Vets in United States and Canada say that most cat owners are not familiar with the sight of the inner reaches of their pet’s mouth. Most cats with dental problems are taken to their vets only when the condition reaches an advanced stage and symptoms become obvious, like difficulty in eating. The most common dental disease in cats includes periodontal disease and gingivitis.
Periodontal disease
This condition is suffered by most cats sooner or later. Early detection is possible only with regular and close examination of the cat’s mouth, starting from when they are young kittens.
Symptoms
Common symptoms include bad breadth, reddening of the gums, receding gums that exposes the tooth roots, brown or yellow deposits on the teeth, drooling saliva sometimes tinged with blood, pain in the mouth, difficulty in eating or chewing, decrease in appetite and difficulty in closing the mouth.
Causes
Periodontal disease in cats results due to the built up of various events that takes place in your cat’s mouth from the day the teeth comes through.
Bacterial plaque covers the cat’s teeth every day and the amount of plaque retained depends mostly on the cat’s diet. Though the plaque is soft to begin with, it hardens rapidly to form calculus or tartar which is very rough and hard to remove. The bacteria in the plaque cause inflammation and reddening of the gums. As the condition worsens gums starts to recede, loosening the teeth.
While all cats have a risk of periodontal disease, some factors are known to promote the condition like retained milk teeth, overcrowding of teeth, infection in the tooth and genetics.
Periodontal disease progresses over a period of several years and can be reversed if detected and treated in early stages.
Treatment
Your vet might recommend special toothbrush and toothpaste for routine cleaning to avoid build up of plaque. Special rinses and gels might also be recommended in some cases. While mild cases of plaque can be removed just by regular brushing, advanced cases with hardened tartar might need descaling, which should be done under general anesthetic by your vet. In severe cases, other surgical procedures might also be needed.
Gingivitis – Stomatitus
While gingivitis is a localized inflammation of the gums, stomatitus is a condition that results in the inflammation of the whole mouth and both conditions usually occur at the same time which is referred to as gingivitis-stomatitus. This condition might be sudden and acute, but many cats have been known to suffer from chronic gingivitis-stomatitus which might be difficult to treat.
Causes for this condition include viral infections, traumatic injury, chemical irritation, periodontal disease and other serious conditions like chronic renal failure and diabetes mellitus.
Symptoms include bad breadth, difficulty in chewing or eating, reddening of mouth lining and gums, loss of appetite, weight loss and all the symptoms of periodontal disease.
Chronic gingivitis-stomatitus is very painful and difficult to treat. Immediate medical attention is needed if you detect any of the symptoms. If the cause is diagnosed then a specific treatment regimen will be recommended by your vet, if not your vet might use medications like antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids to control the symptoms.
Regular cat dental care is the best way to keep the cat dental problems in check.
