Dental
health is very important for your cat. It is recommended
that you brush their teeth a few times a week, if not daily.
There are special toothbrushes and toothpaste sold in pet
stores - never use human toothpaste. There are also
cat food brands and treats that boast their efforts in
keeping your cat's teeth healthy. Your local pet
store may also carry other products to clean your cat's
teeth, such as tablets that can be given to your cat as
a treat or liquid mixed in with their water.
Your cat's gums should always be nice and pink, and should
never bleed. If you notice redness, swelling, or bleeding,
contact your veterinarian. Your cat's breath also should
never smell - of course it will smell of their food, but
if they have very foul breath something is wrong. Even
though your cat will eat normally and may not show pain,
it doesn't mean he's not hurting. By nature cats hide
their weakness so that they always appear strong.
Four
stages of periodontal disease can happen in your cat's
mouth without dental care:
•Red, inflamed gums (gingivitis)
•Redness, swelling (edema) and bleeding
(severe gingivitis).Toxin-releasing bacteria accompanied by malodor (halitosis).
•Bone loss and damage to soft-tissue support
of tooth is present (periodontitis), grayish pus oozes from under the gumline.
•Severe bone loss - tooth becomes loose
and may be lost or require extraction.
|
This
list was taken from Say "Aaaaah," Cat Fancy, February 2003. |
The Result of Poor Dental Care
Here
are pictures of the worst stage (severe bone loss) - these
teeth were taken from one of our cat's mouth shortly after
we adopted him. He had horrible smelling breath so we scheduled
a cleaning with our vet; however, when he was cleaning
them, most fell out because they were so badly decayed. He
extracted others...and now our cat only has three teeth
left in his mouth. He was only four years old when this
happened - tooth decay can happen quickly in cats, their
teeth are just like ours.
|
 |
A close-up shot of one of the teeth can
show you how badly they were damaged. Most likely this
was caused by never brushing and by feeding poor quality
food to the cat. |
A
yearly cleaning should also be scheduled with your veterinarian.
A lot of owners will laugh at this, thinking that dental
care for their pets is just merely for cosmetic purposes. However,
60% of problems with cats' teeth occur below the gumline
and sometimes can not be detected by a regular check-up. These
dental visits are performed under anesthesia, which allows
your veterinarian to take care of x-rays, extractions,
and surgery (if needed) along with a regular cleaning,
which includes a thorough cleaning above and below the
gum line along with a polishing (allows inflamed gums to
reattach to teeth). This is followed by an antiseptic
rinse to remove debris and bacteria, and a fluoride treatment
strengthens tooth enamel. Each tooth is checked with a
periodontal probe to look for gingival pockets. If
these pockets are found, either periodontal surgery or
application of a perioceutic (a long-acting antibiotic
gel injected into the pockets) will be performed. The
vet will also take x-rays, which can detect problems in
the jawbone or tooth roots - if these problems are found,
extraction may be necessary. Endodontics (root canal)
or "surgical placement of a synthetic bioactive ceramic
to stimulate regeneration of bone and periodontal ligament
can now help save teeth once considered hopeless." (Reference: Say
"Aaaaah," Cat Fancy, February 2003)
February
is dental health month for cats. Use this as a reminder
to schedule a professional cleaning with your vet.
How
to Brush
Brushing
your cat's teeth should start when he is a kitten to get
him used to it. You really should put aside a few minutes
every morning or night (whenever it works into your schedule)
to brush your cat's teeth. It takes only a few minutes
and can keep your cat from experiencing any pain.
 |
To
brush your cat's teeth, I recommend holding him up
on a kitchen counter facing away from you, his body
held up against your stomach (he should be sitting
on all fours and you should be able to wrap your arm
around him to control him). You can buy a regular
toothbrush for your cat, which looks like a toddler's
toothbrush, or a finger brush (pictured at left) which
will slip on over your forefinger. I found the
finger brush to be easier to use while you're holding
a cat that doesn't really want their teeth brushed. |
With
the hand that you have wrapped around your cat, lift up
one side of his upper lip. In a circular motion,
brush he teeth and along his gums. Repeat on the
other side, the front top, and all along the bottom. You
only need to clean the outer surface of the teeth because
cats do not form tartar next to their tongue or palate. Start
out slowly - maybe the first time you do it, you can only
get one side done. You want to restrain your cat
as little as possible to avoid turning "toothbrush
time" into a negative experience. Follow with
treats and lots of praise.
You
can buy toothpaste at the pet store also, but I recommend
the meat flavored pastes from C.E.T.
Dental. You can get their products from your
veterinarian or you can order them online - Petsnmore has
very good prices, as well as a large selection of their
products. C.E.T. Dental also offers dental rinses
and gels, along with chews for your cat. Experiment
with all of them and see what works for your cat.
Dental Health Doesn't Just Affect Your Cat's Teeth
Your cat's dental health can affect the rest of their body as well. Infection
in their mouth can quickly spread to the rest of their organs. Just a few months
after the teeth pictured above were removed from the mouth of one of our new
cats, he got very sick. He was weak and could barely walk, had diarrhea and was
throwing up. We took him in and he had jaundice (yellowing of the whites of his
eyes, gums, and skin) and we found he had pancreatitis. The vet had no doubt
in his mind that this was caused by the infection in his mouth since it was so
severe. Our cat was treated and luckily he is now completely healthy - but I
wouldn't want to take that chance again. |
