Brush a cat's teeth - upper & lower?

My two cats (Fred & Ginger) had their first vet vist last week. Vet told me both cats have mild gingivitis; Fred has tartar on 1 tooth. I ask about cleaning and she suggest that we start brushing their teeth and at the meantime she will test both cats for bartonella. We are still waiting the test result. Anyway, I start brush (more like massage/wipe using gauze with a little toothpaste) their teeth on Sunday. They certain don't like it but tolerate it so long my finger isn't in their mouth too long. The finger brush is way too big for my fingers.

Our vet said to brush upper & lower of outside teeth- I have no problem doing the upper outside but the minute I move my finger to the bottom both start to bite/chew. Perhaps they are not used to it? How do I brush their lower teeth? I did not find answers searching this website and the web.

We got them from shelter, both are 10 months old.

Thanks,
Rone

First of all, Welcome to TCS! I'm glad you could join us here! You came to the right place for help with any questions or concerns you may ever have! If you need any help finding your way around the site, just click on my name and PM me!

Ok, I don't have any personal experience with brushing cats teeth. I've never done it before. The only thing I would suggest is brush as many as you possibly can, then give the cat some of those tartar control treats. Slowly work on trying to do both top and bottom, after you've done it for awhile the cat should be able to allow you to do whatever you want with the teeth

I know you said that you've checked out the web and TCS, but I wanted to post some links anyway. Maybe you missed one somewhere along the line and one of these links may help? Just check them out, what do you got to lose? LOL

Here you go:
http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/14/Br...ats-Teeth.html
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...ush+cats+teeth
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=56
http://maxshouse.com/tooth_brushing.htm
http://mycatcare.blogspot.com/2007/0...ats-teeth.html

Hopefully, one of these sites will help you get the cat used to you brushing. It may take a little time and patience, but you will get it I know you will Just make sure you keep us updated! Don't feel afraid to ask questions, there are a lot of people on TCS that have a lot of experience with cats. With that being said, I'm hoping someone with more experience will come along and help you out Good luck!

I have a question about this.
Zoe sometimes tends to get bad breath from eating her wet food, but her teeth and gums look very healthy. But I want to start brushing her teeth about once a week just to prevent gingivitis in the future. I've seen those "feline tooth brush/tooth paste" kits, but is there something else you can use? If I was to use gauze, what kind of "toothpaste" is safe for her?
Sorry to butt in on this topic... Those links look very helpful, I hope you find your solution soon!

Welcome and thanks for adopting the kitties!
I have heard feeding raw or lightly cooked meat a few times a week helps teeth greatly.