Dental Health

Hi There,

I am researching many issues in writing a book on cat care and lore and behavior. Dental issues with cats have been my preocupation for the past 14 years because my own cats have suffered various problems.

Here are my conclusions based on personal experience and research. Yes, genetics do play a huge role in your cat's dental health but....

First, cats who eat live prey whole will have better teeth, cats who drink ample water will have better teeth, You have to brush their teeth., CET is the best toothpaste and use their brushes too. I don't know of any water additives that are in widespread use that are effective because some of them have bad flavor. I had a cat with stomatitis, and a daily spray in his mouth with chlorhexidine spray was effective (though he hated the taste) against gingivitis inflammation. I have also used a weak mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water to swab bleeding gums as first aid. But eventually, you gotta take em in for a cleaning.

I have tried the CET dental treats..some cats will like them better than others but they actually have enzymes in them like the toothpaste and are not loaded with carbs. Most cat dental treats have little effectiveness against plaque and a little effectiveness against tartar. My feeling about food dry or wet that contains carbohydrates is that carbohydrates are sugar and sugar feeds bacteria and bacteria causes gum disease.

If your cats like to chew, try giving them pieces of loofa sponge to  chew and that will clean teeth somewhat.

Here is what I am researching at present. IF ANYONE HAS TRIED THESE SUCCESSFULLY, please post here. I want to talk to you:

ORATENE gels from the vets, contain enzymes..I like the idea of these

PLAQUE OFF...food additive that fights plaque made from seaweed but not for hyperthyroid cats (add to wet food WOW this would be great if it works but not for every cat)

Feline Healthy mouth

Yes, I can certainly believe that chewing on raw meaty bones would work the same as eating whole live prey but I haven't done it so far. One vet told me that cats need carbohydrates! I can't believe that. Where are the carbohydrates in their native foods? No carbs in a mouse.

Even if you don't brush, letting your cats lick the toothpaste will somewhat change the chemistry in their mouths favorably. But once you have bleeding gums, it is time for a pro cleaning.

So please post if you have secrets for me. I am determined that with my new babies to keep their mouths beautiful their whole lives.

And a colorado vet developed a water additive called no bad breath or something like that which is silver citrate added to water which disinfects the water.

I would agree with you that brushing is the best preventative course of action. Next is probably eating bone in meals and chewy meats like gizzards. I don't know how truly effective any of these other products are. How can water/food additives work? It might help freshen their breath, but cats aren't going to swish it around their mouth. It just gets swallowed and spends very little time in the mouth.

I have this sense that genetics play a large role in dental health. You hear of some cats who live to 20 who have never had a cleaning in their lives or any issues with their teeth. Others who have to have yearly cleanings despite a good healthy diet.

Stomatitis is very different from regular dental health. It is thought to be autoimmune related.

Hi there,

Yes, As I said in my post, genetics plays a big role in the mouth health of cats. I've seen that in my own cats.

The plaque off is a seaweed that is naturally antibacterial. It works by changing the mouth chemistry supposedly. Of everything that I have researched, most have weird flavors that would never work adding to water or food but a seaweed taste would probably be well tolerated..especially if a cat likes the taste of fish. I believe I read a post or a blog of a woman with a stomatitis cat who had successfully used it to control it.

I only mention the treatment of stomatitis because of the product I used to control it, chlorhexidine. It is nasty tasting but effective. My cat got stomatitis two days after having his teeth professionally cleaned and two extracted. HOWEVER, it was with gas anesthesia and not general anesthesia and I suspect the vet left the root tips in, leaving him with pockets of infection. But my cat was old and his immune system wasn't top notch by then as he was also hyperthyroid. It was just too much of a coincidence that he suddenly has gingivitis two days after a professional cleaning.

I believe that the Oratene with the enzymes in it would be helpful as a top dressing on teeth as it should kind of metabolize the plaque and tartar. However, you still have to brush and then apply it afterward. It does feature one of the enzymes naturally in a cat's mouth: lysozyme. It also features one of the enzymes in the CET toothpaste. I had used the toothpaste for years. Leslie