Toothpaste

Willow's Mom

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Is toothpaste necessary, other than as a reward or treat?

I'm currently not using it on self, dogs, or kitten. My understanding is that it is the physical action of removing plaque daily that is helpful. The flouride in human toothpaste may or may not help, but we don't use that on pets anyway.

After spending a small fortune on dental snake oil for myself, I just don't reach for the pet toothpaste that came in the kit. The dogs can have dental cleanings at the groomer's, but the kitten is kind of dependent on me.

My vet recommends brushing their teeth twice a day with kind of a sad look on her face, as if she doesn't expect most pet parents to do that.
 

lutece

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I don't know for sure. All I can say is that I did notice when my teenage son started brushing his teeth with just water instead of toothpaste... he ran out of the toothpaste he prefers, and forgot to tell me about it, until I noticed his teeth were not as clean and his breath was noticeably worse. He was brushing just as much as before. That's just an anecdote, though.
 

Azazel

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I'm actually starting to question whether the measley brushing I do with my cats even matters at all. I feel like it's too hard for me to give my cats a full proper brush (they don't tolerate it long enough). I would be interesetd in knowing if there's been any research actually showing that brushing cats' teeth daily makes a huge difference in dental health.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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Humans of course need to clean their teeth properly with toothpaste, I think that's a no brainer. For animals, I doubt it does harm. They lose a hell of a lot of natural teeth cleaning abilities indoors compared to being independent outdoors, so I think that's another fair no brainer that even 3 second brushing with water could help at least a smidge considering they can't do it themselves inside.
 

Azazel

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Humans of course need to clean their teeth properly with toothpaste, I think that's a no brainer. For animals, I doubt it does harm. They lose a hell of a lot of natural teeth cleaning abilities indoors compared to being independent outdoors, so I think that's another fair no brainer that even 3 second brushing with water could help at least a smidge considering they can't do it themselves inside.
I don't think it harms them, but I wonder how much it actually helps? I just don't see how 3 seconds of brushing will prevent gingivitis. Especially since I can't even get to all parts of the teeth and gums.

The biggest change I've seen in my cats' dental health has been from feeding raw bones and meat chunks. This mimics how they would keep their teeth clean in the wild.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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I don't think it harms them, but I wonder how much it actually helps? I just don't see how 3 seconds of brushing will prevent gingivitis. Especially since I can't even get to all parts of the teeth and gums.

The biggest change I've seen in my cats' dental health has been from feeding raw bones and meat chunks. This mimics how they would keep their teeth clean in the wild.
Well, 3 seconds of brushing several times a day adds up. Same as 3 seconds of brushing a fussy cat several times a day. Presumably you go from more or less day to day, as well. Or trimming 1 claw at a time helps, small changes or efforts don't count for nothing. I presume likewise the fur of an animal would help as well; maybe. Or sticks, I know many ferals who chew sticks.
Point blank; these aren't wild animals anymore and therefore these things should and can be aided; replicated; or moved along easier somewhat via the animal's guardian. I don't think I'd leave it to my furry dumbass anytime soon; that's for sure. :flail:
 

Azazel

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Well, 3 seconds of brushing several times a day adds up. Same as 3 seconds of brushing a fussy cat several times a day. Presumably you go from more or less day to day, as well. Or trimming 1 claw at a time helps, small changes or efforts don't count for nothing. I presume likewise the fur of an animal would help as well; maybe. Or sticks, I know many ferals who chew sticks.
Point blank; these aren't wild animals anymore and therefore these things should and can be aided; replicated; or moved along easier somewhat via the animal's guardian. I don't think I'd leave it to my furry dumbass anytime soon; that's for sure. :flail:
I am still interested in seeing some research showing how much teeth brushing per day is useful for cats.
I don't see how 3 seconds of teeth brushing replicates how a cat would regularly chew on raw meat and bones to keep teeth clean? Why not just give raw meat and bones?
 

