Tooth Care

When you only have one cat, it's hard to tell what's normal and not when it comes to teeth.  But when you have a herd of cats, you can start making some generalizations especially as they all eat the same food, etc.

1. Firstly, no cat is the same.  There is something genetic when it comes to teeth.  I have a cat who has never had a bit of tartar or plaque or gingivitis.  And, he's never brushed his teeth.
2. Wet food v. dry food makes no difference.  Dry food is not better for your cats teeth.  The only thing that might be problematic is when wet food gets stuck between your cat's teeth.  This generally only happens if your cat's teeth are already disintegrating.  Wet food is actually arguably better for your cat due to the increased moisture (but more on that in another post).

The big question many cat owners have is what should one do if my cat has teeth problems?

Most cats don't like people fussing in their mouths; however, my herd trusts me a lot more than they trust the vet.  So while a vet needs to sedate a cat to work on his teeth, I generally just get into my cats' mouths and go to it!  I've never liked sedation on any animal (human or otherwise), so if I can avoid it, I don't let anyone sedate my animals.  That being said, what can one accomplish (teeth-wise) while a cat is awake?

1. Tartar:  tartar is yellow on a cat's teeth and generally occurs on the outside of the back molars.  Cats tongues are rough which keeps the inside of their teeth pretty clean (like a constant toothbrush).  One can clean tartar off through brushing (i just use a regular / child toothbrush and some hydrogen peroxide -- the cats like the bubbly carbonation of the H2O2), or even easier, just pick it off with your nail, or take some toilet paper and rub it off.  If you let tartar continue to build up on your cat's teeth, she will end up with plaque.
   
   
2. Plaque:  hard crusty cover usually some various shade of gross (brown, black, yellow) on your cat's back molars.  My one cat has serious teeth issues and the plaque was very worrying to me.  Finally, I talked to my vet about how to deal with it without sedation. 
   
   The vet showed me how to take my thumb nail, hook it over the plaque (right at the gum line) and yank down.  HOLY COW!  The whole piece of plaque fell off my cat's tooth.  It was huge and thick and disgusting.  This process will always make the gum bleed slightly because the plaque actually sits up underneath the gum so when you yank down, you irritate the gum.  HOWEVER, if the bleeding is more than superficial, lasts more than a minute, gushing blood, etc.  you've seriously hurt your cat's gum and now he hates you.  if you can, put some triple antibiotic on it and try to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
   
   My vet only did one side of my cat's mouth, and left me to do the other side.  Either my thumbnail isn't as strong as his, or this piece of plaque was even more attached than the other, or my technique is just not refined, but I could not get the plaque off.  However, using a dental pick, I was able to hook it and pull just as my cat yanked his head the opposite way, and half of the plaque fell off.  Then I was able to flick off the other side.  It was amazing to see my cat's tooth for the first time in years!
   
   
3. Gingivitis:  If your cat has a thin red line running on her gum along the tooth line, this means her gums are inflamed which is likely something to do with gingivitis.  I am not sure of the answer yet.  I don't think one can give a cat listerine.  so perhaps, again, brushing with hydrogen peroxide.
   
   
4. Receding gum line:  My one cat's gums are receding.  How do I know?  Because his teeth are getting longer.  And then they fall out.  So if it looks like your cat's teeth are growing, it's because his gums are shrinking.  Best option: brush and keep any food from sticking in the teeth or gum line.

Brushing is something that many pet owners want to do, but just don't do regularly.  I have tried the little finger brush and found it to be generally useless.  I just use a normal toothbrush (small head version), and brush their teeth.  If nothing else, use water so at least any stuck food is released and you scrub off any tartar.  I've found hydrogen peroxide to be the next step up from water.  Just dip the brush head in some over-the-counter hydrogen peroxide solution (2%, I think) just as you would if you were using water.  It's antibacterial and the cats like the fizzy feeling in their mouth.  I've not found a single one of my cats to like the "animal toothpaste" and I have not yet figured out if there's significant difference between human and pet toothpaste.  The likely difference is flouride concentration.