All About Dental Disease in Cats

How many of you forget to check the inner recess of your cat's mouth regularly? According to vets in United States and Canada most pet owners don't check regularly. Because of this, most cat dental problems come to the attention of a vet only in advanced stages when symptoms like difficulty in eating becomes obvious. Periodontal and Gingivitis are the two most common diseases that affect cat dental health.

Periodontal Disease

Sooner or later most cats are affected by this disease. Symptoms include bad breadth, inflammation and reddening of gums, receding gums, deposits on the teeth that might be brown or yellow in color, drooling saliva sometimes with traces of blood, difficulty to eat or chew, loss of appetite and weight loss.

Causes for periodontal disease in cats are varied and builds up slowly, starting from the day the teeth came through. Every day plaque gets deposited on the teeth and the amount of plaque that remains on the teeth mostly depends on the diet. While some believe that dry foods will help clean up the teeth, it is not a proven fact.

Over time, the soft plaque will harden to form tartar or calculus which is difficult to remove. Plaque contains bacteria which causes inflammation in the gums. If left unattended, gums will start to recede, loosening the teeth and eventually leads to loss of teeth. Some of the factors that help promote this disease are overcrowding of teeth, retained milk teeth, infection and genetics.

Periodontal disease develops gradually and it can be cured by timely detection and proper treatment. Treatment for mild cases of this disease might be as simple as regular brushing with special toothbrush and toothpaste that your vet might recommend to stop the built up of plaque. In advanced cases, the hardened tartar can be removed only by descaling, which has to be done by a vet under general anesthetic. In very severe cases certain surgical procedures might also be recommended.

Gingivitis - Stomatitus

Gingivitis is a localized inflammation of gums and stomatitus is the general inflammation of the gums in the entire mouth. Both these dental conditions generally occur simultaneously and called as gingivitis-stomatitus. Though this disease is most often acute and sudden, many cats are affected by chronic gingivitis-stomatitus, treatment for which is complicated and very difficult.

Symptoms for this dental disease in cats is similar to the symptoms of the periodontal disease including bad breadth, inflamed and reddened gums, inability to chew or eat comfortably, decreased appetite and weight loss.

Causes for gingivitis-stomatitus include chemical irritation, viral infections and traumatic injury. It can also be caused by existing conditions like diabetes mellitus or chronic renal failure. When periodontal disease is left untreated for long it can develop into gingivitis-stomatitus.

Treatment for gingivitis-stomatitus is complicated and difficult. Chronic condition of this disease is extremely painful. You should consult your vet immediately if your pet exhibits any of the symptoms. Since the causes are numerous diagnoses can be difficult. If the exact causes are known then your vet might recommend a specific treatment. Otherwise, a general treatment regimen will be recommended to control the symptoms which might include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids. The only way to prevent and keep your cat dental problems in check is to follow a regular cat dental care routine.