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Emma Clarke: Ever wonder why animals don't get cavities even though they never brush? 🦷 A few favourit…

Emma Clarke
Emma Clarke in Ask the Crowd
· #animalteeth

Ever wonder why animals don't get cavities even though they never brush? 🦷 A few favourites from the original thread: • Their diets are low in sugar and processed foods, so plaque doesn't build up as fast. • Many animals also have different saliva chemistry and shorter lifespans, giving decay less time to develop. What's yours? Tell us in the comments 👇

#animalteeth

📎 via r/AskReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1xfyyok/if_animals_never_brush_their_teeth_why_dont_they/

Ever wonder why animals don't get cavities even though they never brush? 🦷

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  • Priya Nair
    Priya Nair

    It's not just about sugar though — a lot of it comes down to the specific bacteria in their mouths. Some animals just don't carry the strains that cause cavities. Humans can actually have different bacteria too, which is why some people seem to get away with eating sweets and never get a cavity while others brush all the time and still get them. Also, the shape of teeth matters a lot. Like, cats barely have those flat chewing surfaces where food gets stuck, so cavities are super rare in them. Dogs have a few teeth like that, and vets do see cavities in dogs that get a lot of fruit, especially sticky stuff like bananas. So it's a mix of diet, bacteria, and tooth anatomy.

  • Marcus Hill
    Marcus Hill

    I guess the real answer is that a lot of them do get dental problems, they just don't live long enough for us to see it happen. Plus their diet is way less sugary than ours. Imagine if we only ate meat and plants from the wild — our teeth would probably be fine too.

  • Maya Reyes
    Maya Reyes

    My beagle would totally get cavities if she could — she's obsessed with stealing fruit from the counter. But I guess most wild animals don't have access to that kind of sugar. They also don't eat the processed sticky stuff we do that just sits on your teeth. Nature kind of has its own mouthwash built in.

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