Dental question

ashekitty

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So according to my vet, my cat has stage 1-2 gingivitis. He said it's not too bad but he recommends a dental cleaning before it gets worse. I can't afford one right now, but I am saving all of my money to afford one. It could honestly be four months before I scrape the money together. How fast do cats teeth go down hill? (She is six if that matters, and has never had a cleaning) Do I need to be doing more to get this money together more quickly?
 

solomonar

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Once the paradontal disease installs, that is final. No cure exists. At least today.  And the final stage of paradontosis is 100% loosing all teeth. No exception, no hope. The only thing one can do is to slow down the advance of the paradontosis to the point something else kills (we all die, no matter how many lives we  have ... :-)).

How fast advances gingivitis to paradontosis? I guess this is you question when talking about "teeth going downhill". I doubt somebody can answer you in clear terms. 

Did the cat lost any tooth by now?

One thing you can do is to brush her teeth. This may prevent dental plaque to advance, to a certain extent.  Do not bother about quality of the dental cream - does not matter at all. But make sure you get the best toothbrush you can find. The more filaments - the better. Pick a soft one.

The toothbrush "pinches" the mini-leftovers from the gum and tooth like a small pincers, there is almost no abrasion required. If one presses the toothbrush against the gum like attempting to sandpaper it, then the gum gets damaged but there is nothing more achieved comparing to a soft brushing.

For more about effective brushing there are internet sites explaining in great details.

The brushing shall be done at latest after 30 minutes after eating (preferably just immediately), not leaving more than 12 hours between session (practically, this means three times a day).

The difficult point is to brush without damaging the gum.

One may not expect miracles from cat teeth brushing, but in critical situations may be worth doing.

The plaque forms at the edges of the gum and beneath the gum, so only flossing or waterpick can act there, I do not know ehetehr is possible to floss or waterpick the cat's teeth. I guess it is not, but is worth asking the professionals.

==

It might be useful to compare the cost of brushing to the cost of a four months loan. Perhaps the vet may accept installments, I do not know your market but sometime people just do not ask . Or asking for a "special price". 
 
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ashekitty

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Thank you for the information. My cat won't even let me look at her teeth, but I guess that comes with training. I should have started her when she was younger, but I didn't know. So are you saying it might be possible to go from stage 1-2 gingivitis to paradontosis in four months?
 

verna davies

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I have a cat with gingivitis also but she has had it since she is 5 months old so not caused by plaque. I have done quite a lot of research on cat toothpastes and found that Logic Gel is the only one that works even without brushing (obviously if you are able to brush all the better). As long as it is in the mouth it works. I use interdental sticks size 4.5 on my cats as they didn't take to anything else. Logic is not expensive and a tube lasts ages
 
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ashekitty

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Thank you! I just ordered some logic gel! I hope this does something for my kitty while I save up for a dental.
 

maddies momma

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Four months is not too long. If she has made it six years without a cleaning and she only has mild gingivitis then she will be just fine for a few months. If it was a really urgent situation then the vet would have expressed that. Brushing her teeth or using the gel will be great for her in the meantime. It takes a long time for teeth to develop periodontal disease. And as long as she is being properly cared for and receiving some at home dental care, then you have time to save up. Also if you look at her teeth do they look mildly dirty or very dirty? It takes a large amount of opaque calculus to build up before a tooth becomes so damaged that it needs to be removed. My cat was seven years old before he had his first dental and his teeth were in great shape with only mild calculus.

The only thing that would indicate a need to rush on the dental is if you notice her having trouble eating or not wanting to eat at all. Or any gross odors coming from her mouth or signs of drooling.
 
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ashekitty

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Thank you @maddies momma! You have made me feel much better. Your kitty in your profile picture is beautiful!
 
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