Signs of dental disease in dogs: the UK vet checklist

Dental disease is the most common clinical condition diagnosed in adult UK dogs — the BVA, BSAVA, and most first-opinion practices put the prevalence at over 80% in dogs over the age of three. The catch is that dogs hide dental pain remarkably well. Most owners only spot dental disease once it's visible, by which point it's usually well advanced.

This guide is the UK vet checklist for the early signs — the things you can see, smell, and notice at home before your dog needs a referral and a £600 dental. Plus what each sign actually means clinically, and when it crosses from "book a routine appointment" to "ring today".

The 12-sign UK vet checklist

Walk through this with your dog once a month. Any one of these is worth a vet appointment; three or more, ring this week.

1. Bad breath (halitosis)

The single most common early sign and the one most often dismissed as “just dog breath”. Healthy dog breath isn't pleasant but it isn't actively foul either. Notably bad, sweet-rotting, or rapidly worsening breath is bacterial overgrowth from periodontal disease.

2. Visible tartar

Yellow-brown crusty deposits on the teeth, especially the upper carnassials (the big back teeth) and upper canines. Once you can see tartar, you cannot remove it at home — only an ultrasonic scaler under anaesthesia can.

3. Red, swollen, or bleeding gums (gingivitis)

Lift your dog's lip. The gum line should be pink and firm. Red, puffy, or visibly swollen gums (especially right where they meet the tooth) signal gingivitis — the early, reversible stage of periodontal disease. Treat now and it goes away. Leave it and it progresses to bone loss.

4. Receding gum line

If you can see noticeably more of the tooth than you used to — particularly above the gum line on the upper canines — that's gum recession from periodontal disease. Indicates loss of the soft tissue that holds the tooth in place.

5. Reluctance to chew, dropping food, or chewing on one side

Dogs in dental pain often eat more slowly, drop kibble, or favour one side of the mouth. Watch a meal. Subtle changes from your dog's normal eating pattern are clinically meaningful.

6. Pawing at the mouth, face rubbing

Self-comforting behaviour for oral discomfort. Often dismissed as a quirk; usually isn't.

7. Visible broken, fractured, or discoloured teeth

A purple, grey, or pink tooth indicates pulp death — the nerve has died inside the tooth. The tooth needs extraction or root canal. Common in dogs who chew on antlers, hard nylon toys, or ice cubes.

8. Loose teeth

Adult dog teeth shouldn't move at all. Any wobble means significant bone loss around the root. The tooth is coming out one way or another — better to have a vet remove it cleanly than to leave it as an active infection source.

9. Facial swelling, particularly under the eye

Swelling on one side of the face, especially below the eye, is the textbook presentation of a tooth-root abscess on the upper carnassial. Ring the practice the same day — this is a rupture-and-drainage situation, not a wait-and-see one.

10. Excessive drooling, especially if blood-tinged

Some breeds drool by default (St Bernards, Mastiffs). What matters is a change from your dog's baseline. Sudden onset of drooling, particularly with blood or pus, points to oral disease.

11. Reluctance to play with chew toys they previously loved

If your dog used to crunch their Nylabone with enthusiasm and now won't go near it, dental pain is the most likely explanation.

12. Behavioural change — quieter, less keen on petting around the head

Chronic dental pain shifts dog personality. Dogs become quieter, more avoidant of head/face contact, less interested in food they used to love. Often dismissed as “getting old” when actually it's pain.

The four stages of periodontal disease (UK vet grading)

UK vets typically grade dental disease on a 0–4 scale during dental procedures. Knowing the stages helps you read what's going on at home:

• Grade 0 — Healthy. Pink firm gums, no tartar, no recession.
• Grade 1 — Gingivitis. Red gum line, possibly mild bleeding, no bone loss yet. Reversible with treatment.
• Grade 2 — Early periodontitis. Up to 25% bone loss around the tooth root. Pocket depth increasing. Treatable but not fully reversible.
• Grade 3 — Moderate periodontitis. 25–50% bone loss. Tooth becoming unstable. Often requires extraction.
• Grade 4 — Advanced periodontitis. Over 50% bone loss. Tooth often loose. Extraction is the kindness here.

The clinical reason brushing matters: it stops Grade 1 progressing to Grade 2. Once you're at Grade 3+, you're talking extraction.

Breed risk in the UK

Some breeds the UK vet system flags as elevated dental risk:

• Brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds — Pugs, French Bulldogs, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels — crowded jaws trap food and plaque.
• Toy and small breeds — Yorkshire Terriers, Chihuahuas, Maltese, Dachshunds — same crowding issue, plus tooth size proportional to jaw is unfavourable.
• Greyhounds and other sighthounds — notoriously prone to severe periodontal disease, often genetically.

If you have one of these breeds, start the dental routine early and book a routine vet check by age 3.

What you can do at home

Daily brushing is the single most effective home intervention — see our home brushing guide. Supplement with VOHC-approved dental chews. For dogs already showing dental disease, brushing alone is no longer enough — book a vet appointment first to address what's there, then start the routine to keep it from coming back.

For wider context on dental procedures and cost, see what a UK dog dental clean actually involves and why it costs £400+.

How daily nutritional support fits in

Inflammatory load in the gums responds to nutritional baseline as well as mechanical cleaning. Super Everyday is Superwild's vet-developed daily powder, designed to support the seven pillars of canine wellness across the lifespan. It is not a treatment for dental disease but supports the underlying nutritional foundation.

Frequently asked questions

What are the early signs of dental disease in dogs?

The earliest signs UK vets see are bad breath (halitosis), visible tartar build-up on the upper carnassials and canines, red or bleeding gums, and slight reluctance to chew or favouring one side of the mouth. None of these are dramatic, which is why owners often miss them. Lift your dog's lip and look once a month.

Do dogs show pain when they have dental disease?

Most don't, in obvious ways. Dogs are evolved to hide pain, particularly mouth pain. Behavioural change — quieter than usual, less keen on head petting, slower at meals, dropping food, less interest in chew toys — is often the only outward sign of significant dental pain.

What does a dog tooth abscess look like?

The classic UK presentation of a tooth-root abscess is a swelling on one side of the face, particularly below the eye on an upper carnassial root. The dog may also be off food, drooling, or pawing at the face. This is a same-day vet call — tooth-root abscesses don't resolve without treatment and can rupture into the sinus or skin.

Is bad breath in dogs always a sign of dental disease?

Almost always, yes. Healthy dog breath isn't pleasant but it isn't foul either. Notably bad, rotten, or rapidly worsening breath is bacterial overgrowth from periodontal disease. Other rare causes (kidney disease, oral tumours) need to be excluded but dental disease accounts for the vast majority of cases UK vets see.

What's the difference between gingivitis and periodontitis?

Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums only — reversible with treatment and home care. Periodontitis is when that inflammation has progressed to involve the bone around the tooth roots, causing irreversible bone loss. Once you're past gingivitis, you can slow the disease but not reverse it.

Last updated April 2026. This guide is intended for general information and does not replace advice from a UK-registered MRCVS veterinarian.