Firstly let me tell you that not all animals have good, clean and healthy teeth without brushing. Still there are so many animals who maintain their teeth healthy without brushing them. So we all have one question in our mind how these animals keep their teeth clean without brushing ?
Lets start with studying why humans have to brush daily to protect their teeth with dental issues like cavity, tooth decay, tooth sensitivity, tooth erosion, tooth aches, etc. Because humans mostly eat carbohydrate and sugar in their food so their mouth will start to smell if you do not clean it regularly. They should take the trash waste out every night, clean their mouth out at least once per day. Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums and the first stage of gum disease) is caused by the plaque build-up around our teeth, leading to swollen gums and teeth that bleed when we brush them. Plaque is an accumulation of food and bacteria which appears in everyone’s mouth. Now lets discuss why animals do not face such problems without brushing their teeth.
Why animals doesn't need to brush their teeth :
1} TYPE OF DIET :
Unlike human animals do not eat cooked food, they only eat raw food. First of all lets talk about herbivorous animal, they eat raw grass, vegetables and fruits which are highly rich in fiber, calcium, folic acid and lots of important vitamins and minerals that keep their teeth and gums healthy. About 20 minutes after you eat something that has sugars or starches which are highly present in cook food or in food items like cookies, cakes, etc your saliva begins to reduce the effects of the acids and enzymes attacking your teeth. Saliva contains traces of calcium and phosphate. So it also restores minerals to areas of teeth that have lost them from the bacterial acids.
Now if we talk about carnivorous then they eat raw flesh, bones and all. They tear at it, fight over it, and when the good parts (organs and muscle meat) are finished, they "polish off" the bones. Due to chewing and tearing they release large amount of saliva which increase ph level and kill the bacteria.
2} Short Lifespan :
Every living being on the earth have their specific lifespan. Humans have lifespan of 80 years. Comparatively animals have short lifespan, you can refer above image where lifespan of different animals are given. As all the animals except some like shark has shorter lifespan so these animals do not live long enough to suffer from any dental problem. And if you are confused about some exception cases like shark, then don't worry I will clear your confusion after some time through this blog.
3} Specific dental structure :
Some animals are gifted with unique dental structure which will protect their teeth from getting damage. I have mentioned some of them who maintain their dental hygiene with the help of their specific dental structure.
- DOLPHIN :
Just like trees, dolphin’s teeth have rings inside them that tell how old they are. Their teeth are permanent, but they don’t use them for chewing—dolphins swallow their food whole because they have no muscle in their jaws. So their are very less chances of dental problems to dolphin even they have life span of more than 50 years.
- GIRAFFE :
Just like humans, giraffes have 32 teeth, but most of them are positioned in the back of their mouths. They use their lips and 20-foot long tongues to grab leaves and twigs and grind them up with their back teeth.
- SHARK :
The tooth is the only part in the human body that can’t repair itself. With the exception of our baby teeth, a lost permanent tooth is unable to be replaced naturally. Sharks are luckier than us. If one of their teeth falls out, another spins forward from their rows and rows of backup teeth. In fact, a shark may grow and use over 20,000 teeth in its lifetime. Sharks use their teeth to grab, hold and rip prey. Once a shark has grabbed its prey, the shark swallows its food whole. So even they have the life span of 270 years they have clean and healthy teeth.
- BLUE WHALE :
Baleen whales do not have teeth. Baleen whales have two blowholes, and they tend to be larger than toothed whales. Instead of teeth, whales in this group have special baleen plates with bristles that serve their dental needs. The bristles resemble teeth on a comb. For this reason, these whales usually hunt for small animals that they can swallow easily.
4} Unique ways to maintain dental hygiene :
Some animals have their unique and natural ways to maintain their teeth clean and healthy. So let me share you some of this animals with their specific dental facts.
- RABBIT AND SQUIRREL :
Rabbit teeth are aradicular hypsodont teeth. This means that they grow continuously throughout the lifetime of the animal. Because rabbit teeth grow continually, problems can arise if tooth length is not kept to normal levels. For this reason, rabbits have a diet full of foods high in fiber. Fiber helps wear away at their teeth and maintain them at a healthy length.
- WILD CATS :
This includes tigers, lions, and members of the wild cat family. The saliva of such animals has a very high pH. This prevents the enamel from demineralizing and they are less likely to get cavities. Also such animals eat bones which polish their teeth due to as they generally crunch bones of animals while eating them.
- ELEPHANT :
They have two special incisors (tusks) that they take care of by brushing them while chiseling the bark off trees and digging holes. These incisors keep growing. Moreover they prefer and mostly use one tusk more than the other so that when one wears down, they still have another one left. The molars of the elephant keep getting replaced till 40 years of age. The last set can last for 20 years.
- CROCODILE :
Unlike people, crocodiles do not clean their teeth to slow down wear and tear. Instead, they get rid of them and replace them with new copies. When food stuck in the mouth of the crocodile can cause infection, and the plover bird's picking cleans the crocodile's teeth. Therefore, when a crocodile needs its mouth cleaned, it will open it and wait for the plover bird's help.
Some animals need to brush their teeth :
Domestic animals like cat, dog, cow, horse should brush their teeth as people sometimes feed them cooked food or some other food materials like bread, biscuit, etc which are not good for teeth so you should brush their teeth.
So many times you may notice horse or cows with damaged teeth in fact they have splits in them which is caused due to not taking proper care of them. Another important point you should not their are special dental clinic with special dental doctors for animals. If they are facing any dental issue you should get them to dental clinic which are specially designed for animals.
Another important point is I had mentioned above that domestic animals need to brush their teeth, which doesn't mean wild animals does not require dental check ups. They too sometimes suffer with dental issues and therefore the animals in sanctuaries or zoos also had dental check ups which is done by animal specialist dental doctors.
Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.
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