CAT DENTAL CARE
Establishing proper dental care for your cat at a young age is critical for its long-term health and happiness. Most cats suffer from dental disease. According to professionals, only roughly 10% of cats will live their entire lives without encountering some kind of dental problem. However, because cats are experts at hiding symptoms, it can be challenging for owners to identify even little signs of discomfort or suffering in their pets.
Maintaining a proper dental routine for your pet at a young age is crucial for his or her future health and happiness. Not only does it protect against ailments such as gingivitis, but it also improves your cat’s overall quality of life.
WHY IS CAT DENTAL CARE IMPORTANT?
In the wild, cats would clean their teeth by chewing on bones or grass, but domestic cats frequently lack a suitable substitute. Furthermore, animals are unable to express themselves vocally to us when they are in pain or ill. This highlights the importance of developing preventative rather than reactive health routines for your cats, particularly for their oral health. Eight out of 10 cats over the age of three develop tooth and gum problems. This is because cats’ teeth tend to accumulate bacteria, debris, and plaque from the food they
eat. This bacterial coating hardens into tartar over time, irritating their gums and eventually leading to gingivitis and tooth loss. In severe situations, the tartar scale can become irreparable, and cats frequently require tooth extraction to relieve pain.
A cat may find it difficult to eat or drink if its mouth is painful or inflamed, and the germs may even enter its bloodstream and harm its kidneys and other important organs. The most prevalent disease in adult cats and dogs is “periodontal disease,” which is the progressive destruction of gums, teeth, and the tissues that hold teeth in place. The good news is that periodontal disease can be avoided in most cases. There are a few things you can do to safeguard your cat’s oral (and general) health. These include both regular at-home dental care and annual veterinary dental treatment.
HOW CAN I CHECK MY CAT’S ORAL HEALTH?
Even though your cat may not appreciate the experience, it is essential to check the health of your cat’s mouth on a routine basis. If your pet becomes anxious or you find it difficult to examine its mouth properly, you can take it to the veterinarian. The teeth of a healthy cat should be clean, white, and free of chipping. Their gums should be pink and healthy, with no redness, swelling, or bleeding, and free of sores or lesions. Inspect the back of your cat’s mouth for ulcers, swelling, lesions, or foreign bumps, as well as the interior of its mouth for foreign objects like string. Any unusual findings should be examined by a vet as quickly as possible.
Your cat’s breath should not smell bad. If it occurs, this could be a sign of an infection in their mouth or elsewhere in their body, so take them to the vet for a checkup if you detect a change in the smell of their mouth within a short period of time. Bad breath that persists may imply severe periodontal disease that necessitates attention.
It’s also essential to be on the lookout for any other indicators of dental illness, such as drooling, trouble swallowing, pawing at the face, or changes in your cat’s feeding habits or weight.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR CAT’S TEETH CLEAN?
It’s simple to care for your cat’s oral hygiene if you start when they’re young and make it a part of your daily routine, but it’s never too late to start if you haven’t previously.
The best way to keep your cat’s teeth clean is to brush them on a regular basis. Brushing your cat’s teeth on a daily basis is the gold standard in preventive dental care, but make it a point to do it whenever you remember and at least three times per week.
Many cats dislike having their lips stroked, but patience and rewards, such as treats, attention, or playtime with their favorite toy, may help ease them into the activity. Remember, the earlier you start, the better.
Cat teeth should never be cleaned with human toothpaste since many contain xylitol and high levels of fluoride, both of which are poisonous to cats.
Taking care of your cat’s oral health entails more than just brushing its teeth. Because tooth decay frequently begins with irritated or inflamed gums, the gums must also be cared for.
After you’ve completed brushing your cat’s teeth, massage the gums to help them heal and strengthen. This will help lower the chance of gum disease later on by increasing blood flow to the area. For optimal oral health, most
veterinarians recommend feeding your cats a combination of wet and dry food until they are older and can no longer take kibble. Wet food stays on the surface of the teeth longer, causing plaque and tartar to form, but dry food functions as natural floss.
OTHER WAYS TO PREVENT CAT DENTAL PROBLEMS-
In addition to brushing your pet’s teeth and the brushing alternatives described previously, you may take extra steps to ensure that your four- legged friend’s teeth are clean and healthy.
01: Nutritious diet
Giving cats a nutritious, balanced diet, much like humans, will lower their chances of having dental
problems. Your veterinarian can provide specific recommendations for a diet that will improve your cat’s oral health.
Give your feline companion no sweet snacks. Sugar is not poisonous to them, but it provides no nutritional value and can erode enamel, causing tooth decay and even dental disease.
02: Annual dental checkups
Regardless of whether there are any indicators of dental disease, your cat must have a dental checkup at least once a year. Even though you should check your cat’s teeth on a regular basis, it is easy to overlook illness warning symptoms that a professional and informed veterinarian would identify. When compared to dental problems that go undiagnosed and worsen, dental problems that are discovered early are significantly easier to address and resolve.
03: Routine teeth cleaning
A professional cat tooth cleaning is included in the majority of dental checkups. Blood tests are first performed to determine whether the patient is fit to be sedated. If this is the case, your veterinarian will sedate them and begin a thorough cleaning that includes a full oral exam, X-rays to detect issues below the gum line, a thorough cleaning below the gum line to prevent periodontal disease, professional scaling to remove plaque and tartar buildup on the crown, and polishing the teeth to prevent plaque and bacteria accumulation.
04: Oral surgery
Oral surgery may be recommended by your veterinary dentist for cats with poor dental hygiene, especially if the cat requires an operation to extract broken, impacted, rotting, or resorbing teeth.
Although oral surgery and tooth extractions can be frightening for elderly cats, they usually recover quickly and start eating normally. The benefits of treating disease and eradicating microorganisms in the mouth outweigh the risks of postponing necessary dental procedures.
