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Cats have much better teeth than most animals, including humans. Their teeth are stronger, the enamel is thicker, and they are typically a lot less prone to acquire diseases and cavities than other animals are.
But that doesn’t mean your cat isn’t at risk for mouth and tooth diseases. It’s important that you check your cat’s mouth each week. Inspect its teeth at the same time each week, so you can make it a habit. When you inspect your cat’s teeth, you should run your finger along each tooth and look at each one, checking for any discoloration, loose or broken teeth or other defects.
The most common problem in cats’ teeth is finding a broken one or an abscessed tooth. Because of a cat’s natural fighting instincts, it’s not uncommon for you to find a tooth in your cat’s mouth that is broken or chipped. If you find this, you can correct the problem by making sure the tooth isn’t causing any kind of problem for your cat. You can have the tooth filled or capped, if you wanted. But not many people have this done for their cats.
An abscessed tooth will almost always pose a problem for your cat. An abscessed tooth means that your cat has a tooth that is infected. This poses problems because your cat likely won’t eat as much as normal because of the great pain. And your cat’s mouth will experience incredible discomfort throughout the day. If you find that your cat is not eating normally and is favoring its mouth, you’ll want to take it in to see your vet and have the abscessed tooth removed. Once the tooth has been extracted, your cat’s mouth will remain swollen for a short period, then the swelling will go down. Getting rid of the tooth is virtually the only option for an abscessed tooth.
To keep your pet’s mouth healthy, you should have regular check ups of your cat’s teeth and gums. Normally once a year is often enough to do this. In addition, you should either give your cat some bones that don’t splinter or some dry food each day, so your cat can chew the food and keep its teeth and gums healthy. Further, it would help keep your cat’s mouth healthy if you would wipe your cat’s teeth and gums each week with a cleaning solution that is a mix of salt, baking soda, and water.
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