Cats love teeth class- Gogo Herbs

Have you ever picked up your cat’s milk teeth? It is said to bring good luck. Cats' milk teeth are very small and are usually swallowed directly into their stomachs when they replace their teeth, making them difficult to detect. Cats’ teeth have different growth cycles. A healthy set of teeth allows cats to enjoy delicious food and be healthier. Gogo Herbs’ Cat Teeth Care Class is now open!

Cat tooth growth cycle

From birth to adulthood, cats go through three dental stages: the edentulous stage, the deciduous tooth stage, and the permanent tooth stage. When kittens are born, they have no teeth, their gums are bare and soft, and they can only consume breast milk and formula. After about two weeks, cats enter the deciduous teeth period. Their teeth gradually grow larger and their gums become itchy, stimulating the kittens' urge to chew toys and bite people. At this time, the cat's bite and digestive system are not fully developed, so it should be fed kitten food, such as canned meat paste and softened kitten food. Cats enter the permanent tooth period at around three to four months old, with their deciduous teeth falling out one by one and permanent teeth growing out. Red and swollen gums, decreased appetite, and bad breath are all normal and will recover on their own after a while. Cats' permanent teeth will be with them throughout their lives, so they must be well protected.

Cats’ dental division of labor during the permanent tooth period

During the permanent tooth period, cats have a total of 30 teeth, including 12 incisors, 4 canines, 10 premolars and 4 molars.

Incisors do not participate in chewing and are mainly used for combing hair, scratching, cleaning nails and picking up objects, such as picking up toys and kittens.

Canines are sharp teeth located on both sides of a cat's mouth. Large cats use their canines to pierce their prey when hunting, while cats' canines are mainly used for attack and can pierce human skin when biting.

Premolars and molars are the main chewing teeth of cats. They are responsible for cutting food into small pieces that are easy to swallow. They are the key teeth for cats to enjoy delicious food.

What dental and oral problems can cats have?

Dental plaque

Plaque is the culprit for most dental problems in cats. Cats have narrow mouths and many grooves on their teeth, so food can easily remain in their mouths and on their teeth. The bacteria in the mouth absorb nutrients from food residues, attach to the surface of the mouth and teeth, and form a sticky biofilm, which is dental plaque. Bacteria continue to multiply, plaque spreads below the gum line, and the continuous secretion of excrement damages the teeth and surrounding tissues.

Tartar and Calculus

If dental plaque is not cleaned in time, under the combined action of oral cells and minerals, it will calcify in the gaps between teeth and at the junction of teeth and gums, forming dental plaque and tartar. Tartar is a hard, yellow or brown deposit that cannot be removed directly. The gums at the site of tartar will also become red, swollen and painful, affecting the cat's ability to drink water and eat. Severely inflamed gums can cause your cat to drool.

Periodontal disease

Gingivitis can eventually develop into periodontal disease. Gingivitis can cause gum recession and aggravate tartar accumulation, continuously destroy periodontal tissues, lead to tooth root exposure and eventually tooth loss. Once it progresses into periodontal disease, it will not only cause periodontal tissue and oral ulcers, but may also cause oral and nasal congestion, facial ulcers and malnutrition.

Cat Dental and Oral Problem Prevention and Treatment

1. Develop the habit of brushing teeth from an early age

It is recommended to brush your cat's teeth three times a week. Cats are most likely to adapt if their teeth are brushed when they are three months old because their permanent teeth have already grown out and their resistance is relatively small. Especially for cats who often eat wet food, meat, have a high starch content in their staple food, and like to eat fruit, they should pay more attention to cleaning their teeth. Owners can add tooth cleaning liquid to the cat's drinking water, or feed the cat tooth cleaning biscuits to clean the cat's mouth daily.

2. Reward your cat for brushing properly

Cats have narrow mouths, so you should choose a small-headed toothbrush for cats to reduce irritation. Using finger gloves to clean a cat's teeth may cause bites. Cats don’t know how to blow bubbles, so you should choose edible cat toothpaste. Before brushing its teeth, you can let your cat lick the toothpaste to get familiar with the smell, then try applying the toothpaste on the cat's canine teeth and gently touch its teeth and gums. When brushing teeth, just make simple circles. Don't brush too much to avoid causing your cat to get bored or resist. Start cleaning from the incisors and gradually move to the molars, focusing on cleaning the molars and the spaces between them. Brushing teeth does not have to be completed continuously. You can take a break and then continue. Remember to reward your kitten with snacks or toys every time it completes the brushing steps. Regular brushing of your teeth can not only prevent dental plaque, but also dissolve some shallow tartar.

3. Teeth cleaning to remove dental calculus

When dental tartar seriously affects the gums and periodontal health and affects the cat's daily life, you should consider using medical teeth cleaning to remove it to avoid worsening oral inflammation. The teeth cleaning process will cause discomfort and bleeding, and cats will not cooperate obediently, so teeth cleaning requires general anesthesia. Anesthesia will inevitably damage the cat's body. Before anesthesia, the cat's health status must be comprehensively assessed. After teeth cleaning, you need to check your teeth every six months.

4. Periodontal disease treatment

In the treatment of early periodontitis, the veterinarian will focus on cleaning the cat's teeth and the area between the teeth and gums, and prescribe a mouthwash for the cat to use daily to prevent the formation and accumulation of dental plaque. When periodontitis is severe, the teeth may move more than 3mm, X-rays may show root absorption, the gums may shrink severely and the root exposure area may be as high as 75%, then the teeth need to be extracted to prevent the inflammation from spreading to the surrounding oral tissues. Removing teeth will not affect a cat's ability to eat dry food or canned food, but it will affect its ability to bite off large pieces of food.

This is the end of the introduction to Gogo Herbs’ cat tooth care class. Cultivating good hygiene habits and helping your cat clean its teeth regularly will help prevent periodontitis and tooth loss. After treating periodontitis, you can also choose a staple food for your cat that is made from high-quality ingredients and protects the health of its teeth. We recommend: Hill's™ Pet Food Oral Care Formula for Adult Cats can strengthen dental nutrition, clinically proven to slow the formation of plaque and tartar, and the interlaced fiber technology can clean teeth every time your cat eats. Omega-6 and vitamin E are also added to keep the coat shiny. It can be used after wet food to clean food residues in the mouth. Hill's Pet Food also offers canned cat food with chicken and liver developed for kittens' dental health, laying a good foundation for health from an early age. For more scientific pet health products, please visit Gogo Herbs Pet Health column. For product details, please contact us via WhatsApp +852 5483 0695.