Teeth Care?

catalinacat

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Hello.
I have a 1year old cat, and it never occurred to me that cats need teeth care until I read an article on it.

So how exactly do you care for your cats teeth and how often? Is there things you do at home? Is there like a brush or something she chews on? Do they require yearly cleanings at a vet? Do I open her mouth and just take a look to see if all her teeth are alright? What is recommended to do?

My cat eats mostly dry food because the several brands of wet food I use to feed her on didn’t really work for her stomach. Not sure if type of food affects dental health so just thought to make a note.

Thank you in advance for any info!
 

Pucks104

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I clean George and Louie’s teeth every evening. I use Q-tips rather than a brush to “brush” their teeth with Virbac C.E.T. Poultry flavored toothpaste. Then I follow that with Healthy Mouth gel applied to their teeth with another Q-tip.
I also add Plaque-Off to their breakfast daily. The boys have juvenile gingivitis. George’s was worse than Louie’s but has seemingly resolved. Louie’s on the other hand got worse a couple of weeks ago but seems to be getting better slowly. My hope is the with diligent attention to the cleaning of their mouths and a very good species appropriate diet that the juvenile gingivitis will resolve and that they will have healthy mouths for their lifetime.
 

abyeb

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This article gives great info about how to brush a cat's teeth: How To Brush Your Cat's Teeth. There are also special dental treats that you can give, as are discussed in the article here: What Tcs Members Use: Cat Dental Health Care

You can ask your vet if there's anything else that they would recommend! Vets usually look at a cat's teeth during annual appointments, so they'll let you know know if they need a dental cleaning, before things really get out of hand, but it's best if you can do routine dental care at home, so then hopefully, your kitty won't need the vet to do a dental cleaning.
 

lalagimp

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Hello.
Do I open her mouth and just take a look to see if all her teeth are alright?
:flail::insertevillaugh::goodluck:

Yes. I'm poking fun. I've been doing it to Tommy since he was a little guy.
He actually used to let me pick the tartar off his molars with a dental scaler. Not all cats are as cool as this guy.
I slacked off for a year or two because I lost the tool, so I got his first cleaning last summer when he turned 8.
His sissy's gum line was very red and her teeth are so much smaller that you couldn't tell where was tartar and where was tooth, so I got her teeth cleaned last summer at age 8.
Amalie has dental disease. When she moved in with me around age 6-7 I told her I'm gonna do this and I don't care if you like it, and I looked in her mouth. It was awful.
Stewart was kind of feral when he moved in and was a late neuter. I didn't start opening his mouth until about two years ago. He's 6 1/2 now and his teeth are gorgeous.

I have a tooth brush and toothpaste, but have never sat anyone down with me to do it.
 

socaffeinated

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I "brush" my cat's teeth every night with a little finger brush and the Virbac C.E.T. Poultry toothpaste. She likes the flavour a lot so that makes it easier. I started acclimatizing her by rubbing my finger around her mouth and opening her mouth till she got used to that. Then I started using the brush. Not going to lie some nights its me just touching her teeth briefly with the toothpaste (and not even all of her teeth) while she squirms but I figure it's better than nothing! She's still fairly young so I'm hoping we work up to a more comprehensive routine later.

this is a good video demonstration
 

LTS3

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A vet would be able to do check the teeth and determine if a cleaning or more intensive procedure needs to be done. Ask the vet to check the next time you bring your cat in. Yearly cleanings / procedures are not necessary unless your cat is prone to dental issues.

Here's a good web site with info on dental care for pets: Information for Owners | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College There's also a searchable list for board certified veterinary dentists.

You can start home dental care at any time. Pet stores sell pet toothpaste and brushes. I like the CET brand of toothpaste which is not sold in chain pet stores. I usually buy it from the independent pet store or from Amazon. I recommend that you buy the CET starter kit for cats first because the mini cat toothbrush is not sold separately. This brush works great to fit into a cat's mouth. Chewy.com has it but other online sites do as well Virbac C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Cat Kit, Seafood Flavor

Cornell's vet school has a video on how to brush a cat's teeth: Brushing Your Cat's Teeth | Partners in Animal Health
 

Shikaslate

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So my vet told me that I can wrap some gauze--any gauze--around my finger and do the brushings with cat toothpaste which I bought online, but also found at the pet store. They said to do it daily just like human teeth, but even doing it sometimes is better than not doing it all. I'm sure they see a lot of cats with terrible teeth that were never brushed.

My kitty still has her kitten teeth so I don't have to brush them now, but I'm getting her used to me touching her teeth by doing it here and there during petting sessions.
 

jen

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Remember also that it isn't just the tooth itself. You want to look for red and swollen gums and teeth that seem to be loose, painful, or if the fangs are protruding out of the gums (almost looks like they are growing longer) as can all be signs of dental disease and gingivitis. Also there could still be problems UNDER the gums you cannot see so some clinics will do dental xrays while they are under for a cleaning which is pretty important! Talk to your vet when the best time to start all that would be. Preventative cleaning once while they are a few years old could be good to assess the mouth and clean the teeth up and catch anything before it gets really bad. Some cats inherit bad teeth and may need a cleaning much younger then others. I had one cat who never had a cleaning until she was 12 and had 3 of her fangs and 5 others removed. But I also had another who ate mice and birds her whole life and never had a dental until she was 14 and the didn't even believe she was that old bc her teeth were so clean. So it varies drastically.
 

himawari

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I adopted my cat when he was 6. And his teeth was definitely not in a good condition. It's still kind of bad. I do what the others have said, which is using a poultry toothpaste & a fingerbrush. Mine is a fighter so I always end up with battle scars. Since yours is a kitten, I definitely suggest getting your cat used to brushing. It'll save you in the long run.
 

Azazel

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I feed raw chicken gizzards and wing tips. Nature’s way of keeping feline teeth clean. :biggrin:
 
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