home in two minutes

Nobody looks inside their dog's mouth unless they have a reason to, and by the time there is a reason, the change has usually been building for months. A weekly two-minute check fixes that. It is the single habit I would ask every dog owner to add, because it turns 'I think something is wrong' into 'this tooth looked different last Tuesday'.

Before you start

Choose a calm moment after a walk, sit on the floor at your dog's level, and have a treat ready. If your dog has never had its mouth handled, spend a few days simply stroking the muzzle and lifting the lip for a second before you try a proper look. You never need to open the mouth; everything you need to see is on the outside of the teeth.

Step 1: the front teeth

Lift the top lip at the front. You are looking at the small incisors and the four long canines. Normal is white to cream teeth with a smooth, pink gum line that sits snugly against each tooth. Note anything that does not match its neighbour: a chip, a worn or flattened tip, a tooth that looks darker, or a gum edge that is red rather than pink.

Step 2: the back teeth, one side at a time

Slide your finger back along the cheek and lift the lip at the side so you can see the premolars and the big upper molar. This is where plaque collects first and where tartar, a brown or yellow crust along the gum line, shows up earliest. Look at where the tooth meets the gum. A thin line of red, a swollen edge, or a crust you can see from across the room are all worth noting. Repeat on the other side.

Step 3: feel

Run a fingertip along the outer surfaces of the teeth on each side. Clean teeth feel smooth; plaque feels slightly furry, and tartar feels rough or gritty. Press gently along the gum line and watch your dog's face: a flinch at one spot is information.

Step 4: smell

Your dog's breath should be unremarkable. A smell that is there every week, or that has changed since last time, is the earliest sign most owners get. Our article on bad breath in dogs explains what the smell usually comes from.

Step 5: watch for a week

Between checks, notice how your dog eats. Dropping kibble, chewing on one side, going off hard food, pawing at the mouth or rubbing the face on the carpet are all things a dog does instead of telling you a tooth hurts.

What normal looks like

• Teeth white to cream, smooth to the touch, each one similar to its neighbour.
• Gums pink, with a smooth edge that sits tight against the tooth.
• No smell to speak of, no drooling, no flinching when you touch the gum line.
• A small amount of soft plaque on the back teeth that brushing deals with.

Changes that mean a vet should look

• A red, swollen or bleeding gum line, or gums that have pulled back from a tooth.
• A brown or yellow crust on the teeth that does not brush off.
• A chipped, cracked, loose, worn-flat or darkened tooth.
• A lump on the gum, a swelling of the face or under the eye, or a bad smell every week.
• Any sign of pain: flinching, drooling, dropping food, chewing on one side.

Home brushing is for keeping a healthy mouth clean. It cannot shift tartar that has set, and Petdentist® products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. If anything on the list above applies, book your vet, and start the daily routine on a clean mouth afterwards.

Make the check part of the routine

Do it on the same day each week, straight before the daily brush. Lift, look, feel, smell, treat. With Petsmile toothpaste on a soft brush already in your hand, the check and the brush together take under three minutes, and you will know your dog's mouth better than most owners ever do.

Questions people ask

My dog will not let me look. What now?

Go slower. A second of lifting the lip, then a treat, every day for a week, is usually enough. If your dog reacts strongly to any touch around the mouth, that itself is a reason to see your vet.

How much plaque is normal?

A little soft, furry-feeling film on the back teeth between brushes is normal and is exactly what daily brushing deals with. A hard crust is tartar and needs your vet.

Should I check a puppy's mouth too?

Yes, from eight weeks or so. Puppies lose their baby teeth between about four and six months, and a weekly look helps you spot a baby tooth that has not fallen out when the adult one arrives, which your vet will want to know about.

Read next: Caring for your dog's teeth at home, Signs your dog's mouth needs a vet visit, Puppy teeth: when they fall out and how to start brushing.

About the author. Dr Deepak Songra BDS (GDC 68552) is a dental surgeon with more than 35 years in clinical practice and the founder of Petdentist®. He is not a vet. He lives with Merlo, the Cavapoo you will see across this site.

This article is general information about daily care, not veterinary advice. Petdentist® products are non-medicinal daily-care products for dogs and cats and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are worried about your pet, please see your vet. Petdentist® is the trading name of Pet Dentist L.L.C-FZ, Meydan Grandstand, 6th Floor, Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, UAE. UK orders are dispatched from Northampton.