Dental cleaning

I just got back from the vets with my cat for her shots and wellness exam. She's perfectly healthy, but needs her teeth cleaned, to the tune of a minimum of $325. She said we can try a dental f diet food after, but need to start with a clean slate.
Any thoughts? Is there anything that would help us avoid the cleaning? Do any of those sprays work? Chewing on bones? Besides the cost that would be tough right now, I don't want to have her knocked out for the procedure.

Thanks!

What I've read is that sharp instruments are required to get the tartar off.

Hi

Once you get a lot of tartar built up I don't think there are many options.  Keeping the teeth clean after a dental may be easier than doing nothing and doing the dental again in a few years.  If you live in a city with a humane society and if they have a hospital they might offer a lower rate.

How old is your cat?  If she isn't too old, and they do blood work to make sure she's suitable and you go through with it, make sure they put her on oxygen during the procedure, some vets may not do this, and make sure they have a defibrillator standing by just in case.

If there are no better $$$ options, you could probably put it off for a period of time, but it will only get worse and if it goes to far may lead to extractions and gingivitis can lead to heart disease. 

Stephen

I know dentals are expensive.  Once tarter builds up the only way to remove it is with a dental.  I don't know about the sprays as far as prevention but I seriously doubt they can remove tarter that has already formed.  I don't think the dental food works for cats. It's basically a larger kibble to make the kitty chew their food.  You can try to get her used to having her teeth brushed, that's usually better done when they are still kittens but you can try.  You will need to get the toothpaste at the pet store rather than using human toothpaste.  They do make rubber finger tips with a rough side on them that you can use as well.  Some cats will tolerate that where they won't tolerate a brush.  Some people give their kitties a raw chicken wing once or twice a week to keep their teeth clean.  The brushing and the chicken wings would still be a prevention rather than removing the tarter that has already formed.

I understand your concern regarding anesthesia, but it is important to eliminate serious tartar as this can be a serious health risk for your cat if left unchecked.

Depending on how severe the tartar is, you could try Dentatabs (made by Tartarshield) which are white tablets that contain malic acid (found in green apples). These tablets are dissolved in your cat's drinking water. Days or weeks later the product works to dissolve tartar from the teeth. This is a natural product for the most part and has been tested on dogs and cats with serious tartar and has resulted in some amazing results. Of course, this is no replacement for regular dental maintenance such as brushing your cats' teeth with a cat toothpaste that contains enzymes and getting regular checkups to ensure that there is no serious issues requiring a professional teeth cleaning. It can help as a first step to reduce tartar, but you should follow up with your vet to have your cat's teeth checked to see if further intervention is still required.

As a last thought, I would avoid giving bones like marrow bones, as your cat could break their teeth on something this hard.

My cat has had bad teeth all his life and has needed two dentals. I understand your concerns about the cost and the stress for your cat. But it's better to do it now rather than letting it get worse and your cat will only be even older.
You need to get rid of the tartar by scraping, so nothing really works after the fact. But definitely try things afterward to keep her from getting more. Some people use that green stuff you add to their water. Personally I think nothing works as well as brushing their teeth once a day.

Thanks everyone..... I just wanted to see what my options are, my vet only really have me the one lol. Emma is a very healthy 8 year old (roughly), who has never let me pet her for more than 3 minutes without biting me, let alone brush her teeth.
I'm thinking of trying the tablets, then having her reevaluated. I'm ready to bring her in tomorrow (well, not really, they want her on clyndamycin for 3 days first) but my husband is hesitant to spend the money. More than hesitant. I'm sure he'll come around, today's a bad-news-with-money day, just a bad day to find out we need to spend more I guess.
Thanks & Happy New

Ask your vet if they think she can hold off until Feb. February is dental month and most vets offer dentals at a discount. If she's 8 years old and healthy you shouldn't have anything to worry about when putting her under. This summer I had my 13y/o's teeth done and she did just fine with the anesthesia. The sprays and tablets will help prevent new tartar from forming, but they don't work well for taking existing tartar off. Dental foods and chews generally don't work for cats because most cats don't chew their food a lot, some even swallow kibble whole.

I use a product called Petzlife on my furkids.  It will help remove some of the tartar over time.  If your pet has diseases in it's mouth (gingivitis, periodontal disease etc) then I recommend a cleaning.  But I brush probably 3-4 times a week with everybody with Petzlife.  I used it twice a day for a month on everyone and then now just as maintenance.

Where are you located?  I know there are a few places that do non anesthesia dental cleanings.  We have a place that comes to the Vet Clinic I work at once a month to do them.  They do the full dental procedure while the animal is awake.