Dental Disease

The health of your cat's mouth is an important part of it's overall health.  Bacteria normally found in the mouth can enter the blood stream repeatedly when the teeth and gums become diseased.  Once in the blood stream, these bacteria can adversely affect any organ system such as the kidneys or heart.  Diseased teeth and gums create varying amounts of pain, although cats often do not show obvious signs of oral pain.  Many cats will eat  less food or avoid certain textures of food when they experience oral pain.  Some will avoid chewing altogether and swallow their meals in large pieces, mostly using their tongues to move food.  They simply do not enjoy eating as much.

  While some cats do have tartar accumulate on the surfaces of their teeth, others develop erosions in the teeth which are not caused by tartar deposits.  These erosions, called Feline Osteoclastic Resorptive Lesions (FORL), occur most often at the gum line and are very painful.  The exact cause of FORL’s is unknown, although genetics, bacteria, and viral infections have been implicated.  Some cats develop gum disease (gingivitis) in the absence of teeth problems. Lastly, oral tumors can occur in cats' mouths.  As with most tumors, early detection offers the best chance of successful treatment.  Not all disease in the oral cavity will result in bad breath, so it is important to have your cat examined.  A thorough oral exam is part of a yearly physical exam.

Cats evolved not only as predators but also serve as prey for larger carnivores.  Since cats cannot afford to lounge in the field nibbling a mouse, lest they get eaten, they evolved to swallow large pieces of prey and let the stomach do the "sorting".  Because of this, their teeth are suited for chopping not chewing.  The teeth have no flat surfaces for grinding food.  Cats also have large mouths relative to the size of their heads, which allow them to accommodate bigger pieces of prey.  They produce little saliva which would naturally bathe the mouth and have no digestive enzymes in the saliva.

  Certain diets are promoted to improve feline oral health; the majority of these diets are dry food.  In general, dry food diets do not prevent the accumulation of plaque on the teeth. Due to the the aforementioned evolutionary adaptations, the vast majority of cats do not chew kibble, instead swallowing it whole. There is no mechanical scraping of the teeth when the kibble is swallowed.  Dry food diets are often lower in protein quality than canned diets including high amounts of grain rather than meat.  Dry food certainly does not contain much moisture and is much higher in calories compared to canned food.  Because canned food offers better quality nutrition and higher moisture and because dry diets offer no advantage for oral health, The Cat Doctor recommends a mostly canned diet for cats with dry food used as treats.

There are several products available which can be beneficial in maintaining your cat's oral health.  Products which are added to water often do not work well in cats because cats evolved from desert wild cats and do not normally drink large amounts of water.   Home care products such as feline toothpastes or oral washes are useful to slow the accumulation of plaque or manage gingivitis, they do not dissolve tartar which is already present on teeth.  They are useful after a dental cleaning.  These products need to be used often (daily, like us) to be most effective.

Once tartar has accumulated, a thorough dental cleaning is necessary to remove it from the teeth.  Merely chipping tartar off is not enough to prevent problems because tartar has often accumulated beneath  the gum line.  All tarter needs to be removed either with a  manual or ultrasonic scaler.   The surface enamel then needs to be polished to remove any tiny pits or crevices which will trap plaque.  This is why a thorough cleaning and polishing requires anesthesia.  As part of the oral exam your veterinarian will determine if any teeth may need specific attention.  Although every attempt is made to keep teeth in your cat's mouth, extractions of diseased teeth will be necessary to prevent future problems and maintain a pain free mouth.   Sometimes the extent of tooth decay is only revealed after the tartar has been removed.  Decay at the roots requires extraction of the affected tooth.  After a tooth is extracted, a local anesthetic is used to keep the site pain free for several hours.  We may also use general pain medication which also lasts several hours.  There may be sutures,  which are absorbable, at the extraction sites.  Antibiotics will be dispensed if indicated by the extent of infection in nearby tissue.  If needed, pain medication may also be dispensed for use at home.

Maintaining good oral health is a key part of keeping your cat healthy.  Oftentimes owners will comment on how much better their cats eat and socialize after diseased teeth have been removed, not realizing that their cat had a painful tooth.   We are continually evaluating new products to improve your cat's oral health.   At The Cat Doctor we are committed to helping you keep  your cat healthy, and a good dental program is part of that commitment.