Imagine if you never brushed your teeth or had them cleaned. Pretty scary, right? As you can guess, things would eventually start to go very, very bad inside your mouth: teeth would decay, gums would become inflamed and infected. Bacteria from those rotting teeth would eventually travel into your bloodstream and could cause other serious health problems. And we haven’t even mentioned the daily, debilitating pain.

It’s the same scenario for your dog or cat. In fact, if your pet is over three, chances are they have some symptoms of periodontal disease. Your pet’s veterinarian can show you how to brush your pet’s teeth, and this video can get you started.