We all love to see our dog’s happy grin when we get home from a long day at work, but how often do you actually look at his grin? Like in people, dental hygiene is an important part of your pet’s overall health. Oral problems in animals can be difficult to recognize – most animals continue eating, playing and other normal activities until the problem is severe. Any signs of oral sensitivity, such as decreased interest in chew toys, licking the lips more often, salivating, or decreased appetite may indicate your animal has a severe dental problem. Severely damaged teeth can lead to more serious systemic issues. Food, and the bacteria that it carries, can travel into the tooth root. From there, it has an easy entrance into the bloodstream, which can lead to dangerous amounts of damage to the heart, liver and kidneys.