Teeth Brushing

Now I know this has been brought up many times here and I have waded through several posts involving teethbrushing, but I feel I have to give my story too. Ok Dael is ~3.5 years old and I always look in her mouth, not like pull open her jaw, but she likes to rub against and always get in my face, so I lift up her lips and look in (which by the way Am I a weirdo, bc I think those little tiny teeth in the front are so adorable!)
anyway I have noticed in the past month the her teeth have lines in them and are turning brownish, her breath doesn't stink, I just don"t want her to have her teeth fall out, I think she seems too young to have teeth problems.
(I will take her to the vet, right now is super complicated time for me, and I mean like next week or so not "when I get around to it")
I worry the food I give her isn't very good, but I have always bought just any cat food for my cats before and never had dental problem. But this food I give her now is the only food she will eat without puking up, and I have had her checked out by the vet for that, he said she is just picky. I usually give her dry food, she doesn't like canned food and she doesn't like those kitty treat stuff and she chews on randomn stuff like wires.
Any help on how to keep her teeth healthy would be great. What is the magical cure!!!

 

Well out of the 5 cats I have one of them has bad teeth, they all eat the same food (I give them a mixture of wet and dry food), I asked my vet why only one cat has bad teeth since they all eat the same things and he said some cats are just unlucky (like people I guess, I brush my teeth twice a day or more and still get tooth problems and my brother never cleaned his teeth for years and has perfect teeth :roll: )

The vet also said dry food is better for cats teeth since it scrubs the surface when they chew it and wet food doesn't also I've noticed that wet food has sugar in it! I don't know if all cat food has sugar but this definatly wont help with tooth decay!

 

maybe pm chessmind. he should know... :0011:

 

try mixing some TD food in with her regular food. it's supposed to have dental properties...

 

Only a vet is going to be able to look at her teeth and tell you what the real problem is. Dry food is definitely better for teeth if you aren't brushing them...most ppl don't tho...heck if i could get my cat to let me do that! what kind of food are you feeding her that isn't being vomitted back up? She may have allergies to some ingredients in the other foods. My cat has a sensitive stomach and i have tried various foods with her...just dry, doesn't want canned. My best luck has been with the Purina One-Sensitive stomach, Solid Gold and now she is on Wellness, which i like the best and so does she, but it is expensive. I'm a pretty big advocate of proper pet nutrition tho and would give them fresh whole foods if i had the time to prepare them everynight. Most cheap pet foods are scary and full of mystery meats and cancer causing preservatives, inadequate protien sources and other scary things, so if you are worried about what she eats, i would suggest carefully reading ingredient labels before choosing. I beleive a little extra money on food now, is better than a lot of money on vet bills later.

 

Hi Lil96. I read your PM. Unfortunately, for now there is nothing you can do for your kitty, until you can get her to a vet. Right now, brushing her teeth will not do any good for her existing teeth/gum condition, as a toothbrush is unable to remove tartar. Also, there are no new magic pills that are on the market that will make her teeth and gums clean and healthy. When you can get her to a vet, they will most likely say that she has tartar and possibly even cavities and gum issues (such as gingivitis or periodontal disease). In that case a good teeth cleaning (in office scaling by a vet) and addressing/treating other possible oral problems should resolve her teeth/gum issues. The vet may also suggest that you clean her teeth at home to help lessen the tartar buildup and keep her gums healthier.

People used to believe this. However, new studies have found that this is not true.

Honestly? Genetics! Just like people their genes affect the health of their teeth and gums. Since we have no control over their genetics, the best thing for us to do is make sure all of our fur animals are examined by a vet at least once a year, get their teeth cleaned professionally (if needed) and also brush their teeth at home.

 

Hi Chessmind I'm curious about the new studies you spoke of concerning dry food not being better for teeth. I'm always trying to learn of better ways to take care of my furry babies, so that interests me very much. My reasoning behind saying that it Is better was based on both the common belief that the dry kibbles scrape the teeth more so than soft food and also that the majority of canned pet foods contain a lot of garbage and sweeteners to make them palatable(sp?). Do have a tip to point me in the right direction on reading this new info?

 

Thanks! I'll let you know when we get to the vet.