Healthy Mouth Products

As my clients, you likely know how passionate I am about my patient’s oral care.

Periodontal disease, a painful condition caused by bacteria, is by far the most common disease we see as small animal veterinarians. It is reported that >75% of dogs and cats 3 years and older have periodontal disease. While this number is mind boggling, when pondered, it is understandable given the following:

1. People (should) brush their teeth twice daily, floss daily and have regular preventative cleaning by the hygienist and exams by the dentist every 6 months. Note, and many of you have heard me say this, it is not recommended to pick just one of the above, but rather do all three!
2. While we know that brushing is best as it removes the invisible biofilm called plaque from the teeth, some dog and most cats, make this task difficult. Not to mention the time it takes, especially in a multi-pet household (I have 2 dogs and 3 cats; all over 3 years old). When calcium from the saliva mixes with the plaque, it hardens and turns into tartar (yellow to brown thick substance). Plaque is the enemy. Tartar is what we see. I encourage you to brush your pets’ teeth daily.
3. So if a 3 year old dog or cat has not had any daily oral care for 3 years, it is not surprising to hear the statistic. We all have heard that 1 year of a human’s life is equivalent to 7 years in our pet’s. So, if a 21 year old young adult presented to the dentist having never or occasionally brushed his/her teeth, there would likely be periodontal disease present!

As a pet owner, like you, there are times where there are just not enough hours in a given day (father, husband, veterinarian, business owner, etc.). Keeping our pets’ mouths happy and healthy is a team effort that requires daily home care and periodic professional dental cleanings. Even with this, just like with people, oral problems can still arise.

The American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) recommends to begin professional dental/periodontal cleanings under general anesthesia with intraoral x-rays beginning at 1 year of age in dogs <20 pounds and at 2 years of age in dogs >20 pounds and cats.

I attended the AVDC’s Veterinary Dental Forum in Boston in November 2011 for continuing education. It was here that I learned more about Healthy Mouth Products.

For the benefit of my patients, I have incorporated Healthy Mouth Essentials into my practice. We carry the following products:

I have begun integrating the Dog Water Additive into my home – both dogs and cats. The products are the same, just flavored differently. Dogs can drink the cat product and visa versa.

I encourage you, on behalf of your beloved pet(s), to review the Healthy Mouth attachments. There are MANY “dental” products on the market. The vast majority of them have ZERO scientific studies to back up their claims. Look for the VOHC Seal. There are effective dental products that have been around prior to the VOHC, but the products awarded the seal is a good place to start.

HealthyMouth, LLC Beats All

In 2008 dog::ESSENTIAL healthymouth water additive became the first product of its type in the world to receive VOHC acceptance for helping to control plaque. In April of 2011, this same Seal of Acceptance was awarded to cat::ESSENTIAL healthymouth water additive and to the dog and cat topical gels, making a total of four VOHC Seal of Acceptance.

At the Awards Ceremony of the 2011 Veterinary Dental Forum on November 10th, HealthyMouth LLC made history again when it was awarded three more VOHC Seals of Acceptance for helping to control plaque. The new seals are for products not yet currently in full production but that will be soon. They include a topical spray for dogs and another for cats as well as a revolutionary new product; healthymouth & mobility?

HealthyMouth LLC now holds seven VOHC seals for helping to control plaque. No other company in the world has this many seals of acceptance and no other water additive, topical gel or topical spray in the world has this prestigious designation. So when you are looking for home plaque control products, you need look no further than healthymouth.

Visit www.vohc.org to learn more about what it means to have a VOHC Seal of Acceptance.

healthymouth & mobility

Karen’s motivation for developing her plaque-control product lines was to provide safe and effective daily home plaque control for her beloved shih tzu, Ping Pong. She could find no suitable products on the market, so she created one. Ping Pong is now 14 years young and bright as a pin. But like many of us, her mobility was beginning to falter. So Karen got busy again and the result is healthymouth & mobility. It contains all of the same plaque-control ingredients as the other healthymouth products but has some extra ingredients to support joint health, flexibility and mobility.

Boswellic acid comes from the resin of the boswellia genus of trees and has been known for its antiinflammatory and anti-arthritic effects for millennia frankincense is from boswellia). Tumeric is from the ginger family and is the source of the active ingredient, curcumin, Its use in Ayurvedic medicine (for over 2500 years) has been validated by Western medicine for reducing inflammation. The VOHC trial of hm&m indicated that the addition of the mobility ingredients have no negative effect on the anti-plaque activity (78% reduction compared to control). A separate eight-week study on mobility showed significant improvement over all nine variable graded compared to placebo control. hm&m provides improved flexibility and range of motion improving quality of life at all life stages.

November 20, 2011

Fraser Hale, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC; used with permission

Product Comparison

Fraser Hale, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC; copyright 2011; used with permission

With a daily home care program with Health Mouth Essential Water Additive, brushing as often as possible, VOHC Dental Products and professional dental cleanings, together we can keep our pets’ mouths healthy as they all deserve to be free of infection and pain!

VOHC authorizes the use of the VOHC Registered Seal on products intended to help retard plaque and tartar on the teeth of animals.

Products designed to be chewed by animals may occasionally cause intestinal problems or injury if not appropriate for the animal, if not used as intended by the manufacturer, or as the result of some other cause. VOHC is not liable to any person for any loss or injury of any type that occurs from the use of a product sold under its Registered Seal.

When VOHC authorizes use of its Registered Seal, VOHC makes no certification, representation or warranty as to safety and certifies only that, upon application for the right to use the Registered Seal, the product met VOHC’s Standards for effectiveness in retarding plaque and tartar when used as directed. VOHC makes no other certification, and no representation or warranty of any sort, in connection with any product sold under its Registered Seal.

VOHC is not a regulatory agency. Submission of results of clinical trials to VOHC on behalf of a product is voluntary. If the data submitted demonstrate the required dental efficacy, the VOHC Seal of Acceptance is awarded to the product. As part of the submission, VOHC requires assurance by the company that a product awarded the VOHC Seal is safe and meets all applicable regulatory requirements, and requires the company to inform VOHC of any problems with the product following issuance of the VOHC Seal. VOHC will take action if FDA or other appropriate regulatory authority finds fault with a class of products or a specific product that is included in the VOHC Accepted list.

VOHC recommends that all of the products on its VOHC Accepted list are used as recommended by the manufacturer and that treat products are given when the pet can be observed by the owner. Almost all dogs and cats enjoy the chewing action and taste of palatable treats, and typically spend a few minutes chewing the product rather than bolting it down whole or in large pieces. If your pet does not chew the product thoroughly, discontinue use of the treat. (http://www.vohc.org/)