Healthy cat teeth: Busting myths about your feline's fangs
We do a lot of dentistry here at Pandosy Village Veterinary Hospital; partly due to our inclusive fixed pricing and free dental estimates.
You might be surprised to know that a third of our dentistry patients are cats! Because many domestic cats eat so differently from their ancestral diets, their teeth and gums can easily get diseased. This decay and inflammation causes them a lot of pain and immune system distress. Read more to learn the truth about keeping your cat's teeth happy and healthy.
Myth 1: Kibble helps cats' teeth
Nope, crunching kibble does not help your cat's teeth. Any rough abrasion on their teeth from the crunch is counteracted by the fact that you are introducing sugar (carbohydrates) into a carnivore's mouth... and pure carnivores like cats aren't designed to eat anything but meat, bones, offal and the contents of their prey's stomach. The best dental diet for a cat is a raw or canned diet, with high protein and carbohydrates only in the form of vegetables.
Myth 2: You can't brush a cat's teeth
Ok, most adult cats don't appreciate a toothbrush stuck in their mouth. But how do cats brush their teeth in the wild? They chew on bones and grasses! If your cat is a mouser, this is actually great for their teeth (but then they are more prone to worms, so do get them dewormed yearly!) Aside from bone crunching, you can help your cat's teeth stay healthy longer by
- growing cat grass in the house (we have little kits)
- wiping their teeth with dental wipes or our popular seafood flavoured toothpaste (they love it!)
- buying hard no-carb treats like our famous dried sardines
- adding an antibacterial, natural extract to their water like our specially formulated green tea dental supplement
Myth 3: Cats don't need dentistry
If your cat has bad breath, a sore mouth, poor appetite or general malaise, you should get Dr. Jason to have a look in their mouth. It doesn't cost anything: dental estimates are always free at Pandosy Village Veterinary Hospital, and they are also included as a free bonus in annual preventative health exams.
If your cat's teeth do need a cleaning (or even extractions,) Dr. Jason will give you an all-inclusive written estimate.
When your cat comes in the morning of the dentistry, we run pre-anesthetic bloodwork to check for any red flags before anesthesia. Your kitty goes on IV fluids during the procedure, and gets injected pain medication while they are still under. They wake up after the dentistry snuggled in warmed towels, usually in the arms of one of our cat-loving nurses.
What's amazing is how much teeth can affect the overall health of your cat. Many pet parents report that after a dentistry, they have a new, vibrant bff. Once that immune system isn't fighting off dental disease, it's amazing how the cat's health improves generally. Dental cleanings are one important tool to enable cats to live long lives.
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