How do animals maintain their dental hygiene?

Krishna: Animals do face dental problems.

However, some other factors also contribute to their clean, sharp teeth

* Most animals don't live long enough to have these problems in the first place.

* Most wild animals eat a raw diet rich in fiber which helps to naturally scrub their teeth while chewing.

Image source: iStock

* The act of chewing on tough foods like meat, bones, and fibre rich vegetation provides a natural cleaning mechanism.

Image source: BBC wildlife magazine

* Some animals, like rodents, have teeth that naturally sharpen against each other due to different wear rates on the tooth surfaces.

Hamsters chew really fast. That's their way of taking care of their incisors that grow continuously (the process is called aradicular). This sharpens their teeth too. In some rodents like guinea pigs, the molars keep on growing too.

* Animals don't eat large amounts of refined sugars like we do.

* They also don't eat soft processed foods like human beings.

* Some animals replace their worn-out teeth [ sharks, rodents (like mice and rats), kangaroos, elephants, and beavers are known to replace their worn-out teeth throughout their lives, with their teeth continuously growing to compensate for wear and tear from their diet or activities; this is called polyphyodonty where they have multiple sets of replacement teeth.

Elephant teeth; Source: Knysna elephant park

* The saliva of canines has a very high pH. This prevents the enamel from demineralizing and they are less likely to get cavities.The slightly alkaline saliva of canines helps prevent cavities by neutralizing acids that damage tooth enamel.

(Human saliva has a pH of 6.5 to 7, while canine saliva is around 7.5 to 8. )

* Other factors that may contribute to the lower incidence of tooth decay in dogs include: Conical tooth shape, wider interdental spacing, diets that include little fermentable carbohydrate, relatively low level of salivary amylase .

Image source: Freepik

* The pellicle layer of the tooth of canines protects enamel from acidic attack. The pellicle contains proteins, fatty acids, and carbohydrates.Some of the pellicle proteins are antibacterial and can prevent bacterial colonization.

Our ancestors too did not brush their teeth in the way we do today, as toothbrushes and toothpaste were not available; however, they did use rudimentary methods to clean their teeth, often by chewing on sticks with frayed ends ("chew sticks") to scrape away food particles and plaque, with evidence of this practice found in ancient dental fossils.

The first documented evidence of tooth cleaning practices comes from ancient Egypt, where people used sticks and leaves to clean their teeth.

Findings from ancient tartar analyses indicate that even cavemen cleaned the spaces between their teeth with plant fibres. However, dental care was not a priority for our earliest ancestors. As the diet during the Stone Age contained hardly any sugar, tooth decay was rare.

But we have lost our way of natural cleaning now and that ‘s why we need to undertake thorough cleaning processes to keep our teeth healthy.