Your cat’s mouth is very important to them. It allows them to eat their food, groom themselves, and to give you licks and kisses to show affection. Unfortunately, the health of the mouth is often overlooked, and dental disease is the most likely result.
Why is oral and dental health important?
Dental disease should be taken seriously for several reasons. Accumulated plaque and tartar lead to bacterial growth. Eventually, bacteria from the mouth can get into the bloodstream and infect other parts of the body. Cats with dental disease will often feel pain, even if they don’t show it. And bad breath makes it unpleasant to be close to your cat. Proper dental care will address all these issues to make your cat healthier, pain-free, and pleasant to be around.
How often should you brush your cat’s teeth?
It only takes a few minutes a day to brush your cat’s teeth. We sell tiny cat-sized toothbrushes that will fit in their little mouths. Special meat-flavoured toothpaste for cats is available that make the experience something they actually look forward to. It is easiest to get your cat used to tooth brushing as a kitten, but adult cats can learn almost as quickly. If you are interested in learning more, give us a call or drop by the clinic. We can show you how to train your cat to like getting its teeth brushed.
What is involved in a dental cleaning procedure?
When dental disease is already present, tooth brushing cannot reverse the process. A complete dental assessment and treatment procedure is needed to scale away from the tartar, clean below the gum line, take x-rays of the tooth roots, and possibly extract any badly damaged teeth. We offer free dental assessment appointments to answer all your questions and give you an estimate of the cost of the procedure.