Dental Disease in Cats ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.
Cat Health Care
Information by Condition or Disease

A Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization
All donations are tax deductible
Copyright © 1997 - 2008

Any health care links located here are NOT to replace a veterinarian visit; please take your cat to a vet immediately at any sign of odd behavior or any symptoms of illness or injury. Call your vet and describe your cat's symptoms with any of your concerns about the cat's well-being. Your veterinarian may discover changes in your cat's health that you have overlooked. It is always better to err on the side of caution. Each link will open in a new window.

Dental Disease in Cats

"Daily cleaning can reduce tartar formation by 95% and weekly cleanings by 76%." ~ Tuft's University School of Veterinary Medicine

According to vets in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, few owners are familiar with the sight of the deeper recesses of their cats' mouths. As a result, many cats with oral conditions are only taken to their vets when symptoms - such as difficulty in eating - become obvious. By this stage, their problems are often well-advanced. Periodontal disease is suffered sooner or later by the vast majority of cats. In order to spot symptoms of oral disease early, you should examine your cat's mouth regualrly from the time that he is a young kitten.

Common Symptoms

Many of the symptoms of periodontal disease are only obvious on close inspection. By the time that a cat has a problem in chewing, or in closing his mouth, the condition is likely to be very advanced. The following are all common symptoms:

Bad breath.

Yellow or brown deposits on the teeth at the edges of the gums (these will be rough looking cursts in an advanced case).

Reddened gum edges.

Receding gums, revealing exposed tooth roots.

Drooling saliva (this may be tinged with blood).

Lack of appetite.

Mouth pain (pawing at the mouth or rubbing the side of the mouth along the ground).

Difficulty in chewing food.

Inability to close the mouth.

Amazingly, many cats who have severe periodontal disease manage to continue eating. Guardians are often shocked when the extent of the problem is pointed out by their vets during routine health checks.

Periodontal disease literally means disease of the tissues that surround and support the teeth. It is by far the most common oral condition suffered by cats. The majority or cats who are over two years old are believed to suffer from at least some degree of periodontal disease.

This condition is the result of a sequence of events that will have been going on in your cat's mouth since the day on which his teeth first came through.

The outer surface of the teeth is made of enamel, which is the hardest material in the body. In a young cat, this enamel is smooth. Every day the teeth become covered in bacterial plaque, but through chewing, the plaque is constantly wiped from the smooth enamel. How much remains will depend to some extent on the nature of the cat's diet: for example, moist foods tend to stick to the teeth and exacerbate plaque build up. However, it is still being debated by vets as to whether cats fed on dry food are actually less likely to suffer from periodontal disease.

Plaque is soft, but it rapidly hardens to produce a substance called calculus, or tartar. Unlike enamel, tartar is rough in texture and so plaque is more difficult to remove from it.

The presence of bacteria in the plaque irritates the gum edges and causes them to become reddened and inflamed: a condition called gingivitis (additional information below). As the gum grows increasingly inflamed, other bacteria start to cause further damage, and the gum may begin to recede around a tooth. Eventually the attachments holding the tooth in place are weakened, and it may then become loose.

The whole process can take several years to complete, but it is reversible in the early stages.

Advanced periodontal disease is a painful condition and is likely to result in tooth loss if left untreated.

An infected tooth may also act as a reservoir of infection, and any bacteria may find their way from the tooth - via the cat's blood - to his heart, kidneys, liver and lungs, where they may cause disease.

In some cats, periodontal disease may lead on to long-term gingivitis-stomatituis.

All cats are at risk of periodontal disease, although the following may promote its development:

Retained milk teeth - This, or another abnormality of oral anatomy, may encourage food to remain trapped between the teeth; this is thought to promote the build up of tartar.
Overcrowding of teeth - This condition (to which breeds such as the Peke-faced Persian, with his flat face and small mouth, are prone) encourages food to become trapped between teeth.
Genetics - Some cats seem to fight off periodontal disease better than others. In general, pure-bred cats seems more at risk than cross-bred cats ("tabbies" or "moggies").

Give your cat's mouth a check-over. If you think that he may be suffering from dental disease, take him to your vet for a thorough dental check up.

Your vet will examine your cat's mouth for the obvious signs of periodontal disease. Even if the teeth appear clean and white, your vet will carefully check the gums for inflammation, and may use a disclosing solution to demonstrate any build up of plaque.

If you have a young cat, or an older cat with a set of gleaming white teeth, you should carry out routine dental care by brushing his teeth with a toothbrush and special toothpaste recommended by your vet.

Toothbrushing Equipment

There are many dental care products available for cats. Ask your vet for advice on products for your cat.

Toothpastes - Toothpastes are made especially for pets, some of which are claimed by their makes to help kill bacteria in plaque. They are palatable and do not froth, and are accepted by most cats. Do NOT use human toothpaste.

Toothbrushes - Special brushes with small heads - made for small puppies - are suitable for use on most cats.

Rinses and Gels - Special antiseptic rinses, intended to supplement toothbrushing, are often recommended by vets for use on cats who suffer from recurrent gingivitis. Antiseptic gels are useful for cats who will not tolerate toothbrushing.

The aim of treatment is to remove plaque, tartar and any diseased tissues in order to give the gums a healthier environment.

In a mild case of periodontal disease in which there is little or no build up of hard tartar on the teeth, the only treatment that is required may be the removal of plaque through regular toothbrushing.

Toothbrushing Technique

If you have a kitten, you should start handling his mouth in preparation for toothbrushing as soon as you bring him home. The best time to accustom a cat to this experience is when he is young. If your cat is a wriggler, you may need somone's help to restrain him at first.

