Dental care (need as much help as possible!)

[Baya08]

Hi everyone, so i have two 5 year old cats and i’m ASHAMED to say that i never cleaned their teeth,i simply didn’t know it was something necessary but i have been reading articles about it lately and i can’t express how bad it made me feel.
I started by inspecting their mouths: they don’t have bad breath and they both have clean white canines and incisors and the gums look healthy as well BUT their premolars and molars are completly yellow and the gums are slightly more pink than the rest of their mouths...I’m not sure if it’s plaque or tartar but either way vets are closed in my area due to the current crisis and will only open for extreme urgency therefore it’s impossible to get it checked out or get a dental cleaning.
I started cleaning their teeth today with diluated apple cider vinegar and a sterile gauze wrapped around my finger,i’ll buy special cat toothbrushes and toothpaste tomorrow,in the meanwhile,what can you recommend i do? Any home remedies that can help their teeth and gums? Is a dental cleaning an emergency or can it wait a bit longer? I don’t think i can afford it now anyway! and Is it likely that they have some kind of bad disease already? I’m a very worried (and guilty) cat mommy so any help is much appreciated

 

[gilmargl]

Don't worry. You've done nothing wrong. I have never cleaned my cats' teeth. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it! If your cats are amenable, then I don't want to put you off. If cats have got a disease in their gums or in the roots of their teeth, they will have difficulty eating and sooner or later you will have to go to the vet. These diseases will not necessary be prevented by cleaning their teeth as even very young cats are affected. So clean your cats' teeth if they'll let you, but don't let it become a battle. A routine checkup with a vet will normally include teeth and gums. Your cats are young, so there is really no hurry to see a vet immediately.

I'm sure you will get plenty of good advice - but don't feel guilty!

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

Order a feline toothbrush, the double ended ones are good. Then look up "CET Virbac Plaque Tartar Control Enzymatic Dog and Cat Toothpaste" Order it and start brushing their teeth daily.

 

[neely]

A routine checkup with a vet will normally include teeth and gums.

Yes, I agree. If you bring your cat(s) to the vet for an annual check up, vaccines, etc. your vet will examine the condition of their teeth and gums.

Please don't blame yourself for not addressing this issue sooner but going forward you can be proactive. Having had two cats diagnosed with FORL I am more cautious and take this condition more seriously. TCS has an Article that may be helpful but please don't be alarmed by the information. I am referring to it only to make you more aware:
Gingivitis And Stomatitis In Cats

Here is a thread that will give you a lot of excellent tips on brushing your cat's teeth and keeping them clean:
Tips for Brushing Cats' Teeth

Best of luck and once your area has come out of lockdown you can contact your vet and ask for their advice.

 

[Baya08]

Yes, I agree. If you bring your cat(s) to the vet for an annual check up, vaccines, etc. your vet will examine the condition of their teeth and gums.

Please don't blame yourself for not addressing this issue sooner but going forward you can be proactive. Having had two cats diagnosed with FORL I am more cautious and take this condition more seriously. TCS has an Article that may be helpful but please don't be alarmed by the information. I am referring to it only to make you more aware:
Gingivitis And Stomatitis In Cats

Here is a thread that will give you a lot of excellent tips on brushing your cat's teeth and keeping them clean:
Tips for Brushing Cats' Teeth

Best of luck and once your area has come out of lockdown you can contact your vet and ask for their advice.

Thank you so much for your informative reply! I do take my cats to the vet for their annuel check ups + everytime i suspect something is wrong,but i don’t think he gave their teeth much importance in the last visits because the tools he uses for dental cleaning haven’t arrived to the clinic yet so he can’t do much about their teeth even if they had a problem! I will make sure to contact him as soon as the lockdown is over.

 

[Baya08]

I

Order a feline toothbrush, the double ended ones are good. Then look up "CET Virbac Plaque Tartar Control Enzymatic Dog and Cat Toothpaste" Order it and start brushing their teeth daily.

i looked up the toothpaste and its saying that delivery and orders are restricted in my area i might not be able to get this as soon as i’m hoping for! Is there any alternatives i can use these days?

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

I

i looked up the toothpaste and its saying that delivery and orders are restricted in my area i might not be able to get this as soon as i’m hoping for! Is there any alternatives i can use these days?

Hmmm... I would just use warm water for now, it will still help some. I wouldn't feel safe recommending anything else because I've yet to research or try anything else, so my alternate would just be water....Do you feed raw? Raw feeders say that helps with teeth a lot, if you wanna look into that and give it a shot; there's a subforum in the nutrition forum all about it with helpful sticky posts on how to do it safely! You could also try getting your hands on some frozen rats or live rats for them to naturally eat and clean their teeth with. Cats in the wild use their prey for dental hygiene

 

[Baya08]

Hmmm... I would just use warm water for now, it will still help some. I wouldn't feel safe recommending anything else because I've yet to research or try anything else, so my alternate would just be water....Do you feed raw? Raw feeders say that helps with teeth a lot, if you wanna look into that and give it a shot; there's a subforum in the nutrition forum all about it with helpful sticky posts on how to do it safely! You could also try getting your hands on some frozen rats or live rats for them to naturally eat and clean their teeth with. Cats in the wild use their prey for dental hygiene

