Feline dental care: taking care of your cat's teeth

Feline dental care is important to keep your cat's teeth healthy.

The last topic in our review of the new "Feline Life Stages Guidelines" issued by the AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) and AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) is dental care, or taking care of your cat's teeth and mouth.

Dental care is necessary for cats of all ages

Kittens and cats of all ages need dental care. This includes both home care and veterinary care. 

Regular veterinary examinations of the feline teeth and mouth are necessary and should be performed at least once yearly, even for cats with normal dentition. Young cats should be checked for retained deciduous ("baby") teeth. These teeth should be surgically extracted if present and this surgery can often be coordinated with spaying or neutering.

All cats need to evaluated regularly for gingivitis (inflammation of the gums), periodontal disease (disease of the bone and tissue surrounding the bone) and fractured or damaged teeth. Senior and geriatric cats should be monitored for the presence of oral tumors and other dental disease which may interfere with their ability to eat or cause pain which decreases the quality of their life.

In addition, home care should be performed for cats of all ages and forms the cornerstone of feline dental care.

Symptoms of dental disease and bad teeth in cats

Dental and oral disease is common in cats, but most owners fail to realize that their cat's teeth are bad or that the mouth is diseased. Cat owners need to educate themselves about symptoms associated with dental pain so that they are better able to recognize the problem in their cats. Your veterinarian will be happy to explain to you the signs and consequences of oral disease in the cat.

Dental disease in cats can cause pain and can even cause systemic disease as infections which begin in the mouth spread into the blood stream and are distributed body wide. Severe dental disease can be responsible for causing life-threatening illness.

Tooth brushing is the most effective form of home dental care for a cat

Brushing the teeth is the single most effective means of controlling and preventing dental disease at home. Though teaching a kitten to accept tooth brushing is easiest, cats of any age can usually be taught to tolerate brushing through the use of food rewards and other positive interactions.

Alternative forms of dental care exist, such as special dental diets, treats and chews, and may be a practical alternative for those people who are unable to brush their cat's teeth or those cats who simply cannot be taught to tolerate having their teeth brushed. However, these products do not have the same benefits as tooth brushing and are generally not as effective.
 

Additional recommendations pertaining to feline health covered by the AAFP/AAHA guidelines include:

• frequency of wellness examinations
• nutrition and weight management
• behavior and enrichment
• prevention and control of parasites
• vaccination guidelines

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If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy:

• Dental Health Care for Dogs and Cats
• Taking a cat to the veterinarian: Making veterinary visits easy for a cat

The copyright of the article Feline dental care: taking care of your cat's teeth is owned by Lorie Huston. Permission to republish Feline dental care: taking care of your cat's teeth in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Photo Credit: Lorie Huston