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 The signs of healthy cat teeth are easy to spot. Does kitty have white teeth? Does she have any damaged or broken teeth? Do the gums look healthy? And now, the big question: How is your cat's breath? If she smells like she needs mouthwash, we have a problem!

Anatomy of the Mouth
Take a close look at your cat's mouth: You're looking at one of nature's most fearsome killing machines. Domestic cat teeth aren't that different from that of a big wildcat. Look into a lion's mouth and you'll see remarkably similar teeth. You might not see them for long, but you'll notice the resemblance before you're swallowed.

An adult cat has thirty teeth, and they're all specialized. See those long canines that frame the front of the mouth? They're for holding prey and killing it. They're also designed for tearing flesh. The small incisors between the long canines are for ripping flesh from the food. Further back in the mouth you'll find premolars and molars. Cats don't chew food as we humans do. Their molars cut food down into chunks small enough to swallow. The teeth are embedded in jaws attached to powerful muscles.

Cat Health Problems and Teeth
Why bother worrying about your cat's teeth? Because good dental care can add years to the life of your cat. Unfortunately, cats with irreparable dental problems may sometimes have to be put to sleep.

That's an extreme example, of course. Most cat health problems that arise from improper dental hygiene are less obvious. Bacteria from the mouth can travel through the blood stream to almost all parts of the feline body, causing heart, kidney, and liver problems. Dental health problems in cats could be compared to high blood pressure in humans: It's a silent disease that may only become apparent after some degree of damage has been done.

Bad Breath and Health
Snuggle up to your cat. Bring her face up to yours. Bring her mouth close to your nose and take a sniff. Do you smell pleasant, sweet breath, or did you just pass out from the stench? If so, you've just become a victim of Cat Bad Breath. Now, before you go running to the pet store for the kitty equivalent of mouthwash, you should know that bad breath can indicate some pretty serious health concerns.

Note that the odor might be the tuna you fed Fluffy immediately before you checked her breath. (In other words, don't check your cat's breath immediately after she's eaten canned food.)

A bad odor could come from anything from minor gingivitis to advanced gum disease. Infections in and around the teeth and gums, often from tartar accumulation, are probably a leading cause of pet bad breath. Hopefully, all that your cat's bad breath indicates is a need for some routine dental care and then a regular program of home maintenance.

Bad breath can indicate other serious health concerns. Burped up gas can point to a number of stomach and metabolic problems. One of the more serious possibilities is kidney failure. While most of us think of this in terms of the other end of the cat, urinary health, including kidney disease, can be indicated by unpleasant breath. Look for these additional indicators:
  • bad breath
  • excessive urination or frequent attempts to urinate
  • straining in the litter box
  • increased drinking
  • weight loss
  • urinating outside of the litter box
  • vomiting
  • a sudden lack of interest in grooming
  • lethargy.
The toxins normally eliminated by the kidneys build up in the blood stream and are detectable in the breath. Many veterinary experts believe that bacteria from the mouth gain access to the blood stream through diseased gums, resulting in bacteria being deposited in vital organs such as the heart and kidneys. For a cat, bad breath is reason enough for a trip to the vet's to rule out any serious conditions.

Plaque and Tartar: Constant Problems
Plaque and tartar are visible as yellow and brown deposits on the teeth. Plaque accumulates over the teeth and tartar is often most visible at the gum line. Regular cleaning with a toothbrush and toothpaste designed for cat health care can slow down deposit build-up. Pay special attention to the gum line — an area that the toothbrush can't always clean adequately. Plaque and tartar at the gum line indicates that it's time for a professional cleaning.

When it comes to preventing tartar buildup, dry cat food is best. Wet food doesn't provide the abrasion that dry food does. Dry, crunchy food can scrape plaque deposits off as the cat eats, to some degree.

Recently, cat food companies have developed tooth-cleaning cat food — food that is specially formulated to promote healthy teeth. The food is abrasive enough that it scrapes tartar and plaque off the teeth, and some products even leave small crystals embedded in the plaque that work to break down plaque even when the cat isn't eating.

The science of dental care and cat food is just beginning to reach pet food stores. Only time will tell how efficient such products actually are. While they may prove to be a valuable ally in the war against plaque and tartar, regular brushing and inspection remain the most efficient of techniques for healthy, clean feline teeth.

When you brush your cat's teeth, use cat toothpaste. Ordinary toothpaste isn't healthy for felines to swallow (since you're unlikely to be successful in teaching her to spit) and besides, she probably won't like the taste much!

If your cat expresses discomfort or physical pain while you're brushing her teeth, you may have stumbled across a broken or infected tooth or an exposed root. Obviously, advanced dentistry isn't going to be part of your at-home cat health care program, and this is going to require a trip to your vet's for medical treatment.

Brushing your cat's teeth shouldn't cause pain. Any indication that it does suggests the existence of a dental problem that requires prompt attention.

Cat Gingivitis
Cat gingivitis is one of the "silent" cat health care problems. Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums caused by plaque and tartar accumulation. The disease progresses slowly, so it's often overlooked until the gums have receded.


At-home cleaning alone cannot fight cat gingivitis because much of the tartar lies either at or below the gum line. To be effectively controlled, a cat health care professional should periodically examine and clean the entire tooth surface while the cat is under anesthesia.

Look for these symptoms:
  • shiny, rounded gum lines instead of pink and sharply defined lines
  • sensitivity or discomfort when eating
  • pain when drinking cold water
  • loose teeth
  • discomfort during tooth cleaning
  • bad breath .
Gingivitis starts out slowly, with minor inflammation of the gum line itself. The inflammation slowly spreads deeper into the gums, attacking the tissues that support the teeth.

Advanced gingivitis can lead to loose teeth and inflamed pockets around the teeth. As the gum line recedes, the nerve roots of the teeth are exposed, leading to increased pain sensitivity when eating. Without intervention, gingivitis can even eat away at the bone underneath the teeth.

Gingivitis can lead to serious cat health care problems. At advanced stages, up to fifty percent of the tissues attaching the cat's teeth to its jaws can be lost. Gingivitis can cause tooth loss and great discomfort to cats suffering from its effects. The bacteria causing the gums to deteriorate can also spread to other areas of the body.

Brushing is the first line of defense against gingivitis, and is quite effective against the early stages. To effectively control gingivitis, however, a professional tooth cleaning is required. With the cat under anesthetic, the vet can clean the tartar that hides beneath the gum line.

Rodent Ulcers
No, rodent ulcers (also called eosinophilic ulcers) in cats aren't something your cat catches from eating mice. Rodent ulcers are open sores that most often appear on the cat's upper lip. The ulcers have a hollowed out appearance, and can spread if untreated. In advanced cases, the sores can spread over the entire lip and into the mouth itself, causing great discomfort. Rodent ulcers in cats are usually treated with anti-inflammatory medication.

Oral Tumors
Cancerous tumors are relatively rare in the mouth, but they do occur. Squamous cell carcinoma is by far the most common of cat tumors that occur in the mouth. They can be treated either by chemotherapy or surgical removal. The tumor may resemble an unhealed sore, or simply be an area of apparent swelling.
 
 
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