Yes i have seen people talk about how raw is good for teeth and i’m 100% convinced! I do feed them raw Chicken organs sometimes but not always because they don’t like it that much...i’ll try chicken necks and wings this time in addition to brushing with warm water until i get toothpaste! Thank you

 

[cataholic07]

Try chicken necks first, then move on to wings. Wings can be harder for some, it has to just be the wing tips. My cats love chicken necks but I have to watch them cause Jethro likes to swallow it whole, which makes him gag and throw it back up until he finishes it -.- he's a big boy lol. But the point isnt to swallow its to chew. While Fynn who is an even bigger boy has a sensitive mouth and doesnt like too hard things lol. So he sometimes will eat it, sometimes not. I like to give dehydrated chicken jerky which is super hard but not too hard that it will break their teeth. You can also add dental water addictives to their water dish to.

 

[minish]

Minish has mild issue of yellowed teeth and bad breath. Did routine brushing without cat toothpaste because she shared the smell. I also changed her food she was having medium quality wet food mostly. In a few months it passed on its own never repeated past 3 years. I don't brush now but check her breath to be safe.
Since they're much smaller please be gentle. Soaking the brush in warm water softens it

 

[cat mom 8]

I put some peroxide in a small bowl and dip a q-tip in the peroxide, then rub it across the gum line. I started going that
when my cats were just kittens, so they're used to it. It may take a while for kitties who are a little older to accept it.

 

[minish]

oh i forgot to say: baby toothbrush has the same structure as cat toothbrush if you want to use one

 

[Baya08]

Try chicken necks first, then move on to wings. Wings can be harder for some, it has to just be the wing tips. My cats love chicken necks but I have to watch them cause Jethro likes to swallow it whole, which makes him gag and throw it back up until he finishes it -.- he's a big boy lol. But the point isnt to swallow its to chew. While Fynn who is an even bigger boy has a sensitive mouth and doesnt like too hard things lol. So he sometimes will eat it, sometimes not. I like to give dehydrated chicken jerky which is super hard but not too hard that it will break their teeth. You can also add dental water addictives to their water dish to.

I gave them chicken necks for the first time today (one neck cut in two to be exact lol) one of my cats absolutly loved it but the other one kinda chewed on it for a while then stopped..it seems like it was too hard for her? I think she might have a sensitive mouth like your boy Fynn! When she was younger she run away from the house and some evil kids beated her which resulted in few of her teeth falling the chicken jerky sounds like such a great idea i’ll try that for her thank u ! As for the water additives i tried them and they wouldn’t even touch their bowls at all so i got scared they might get dehydrated if i force it on them.

 

[Baya08]

Minish has mild issue of yellowed teeth and bad breath. Did routine brushing without cat toothpaste because she shared the smell. I also changed her food she was having medium quality wet food mostly. In a few months it passed on its own never repeated past 3 years. I don't brush now but check her breath to be safe.
Since they're much smaller please be gentle. Soaking the brush in warm water softens it

Your experience has really uplifted my spirit thank you for sharing! I’m using baby toothbrushes and i dip them in warm water for around 20 minutes before i start brushing,hopefully they will get better with time like dear Minish did

 

[Baya08]

I put some peroxide in a small bowl and dip a q-tip in the peroxide, then rub it across the gum line. I started going that
when my cats were just kittens, so they're used to it. It may take a while for kitties who are a little older to accept it.

Hi ! I read on some sites that peroxide can be toxic to cats, did your cats face any problems or is it completely safe?

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

I put some peroxide in a small bowl and dip a q-tip in the peroxide, then rub it across the gum line. I started going that
when my cats were just kittens, so they're used to it. It may take a while for kitties who are a little older to accept it.

Uh, peroxide can be dangerous and otherwise cause puking upset stomach and many other issues. It's actually used commonly TO induce vomiting. wouldn't suggest that if I were you. Given the common use, small bits may be fine but suggesting it wothout that information and research is rather irresponsible.

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

 

[cat mom 8]

TWO DIFFERENT VETS TOLD ME TO USE PEROXIDE. ONE HAS BEEN A VET FOR 2 YEAR AND
THE OTHER FOR 35 YEARS. I'D SAY THEY ARE INFORMED ABOUT DENTAL CARE.

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

TWO DIFFERENT VETS TOLD ME TO USE PEROXIDE. ONE HAS BEEN A VET FOR 2 YEAR AND
THE OTHER FOR 35 YEARS. I'D SAY THEY ARE INFORMED ABOUT DENTAL CARE.

No need for capslock, can give more info on these vets? perhaps their degree or something? Interesting to see veterinarians prescribe a common toxin.

 

[minish]

hydrogen peroxide is also toxic for humans when swallowed. my dentist recently put me on a regimen for gum disease - 2 days of 3%HP as mouthwash, 3 times a day. spitted afterwards (yet impossible not to swallow what remains in your mouth after spitting). maybe it's ok to use in extreme cases and for short times, I don't know at all, just a thought