Cat Dental Health Problems and How To Prevent Them

Cat dental health problems are a lot more common than most cat owners realize. Can you remember the last time you brushed your cat's teeth? If you can, and it's recent that's good, if you can't, your not alone, many cat owners simply do not regularly brush their cat's teeth.

In fact years ago when we brought home our first cat we didn't realize the importance of brushing our cat's teeth, until at one of our vet appointments when we asked our vet if he would brush our cat's teeth, he did and then he went on to inform us that this is something we should be doing regularly at home to prevent dental problems.

We initially thought, as many cat owners do, that brushing your cat's teeth was done periodically by your vet at your cat's check ups and didn't realize that it was just as important as brushing our cat's fur or clipping her nails. There are several different types of dental issues that can arise from not taking good care of your cat's teeth, which can be both painful to your cat and have a negative effect on their health.

Gingivitis

Gingivitis occurs when plaque builds up on your cat's teeth. This excess plaque eventually turns into tartar which results in inflammation of the gums, this inflammation may affect one tooth or serveral. Bad breath, difficulty eating and excessive drooling are all signs of gingivitis.

It's important to regularly check your cat's teeth,either before or after brushing,if you notice that their gums are swollen or red, or that their breath has a strong odor, you should take your cat to the vet to check for gingivitis. Regularly brushing your cat's teeth will help to reduce the build up of plaque, keeping your cat's teeth looking and feeling healthy.

Stomatitis

Cat's with stomatistis mouths and gums become very red and severly inflamed. This cat dental health problem is very painful, and may require the extraction of multiple teeth.

Regular dental check ups are very important because only your vet can diagnosis this disease and if caught in the early stages medication may be able to treat it.Some symptoms of this disease are bad breath, difficulty eating, drooling, bleeding from the mouth,hiding due to the pain, and aggressive behaviours.

Peridontal Disease

Peridontal disease in cats is the result of untreated gingivitis and is considered a serious cat dental health problem. The tartar over time causes the gums to seperate from the teeth, which results in infected spaces between the teeth and gums. Your vet will conduct a physical and x-ray examination to diagnose this disease. Symptoms of this cat dental health problem are drooling, not eating;especially dry food, scratching at the face, swollen or bleeding gums. Regular brushing and dental check up at the vets can help to prevent this disease.

Bad Breath

Just as our breaths do not smell the freshes in the morning before that first tooth brushing session,the same applies to our kitty's breath. The build up of plaque and tartar and the lack of regular dental cleaning results in a foul smelling breath in cats. Bad breath is also one of several symptoms of many different cat dental health problems. Make brushing your cat's teeth apart of their regular grooming sessions.Your cat's bad breath could be a symptom of a serious cat health problem, to find out more about possible causes and treatment options for feline bad breath read Ewwww, Feline Bad Breath.

Important Tips To Keeping Your Cat's Teeth Healthy

• Always use cat toothpaste,they come in several different cat friendly flavors
• Cat grooming which includeds brushing your cat's teeth several times per week
• Dental cat treats help to remove tartar build up
• At annual visits may sure your vet checks your cat's teeth for plaqueand tartar build up
• There are products that you can buy at the pet store to add to your cat's water or gels that require no brushing, they help to remove plaque and tartar build up

Here's What We Use For Our Cat's Teeth, Requires No Brushing And It's All Natural

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