Initally, simply allow your cat to become used to having his head held and his lips pulled back. Reward his good behavior immediately with a snack or tiny piece of his favorite food.

Once he accepts this, insert a suitable toothbrush into the pouch formed by his cheek. Hold it there for a few seconds, then remove it. Practice this until your cat is happy with it, rewarding him every time at first and then only intermittently.

When he is comfortable with this, move on to brushing movements. Hold the brush at an angle of 45 degrees to the teeth, and move it gently in an oval pattern. Brush the back teeth at first, then move on to the more sensitive area at the front of the mouth. Only start using toothpaste when you are sure that your cat will tolerate the brushing itself.

However, no amount of toothbrushing will remove calculus. If your cat's teeth are encrusted with it, he may need to have it removed by descaling. This will be carried out under a general anaesthetic, and involves the use of vibrating instruments that literally shake the deposits from the teeth. With the tartar removed, the enamel is then polished smooth.

In a severe case of dental disease, it may be impossible to tell how badly a tooth is affected if it is covered by tartar. If, after the descaling process, your vet finds that one of your cat's teeth is seriously diseased, he or she may need to extract it.

In exceptional cases, a diseased tooth may be saved by advanced dental surgery techniques (these are normally only available from vet dental specialists).

Within just a few days of your cat's teeth being descaled and polished plaque will begin to build up again, so the benefits of any treatment will be lost if you do not continue with home dental care. You may not be able to prevent your cat from needing further dental treatment, but you should be able to delay the time when it becomes necessary. Your vet will help you to create a dental care plan that includes regular check ups.

The key to preventing periodontal disease is the removal of plaque before it hardens into tartar and damages the gum edges. Brushing with special toothpaste is a very effective way of removing plaque, but if your cat becomes distressed when you try to brush his teeth, do not force him to accept it.

Gingivitis-stomatitus

Inflammation of the mouth lining is a common problem. Gingivitis is a localized inflammation of the gums (most obvious in association with periodontal disease); stomatitis is an inflammation of the whole mouth. These occur at the same time, and the resulting condition is known as gingivitis-stomatitus. This may take the form of a sudden acute condition, but many cats suffer from long-term (chronic) gingivitis-stomatitus that does not respond well to therapy.

Common Symptoms

The precise symptoms will depend on the degree to which the cat's gums and mouth are inflamed and on any specific underlying condition. Typical symptoms may include the following:

Bad breath.

Difficulty in eating.

Weight loss.

Pawing at the face.

Drooling salvia (this may be tinged with blood).

Reddened gums and mouth lining.

Symptoms of periodontal disease.

Tacky (somewhat sticky) salvia that stretches across the cat's mouth when it is opened.

There are many causes of this condition, including the following:

Viral infections - The flu viruses, particularly feline calicivirus may be responsible, and also cause ulcers to appear in an infect cat's mouth. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and Feline Leukemia Virus may also be associated with longstanding causes of gingivitis-stomatitus.

Chemical irritation or traumatic injury - Cats are very slective about what they pick up in their mouths, so will normally only suffer gingivitis-stomatitus for this reason by accident, such as grooming their coats to remove a substance that is contaminating it or by drinking a poisonous substance such as anitfreeze.

Periodontal disease - The build up of plaque on teeth will cause gingivitis, and may progress to cause chronic inflammation of large areas of the mouth.

Other major conditions - Serious conditions affecting a cat, such as chronic renal failure or diabetes mellitus, may result in the onset of gingivitis-stomatitus. This is because any chronic and debilitating condition may depress a cat's immune system, and will therefore make him more prone to contracting inflammatory mouth disease.

Although it is a relatively common problem, chronic and incurable gingivitis-stomatitus often occurs for unknown reasons.

Chronic gingivitis-stomatitus is a painful condition that is often very difficult to cure or to control. All cats are at risk of suffering from this condition.

Smell your cat's breath and check inside his mouth. If he is showing any of the symptoms described, you should arrange for him to be examined by your vet.

Your vet will examine your cat thoroughly to evaluate his general state of health, and to identify the nature and extent of his symptoms. In an attempt to find the cause of the problem, he or she may decide to carry out further tests, including laboratory analysis of swabs taken from your cat's mouth and blood tests.

If a treatable cause is identified, your vet will carry out appropriate therapy. For instance, if your cat has severe periodontal disease, he will need specific dental treatment to resolve it.

If a cause cannot be found, your vet will devise a treatment regime that is aimed at controlling your cat's symptoms. This may include antibiotics, although any benefit gained may be shortlived if the underlying cause is not resolved. Anti-inflammatory medicines, such as steroids, may also be used judiciously to help in the control of severe inflammation. Despite all efforts, chronic gingivitis-stomatitus can be very difficult to control in some cases.

At home, you must administer any prescribed medications to your cat. You will need to carry out regular oral hygiene procedures - such as very gentle toothbrushing or mouth rinsing - as advised by your vet.

As you would expect, most cats suffering from gingivitis-stomatitus seem to prefer small meals of soft food. Your cat's appetite may also be reduced, so you may have to warm up his food to make it more palatable to him. Ask your vet about a suitable feeding regime: if your cat is only prepared to eat small amounts of food, it is vital that what he does eat fulfills his nutritional needs.

As gingivitis-stomatitus is often due to periodontal disease, routine dental care at home from an early age should be one of your priorities. You must also ensure that your cat is vaccinated against the viruses that cause cat flu and feline leukemia virus infection.

Additional feline dental disease information:

CFA: Feline Dental Pathology and Care
Feline Dental Disease
Feline Stomatitis

Page URL: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/dental.html

Resource References:
Cat Doctor, Mark Evans, B Vet Med MRVCS