How Much Worse Does Wet Food Rot Teeth?

So I saw someone recommend not to feed a lot of wet food since it rot a cat's teeth longer, he/she wasn't saying dry food cleaned the cat's teeth, but wet food was just worse for the teeth. So dry food neutral for the teeth, wet food is a negative for the teeth I assume is the argument. What do we think of this?

Curious to hear what others say? Benefits of wet food just far outweigh the cons of the effects on teeth?

Hi! Wet food doesn't rot teeth in and of itself, plus I just heard a pet store owner who has cats say the kibble actually can leave a film on the teeth.
However, yes, in my opinion the benefits of wet food are something to be seriously considered.
A middle ground might be raw, it's usually better

That's one of those old urban legends. Probably started by the pet food industry in an effort to get people to switch from table scraps to dry food when commerical food was first introduced. Then maintained to keep up sales on dry food. I know there was a point when it was common vet knowledge that dry food helped with teeth because of chewing. However, with a constant vomiter in the family, I can honestly say that 90% of dry food gets swallowed whole. The cheap additive filled wet foods might be bad for teeth because of sugar, but sugar is bad overall for cats. If you are feeding a good quality wet food it won't have added sugars and won't contribute to tooth problems.

Reality is, neither is any better or worse for cats teeth. In the wild the fur, feathers and bones from whatever they are eating acts as a "brush" to get major gunk off their teeth. However, there really isn't a "brushing" effect that will prevent dental problems even in the wild. Even humans will get dental problems with brushing, flossing and regular dental visits. It might help extend the life of their teeth or prevent secondary infections from dental problems but there is only so much that can be done. It honestly comes down to genetics. I've had cats who never need dental cleanings in their lives and others who had all their teeth pulled. Same diets, same lifestyle, different genetics being the only thing separating good and bad teeth. You do what you can, brushing if you can and regular vet visits with dental care when needed, but what you feed really has very little impact on dental health.

This article goes into more detail, Is Wet, Dry, or Raw Cat Food Better for a Cat's Teeth?

Wet food doesn't rot cat's teeth, and dry food doesn't clean it either - unless it is specific line of dry food made for cleaning cat's teeth. Dry food also contains more carbs and my guess would be that that should cause more decays. Brushing cat's teeth regularly and yearly dental cleaning is the best teeth protection imo, and wet food is the best food for cat's health, so whenever possible I would definitely feed wet food over dry.

I second what every one has said but would like to add that I use zymox oratene gel and they have an explanation on the box that basically says it’s found that cats with dry mouths have worse breath and more bacteria causing more dental issues. And since dry fed cats are often chronically dehydrated that will also lead to dry mouth and dental issues. I think wet food would help keep a cat hydrated and keep thier mouth moist and a less friendly environment for most bacteria. According to zymox anyway. I do trust the brand though. Their skin treatments are amazing for over the counter stuff.
Nothing is a substitute for brushing regualrly though. And making sure to have dental cleanings yearly at the vet.

People often talk about the oral health benefits of dry food over wet, but in my opinion that is just an excuse for owners to shirk their responsibility to manage their pet's oral hygiene. If you are worried about dental issues your best bet is to brush your cat's teeth. Wet food doesn't rot teeth. Neglect and poor hygiene does.

Kieka said:

That's one of those old urban legends. Probably started by the pet food industry in an effort to get people to switch from table scraps to dry food when commerical food was first introduced. Then maintained to keep up sales on dry food. I know there was a point when it was common vet knowledge that dry food helped with teeth because of chewing. However, with a constant vomiter in the family, I can honestly say that 90% of dry food gets swallowed whole. The cheap additive filled wet foods might be bad for teeth because of sugar, but sugar is bad overall for cats. If you are feeding a good quality wet food it won't have added sugars and won't contribute to tooth problems.

Reality is, neither is any better or worse for cats teeth. In the wild the fur, feathers and bones from whatever they are eating acts as a "brush" to get major gunk off their teeth. However, there really isn't a "brushing" effect that will prevent dental problems even in the wild. Even humans will get dental problems with brushing, flossing and regular dental visits. It might help extend the life of their teeth or prevent secondary infections from dental problems but there is only so much that can be done. It honestly comes down to genetics. I've had cats who never need dental cleanings in their lives and others who had all their teeth pulled. Same diets, same lifestyle, different genetics being the only thing separating good and bad teeth. You do what you can, brushing if you can and regular vet visits with dental care when needed, but what you feed really has very little impact on dental health.

This article goes into more detail, Is Wet, Dry, or Raw Cat Food Better for a Cat's Teeth?

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Weston A Price outlined the bold part perfectly in his books, the same does apply for animals. People with good diet (in utero and throughout childhood) usually have a wide, strong arch, and pretty trouble free teeth, but people with less than good diet (again, in utero and throughout childhood/adulthood) usually don't. (Exceptions apply, but this is just "in general.")
For our dogs and cats, Dr. Richard Pitcairn decades ago mentioned in his book about general care for dogs and cats the importance of picking out of a kitten or puppy with a good, correct scissor type bite. It sounds like a picky thing that doesn't matter, but it does matter in some ways IME.
We have a cat with an over bite, his teeth are garbage. One dog we have is only a little undershot with a very long nose (collie like), but has lots of spacing between molars. Maintaining his teeth is a challenge.
Our dogs (the majority) with good bites have pristine teeth into old age with no care from us needed, and dental surgeries are for broken, chipped, or cracked teeth because they decided to be dorks and chew on something they shouldn't.
All raw fed.
All different.
Baby Girl has a bite like a steep trap. I would not want to piss this cat off. Anything that gets between those teeth when her jaws lock up won't be going anywhere anytime soon, and her teeth are beautiful. No gum recession, no plaque, no tartar build up, no nothing...and white as snow.