SpecterOhPossum

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I am still interested in seeing some research showing how much teeth brushing per day is useful for cats.
I don't see how 3 seconds of teeth brushing replicates how a cat would regularly chew on raw meat and bones to keep teeth clean? Why not just give raw meat and bones?
Again, time adds up; and fluctuates nonetheless depends entirely on the individual.
Some people can't do that, or don't feel comfortable with such notions.
This isn't rocket science, teeth are teeth and plaque is plaque; brushing helps. I don't see why it wouldn't be true here.
 

lutece

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My vet told me that she has seen several of her clients' cats improve a lot with toothbrushing, some of these cats required yearly dental cleanings, and now their teeth don't require cleaning any more. But I don't know how much brushing these cats are getting.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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My cats teeth were falling out often before I became her sole guardian and started brushing her teeth. I think it helped.
 

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Well, 3 seconds of brushing several times a day adds up. Same as 3 seconds of brushing a fussy cat several times a day.
Who brushes their cat's teeth several times a day? :headscratch: Once a day is plenty and better than not brushing the teeth at all. Plaque and food debris need to be manually removed from the teeth and that's where a toothbrush comes in.

A 3 second swipe of the teeth can be easily done by anyone. Put the phone down, take a break from the tv or whatever and give the cat's teeth a little attention.
 
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Willow's Mom

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Willow is good about having her teeth brushed and doesn't need the added incentive of a tasty toothbrush.

Teeth are definitely a classist issue[1] that I am personally so very over, lol.

I was brushing my pets' teeth before pet toothpaste was a thing. Willow tolerates brushing just fine, I just never bothered with the toothpaste for her and was curious whether it served any purpose other than training/rewarding the cat.

[1] If You Judge People's Teeth, You Might Be Being Classist – Here's Why
 

Azazel

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Just to clarify, I’m not saying that I believe that brushing teeth doesn’t help. I’m simply saying that it would be helpful to have some evidence support how much it helps, how often it should be done, and how it should be done.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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Who brushes their cat's teeth several times a day? :headscratch: Once a day is plenty and better than not brushing the teeth at all. Plaque and food debris need to be manually removed from the teeth and that's where a toothbrush comes in.

A 3 second swipe of the teeth can be easily done by anyone. Put the phone down, take a break from the tv or whatever and give the cat's teeth a little attention.
Uh, me? Lol. Same with brushing, if your cat's fussy and only lets you do it for a few seconds, several times is a logical answer. Doubt brushing for one 2 second session is gonna help much. I brush her fur twice to three times as well daily.

Meh, depends on the animal in question. Not a fan of blanket statements nor the assumption anyone is tied to their phone and can't care for their animals. :flail: That's wildly out of place and hilarious.
 
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lavishsqualor

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I'm fastidious about brushing my cats' teeth. No, I can't claim to brush them twice a day but I can claim a good, solid minute or so each day per cat. And I also use an enzymatic toothpaste that my vet recommended. She said that even after I finish brushing the enzymes will continue working to dissolve tartar.

Willow'sMom, that's an interesting read about judging folk's teeth. I had awful teeth as a kid. They were strong and healthy and to this day I've never had a cavity; however, my teeth were discolored and just generally jacked up. I suffered relentless teasing in grade school. I got braces in the third grade and wore them until, get this, the eleventh grade! Even headgear! Then I underwent orthognathic surgery (my jaw was broken). My freshman year in college I underwent a series of ZOOM whitening but because I'd taken tetracycline as a kid they were still discolored. At thirty I had them veneered and it was one of the best things I've ever done.

I guess because I've had issues with my own teeth I'm especially diligent with my cats' teeth AND my child's teeth.
 

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Just wanted to add my :2cents: about how important fluoride is.

I grew up in a country that adds fluoride to water. I had braces on my teeth as a kid, but I never needed any fillings. My parents made sure we brushed once a day with toothpaste and wouldn't let us eat too many sweets, but that was about all.

Moved to a country that doesn't put fluoride in the water and where fluoride toothpaste wasn't that easily found when I was in my 20's. I started getting tiny cavities in the first year. After ten years here I had at least ten small fillings and needed to have one molar drilled right down so they could remove the root. When this molar first started hurting my dentist checked it and couldn't find any decay on the surface, but when they x-rayed they found the inside was completely rotten. That's not caused by not brushing enough.

I can now get toothpaste with fluoride in it, since I've started brushing with that I haven't needed any more fillings. Toothpaste isn't that expensive, I think it's well worth buying. There are lots of other things I'd give up before I stopped using tooth paste.
 
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