teeth cleaning

has anyone had their cats teeth cleaned?? my cats are going to have it done in a few days

By the vet or?

With my RB cat Sasha, she had so much tartar on her teeth that the vet just scraped it off with her fingernail and it came off in large chunks

Go to a pet shop and buy a kitty tooth brush and start brushing their teeth. It won't be easy at first... but they will get used to it after a while.

Getting them cleaned at the vets is expencive and scarey for you and your cat. The kitty has to be put under for the vet to do a good job without harming your cat. Sometimes they have a bad reaction to the anastesia (sp).

Good luck with the cleaning and let us know how pretty the teeth look after it is done.

It's a good idea to do maintenance brushing at home, but sometimes they do need vet cleaning if the teeth or bad, or have other problems.

2 of my cats need regular dentals - The 14 year old has had to have most of her teeth taken out due to neck lesions. Mr. Underfoot (9)has bad teeth and needs regular dentals, too, but for some reason his sister's teeth stay clean and she's never needed a dental. Oreo (7) has had two dentals so far. I think he's about average for a cat.

If your vet uses modern gas anesthesia it's very safe, especially if you get the pre-anesthetic bloodwork done to rule out any complicating health factors.

These links may help:
www.catdoctors.com/html/lit_dental.html
http://www.scaredy-cats.com/articles...ophylaxis.html

do tartor control treats help?

We brush our cats' teeth here at home. We try to get 2 a night, so everyone gets brushed every week. Tillie of course just had her $700 of dental work/extractions...

Khepera is going to need a vet dental cleaning, I think, his teeth are not in the best shape. From there, we'll continue brushing at home.

Coal, also, will need to see the kitty dentist, as he does NOT like getting his teeth brushed. We don't brush his, as it is too traumatic for him. Last time we tried, he bit me and expressed his anal glands. Eewww.

I would be interested in knowing if the tartar control treats work, too, as well as those liquids you're supposed ot squirt into the cat's mouth (not down the throat) to help with tartar buildup, and the "dental wipes".

They're not quite as good as brushing, but they do seem to help. I use the CET dental chews - they come in poultry or fish flavor.

When I got Peaches her teeth were so built up with plaque. The vet said she really needed to have them professionally cleaned. He also said if I fed her tarter control treats, dry food and brushed her teeth occassionally, she'd probably never have to have them cleaned again. But he said once the teeth have so much build up on them the treats and brushing don't do much good.

thanks for the info. i had taken them in to the vet for their yearly check up, and she said their teeth had some really bad tarter, stripey even had one molar starting to get infected, so she did do the blood work to check everything out and said they would do fine to get them cleaned, no i havent used treats, i got some and they didnt like them, after the cleaning i am going to try (try) and start brushing their teeth. i feed them only dry food, i thought that would help them from this problem

I try to brush Oreo's teeth at least every other day. He is pretty good and tolerates it - he does not cause much of a fuss at all. I think it is because he knows he gets a yummy treat after I'm done. I will do whatever possible to prevent him having to go in for a professional cleaning. I used to work as a vet tech. and I used to assist in those cleanings, and they are not too pretty especially when you have to pull teeth because they are infected.

i know what you mean about the cleaning not being nice, but right now i guess i have to, but from now on you bet im gonna do whatever it takes to keep them clean, i dont like the idea of them having to gone all day, makes me sad, but they will be okay, i trust my vet totaly.. she is wonderful, thanks for the advicwe though i apperciate it

my mother recently had her cat's teeth cleaned by the vet. Be warned, sometimes removing the tarter buildup can weaken a tooth which allows bacteria to invade. This happened with my mother's cat, and they ended up extracting 3 teeth. Talk to your vet about this before the procedure.

I use the tartar control treats and feed dry food. My cat has never had her teeth cleaned and i don't brush them at home. She keeps them pretty clean, but I do monitor them. I just pet her while she is resting and gently lift her lips a little, so that I can see her teeth. She doesn't really mind a quick peek. They are in good shape. I think it is the friskies tarter control treats. They also are poultry or fish flavored.