How Often Do You Dental?

[LuxBear]

After six extractions and a mass removal in Moo's mouth, I have become more aware of dental issues in cats. I'm taking my two other boys next week for routine cleanings hoping to prevent oral issues. All three cats are 4-6 years old and have never had dentals (except Moo this year.) I honestly had no idea cats needed dental cleanings. Of course it makes sense, I guess I just never thought about it until Moo starting having issues. How often do you take your cats for dental cleanings? Do you do it routinely or just when you notice buildup or issues?

 

[duckpond]

My cats go for a yearly wellness check, it includes any dental cleanings the vet thinks they need at that time. Mine are still young so no dental problems yet. last check no one had any plaque or build up. He looks in their mouth quite a bit, so i guess we will clean when he sees anything? I have never done dental before this vet and these guys either. so i dont know a lot about it either.

 

[jcat]

It really depends on the cat. Our current cat is just six and had all but his front teeth extracted around three years ago due to FORL. Our last cat had his first dental cleaning at 3 and then roughly every other year. Our vet checks teeth at the annual wellness exam (every 6 months for seniors) and advises whether a dental cleaning is needed.

 

[muffy]

I used to have 8 indoor cats and 7 of them needed to have their cleaned every year starting around age 4 or 5. They were all related to each other. Tiger and Robbie needed their teeth cleaned twice a year and they all needed to have several teeth pulled. Muffin and Muffie lived to be 17 and 18 and by that time all of their teeth were gone.

 

[silkenpaw]

Mine have dentals whenever the vet thinks they need it.

 

[lalagimp]

Tommy would usually let me pick the sheets of tartar off with a dental scaler. He got his first dental at age 8. Yue got her first dental at age 8. Amalie is a different story because she has FORLs so she needs to get her teeth done about every other year, with xrays. We had to pull her remaining three fangs this spring. Stewart is 6 years old with beautiful teeth.

 

[Kieka]

My cats are as the vet recommends it. Rocket apparently has beautiful teeth and shocked the vet that they were so good. Link I was told needed a cleaning but it could wait until February when most places offer special rates. I, as a bad mom, forgot to schedule it until I got the reminder that his annual needed to be scheduled. I will probably be told that they need to be cleaned at his annual but I can't put it off until the next dental discount time.

Not sure why two cats with the same diet have different dental needs. However, my childhood cats were the same with one cat having all but his fangs pulled by 9 years old and the other, who was 16 when he died, never needed dental work. My assumption is genetics.

Link has teeth that stick out even when his mouth is closed, Rocket has tiny teeth that are rarely visible.

 

[jen]

Not sure why two cats with the same diet have different dental needs. However, my childhood cats were the same with one cat having all but his fangs pulled by 9 years old and the other, who was 16 when he died, never needed dental work. My assumption is genetics.

Diet doesn't have a whole lot to do with it, not as much as genetics anyways. I mean it would be different if they were killing prey and tearing meat off bones and crunching on bones and all but kibble and canned is not nearly the same thing.

 

[jen]

My cats go for a yearly wellness check, it includes any dental cleanings the vet thinks they need at that time. Mine are still young so no dental problems yet. last check no one had any plaque or build up. He looks in their mouth quite a bit, so i guess we will clean when he sees anything? I have never done dental before this vet and these guys either. so i dont know a lot about it either.

Your vet just spur of the moments sedates and does a cleaning at the yearly if needed? That's interesting. Every vet I never have been to is usually booked out a couple months on dentals as they usually just do a couple a day being such a long involved procedure.

 

[duckpond]

Your vet just spur of the moments sedates and does a cleaning at the yearly if needed? That's interesting. Every vet I never have been to is usually booked out a couple months on dentals as they usually just do a couple a day being such a long involved procedure.

No, I may not have worded it right. He checks their teeth during the wellness check. So far mine have not had to be sedated or have a cleaning. I dont know if he would do it then, or make an appointment for another day. But my vets office is a bit different than some, its a husband and wife team. Normally he does all the exams, and she does the procedures. They switch up some if need be, but thats how they usually work. I know with any other procedures they have needed done he keeps them, and i pick up later that day, or the next day if he wants to keep over night. so But i am sure it would not be months out. Small towns have a bit of an advantage in that. I have never had to wait more than 24 hours to get my guys in for anything, non emergency. Emergency you just bring them on in.

 

[Furballsmom]

My vet told me that on average, cats require a dental cleaning about every three years. I sat down and figured it out, and for the Big Guy it's been about that frequency.
We go in for the wellness check, have his blood drawn, wait a day or so to ensure he's healthy enough for anesthesia, then take him in again if he's scheduled for a cleaning and that same day he's done.

 

[Daisy6]

I knew cats have dental problems because vets check for it at wellness exams but I never thought about having a cleaning done until my vet's practice had a Senior Cat Month discount for it. Even with that the cost for one cat was $800.

Years later, the vet told me my female cat needed multiple extractions, but because of her age (in the teens) she was not a good candidate for oral surgery. My current vet (after moving from Ohio to Florida) was really worried about her teeth, saying if she was younger and did not have CRF he would definitely extract all of her bottom molars. Lesson learned: Don't wait until a cat is 15 to have dental work done.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Daisy6]

Am I the only one who thinks if one fang has to come out, the opposite one should too for mouth-closing purposes? I kept thinking that because my cat couldn't close the left side of his mouth completely with only without the top fang.

 

[lalagimp]

Nah. Amalie had no issues when we took the first fang out. Few years later the other three had to come out in one go because the xray said they were bad.

 

[jen]

Na that shouldn't make a difference. Plus why would you remove a healthy tooth? I have 1 cat missing 1 fang and another who only HAS 1 fang and sometimes their lip get stuck on their gums. But their mouths still close just fine.

 

[Daisy6]

I just think (correct me if I'm wrong) the left fang would always stay inside if he had a symmetrical pair of extractions.

 

[jen]

Is there something else going on making your cat's fang stick out to the point where it prevents the mouth from closing?

 

[Daisy6]

Is there something else going on making your cat's fang stick out to the point where it prevents the mouth from closing?

He was a previous cat. His mouth closed properly otherwise. What happened was a fang pressed into his upper lip. I just wondered if that only happened because he did not lose his upper right fang alone with it.