By: Matthew Paolini
Cat enthusiasts need to make sure that a dental checkup is part of every trip to the veterinarian. Like all mammals, cats are vulnerable to a variety of dental diseases and problems, some more serious than others. Having your vet give your favorite tabby a thorough dental examination at least once a year is an important step in ensuring a long and healthy life for your cat.
Most dental problems in cats develop after a cat begins to get his or her permanent teeth. Kittens start out with twenty-six "baby" teeth, which usually begin to appear when a kitten has reached the age of three to four weeks. Starting an an age of about three or four months, permanent teeth begin to replace these temporary teeth. By the time the process is complete, adult cats have a total of thirty permanent teeth divided into two rows of sixteen (upper jaw) and fourteen (lower jaw) teeth.
Unlike humans, however, cats don't eat a diet full of sugar-rich foods or high-acid soda pop, which means that cats are generally less susceptible to tooth decay. But because cats can't brush or floss their teeth, a gum disease called gingivitis is common in felines. In fact, gum disease plagues more than 70 percent of cats three years or older. Badly inflamed gums, ugly tartar or calculus along the gum line, and the feline equivalent of dog breath are common symptoms of gum disease in cats. Having a vet remove the tartar and calculus will reduce the inflammation and help with your cat's chronic bad breath.
A broken tooth is also a fairly routine dental issue with cats. The tooth most often affected is a cat's sharp upper incisor, which is sometimes damaged by a fall or by food that is simply too hard to chew. If your cat has a broken tooth, it may or may not exhibit signs of pain. But a cat with a fractured or broken tooth will frequently sneeze uncontrollably, a sure sign that it's time to visit the vet.
While gum disease or a broken tooth usually prompt cat owners to visit a vet without much delay, regular checkups can also help to ward off or identify more serious conditions. Oral health problems in cats are sometimes indicative of more serious conditions like resorption lesions or viral infections like feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency or feline calicivirus.
Having a vet check the oral health of your cat on a regular basis can add many happy years to the life of your pet. Finding a vet for your cat is often as easy as asking a friend or relative who also has a pet. If you're a solitary cat lover looking for a vet, check your local or online yellow pages for a list of qualified veterinarians in your immediate area.
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Are you a cat lover looking for a vet? Locate a veterinarian in your neighborhood using CityBook.com's online yellow pages.
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