I picture the mouth of a dog and cat like a pair of kitchen meat scissors. A good pair of meat scissors or shearers, that are sharp, with a proper tension will easily cut a 4 inch wide piece of a tough cut of beef that's full of fat, grizzle, etc., cleanly, quickly, and the scissor blades will look surprisingly clean. (I do recommend washing though ).
A pair of meat scissors that are mis-aligned from bad tension or dullness won't do so hot. You cut and cut, the blades don't line up so the cut is messy and the blades of the scissors look like a mangled mess when you're finally done.
To me, the good, correct bite (genetic) resembles the "good" scissors, and the incorrect bite (genetic) resembles the "bad" scissors.
So to wrap up this novel ( Sorry!), a cat eating raw that has a poor bite will probably do better than they would on a kibbled diet, but it will still take some elbow grease to keep your blades (their teeth) clean.
OK, you can wake up, I'm done now.

For good dental health your cat should be getting regular dentals and/or getting his teeth brushed by you. There is no 'shortcut' around this.

Hi. Just putting my 2 cents in... My first cat Tawny ate nothing but soft food (Tender Vittles, way back then). He lost a lot of teeth over his life. So, I always thought that was why - no dry food. Both Gracie and now Feeby were/are primarily on dry food (Feeby now gets both wet and dry for about the past 2 years), and the vet continually remarks/ed about the wonderful condition of their teeth. Gracie never had her teeth cleaned, and so far at age 14+ neither has Feeby.

So, while everyone says the dry food theory is a myth - and it probably is - my cats' teeth have clearly supported the myth!!

I think a lot of cat dental health is how they’re raised as well as what they eat, if they get cleanings, etc. for example I have two cats that are the same age. A female. And a male. My female followed me home from work (I’m not even kidding granted I lived in walking distance from my job at the time so lol) and she was declawed and spayed so obviously someone cared for her at some point prior and who knows what her upbringing was like and what her mothers nutrition was like during pregnancy. She has always had super soft silk fur even on lower quality food. Has never really shed much and has quite nice teeth. She and my boy are around 7 now I’m estimating. My boy was a feral. Out of a feral mom (who lived exclusively outside on kit and kaboodle during her pregnancy) and I eventually got him accustomed to living inside and not being terrified of everything. He is a complete different story compared to my female. He has had dental problems pretty much his whole life. They are just way more gross and when I go a couple days without brushing them, his gums bleed, etc. his fur is also more brittle and he sheds way worse than my female. My two youngest who I had from small kittens (the other two I did not) have always been on healthy quality food (wet, dry, and raw) and have shown no signs of dental issues. So I believe A LOT of dental health is connected to how the conditions are in utero and while they’re growing from kittens to adults. And of course some of genetic as well. Just as with humans, some of us just have poor quality teeth and it runs in the family. I think that happens to cats as well. And then there are some people who have awesome teeth their whole lives. Like my grandma she is in her 70s and has never had a cavity or a tooth pulled, her wisdom teeth even grew in fine with no issues. Completely amazing and I think some cats can be that way too and never have a single problem even 20 years into life.
My childhood cat (whom recently passed in his early 20s) ate Iams and fancy feast pate basically his whole life and didn’t have a tooth left in his head by the end of his life so again a difference scenario.
I think dental health in cats (and dogs) is really a lot more complex then what vets would like us to believe. I personally feel it goes wayyyy beyond what kinda texture their food is.

FeebysOwner said:

Hi. Just putting my 2 cents in... My first cat Tawny ate nothing but soft food (Tender Vittles, way back then). He lost a lot of teeth over his life. So, I always thought that was why - no dry food. Both Gracie and now Feeby were/are primarily on dry food (Feeby now gets both wet and dry for about the past 2 years), and the vet continually remarks/ed about the wonderful condition of their teeth. Gracie never had her teeth cleaned, and so far at age 14+ neither has Feeby.

So, while everyone says the dry food theory is a myth - and it probably is - my cats' teeth have clearly supported the myth!!

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Genetics plays a huge factor. Food very little. If you wait until they are old to start dentals the teeth will be in worse shape and need removed. Some cats just need more teeth maintenance. Plus so very many of the issues in the mouth are UNDER the teeth, in the gums which has very little to do with food. Sounds like you got lucky with your 2 current cats.

Dry diets lead to dehydration, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, etc. Even if it could be proven that all wet WASN'T the best for teeth, I would rather feed them as close as I can to their strict carnivorous diet as I can and have to do a couple more dental cleanings and possibly remove some teeth, then risk all the health issues that go along with having a dry fed dehydrated cat.

i think if you can brush your cats teeth thats great! and also regular vet visits, with dental exams and cleaning when needed is the best thing to do!

Our vet recommends wet food, he is fine too supplement with dry, but he likes wet. However he does say that the cats he sees that eat only, or mostly wet have more dental problems than cats that eat only, or mostly dry. he isn't sure why either

Dry has somr real advantages over wet ( which also has advantages over dry), but, dental health is probably not really a good reason to choose dry, as its advantages in that regard are less based on fact than old wives tales.

Cost, ease of control, mental stimulation through puzzle feeders, and a cats unwilligness to eat wet are good reasons to consider dry food, oral health, not so much.

I do believe genetics is a big factor. Our newest addition, the girl, she is the oldest at 6 years old and has never had a dental or teeth brushing. Yet she has great teeth and gums! My boys on the otherhand are 3.5 and 5.5 years old and need regular dentals/brushings.