Why don't animals have to brush their teeth but still have teeth which last their lifetime?

Question

Never saw a elephant bushing his teeth, still his teeth last his whole life which is almost equal to ours.

If problem is unnatural food then if I just eat raw vegetables then there is no need to brush my teeth ever :-).

Answer 1

The answer to this varies from species to species.

For all, losing their teeth DEFINES their life time.
That is, they are not able to eat enough to stay
alive, so they die. Humans are the only ones that
can prosthetically get around this.

We occasionally help other species (such as
dogs) survive longer than they naturally would
by providing a diet that doesn't have to be
chewed.

The only exceptions to this are those that can grow
teeth indefinitely (e.g. sharks).

Losing your teeth in the wild is a big deal. It
is almost always fatal. They can all suffer from tooth
decay, gum disease, you name it.

Of course, different species suffer from differing
amounts of these things. Some food stuffs
naturally clean the mouth better than others, etc.
I believe there are even helpful creatures that
live in other's mouths to clean the teeth (they
are therefore not parasites but symbiants).
Of course, we all know about the hindering
parasites of the bacteria that destroy teeth.

However, any animal which has teeth,
particularly the mammals, ranks starving
due to the inability to consume, digest or
excrete food as very high on the list
of reasons why things die of old age.

Answer 2

You are right on about the natural foods and vegetables, but have you ever smelled an elephants breath? I suggest you continue brushing your teeth 3 times a day. Good question though.

Answer 3

Think how old humans would live if your life was a rough as a wild animal's. We would only live to about our 30s. But because of good hygene, good diet, our extensive knowledge of medicine we are able to extend our average life span many years longer than it normally would.

Answer 4

Because they don't eat stuff like we do... no hamburgers or candies to give em cavities or plaque... Actually, Animals should have dental maintenance too, but they don't. Dogs and Cats are recommended to have dental work, especially if the owner feeds em' table scraps.

Answer 5

that's a good question!
but they stick to one diet and do not eat chocolate and drink fizzy soda like us humans!
eating and drinking things like that is really bad for the teeth!

Answer 6

I think it mostly has to do with diet. We eat a lot of un-natural junk.

Answer 7

Because animals don't eat candy and drink soda like we do....

Answer 8

We eat alot more sugar

Answer 9

Because-er-um-uh-well, I guess I don't know.

Maybe because they are made up of ivory?

Answer 10

i don't exactly know but i think that they 'll have strong teeth