Do you brush your kitties teeth, or have the vet clean them?

dragonlady

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Just wondering, I have the vet clean the kitties teeth as there are so many in my house. This is pricey and I worry every time they go under, but I think it is necessary.

What do you guys do?
 

jcat

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I've tried brushing Jamie's teeth myself, but he's not the least bit cooperative. So far he's had his teeth cleaned once by the vet (he's 5 1/2). Both vets say his teeth look pretty good.
 

pinkdaisy226

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I've tried cleaning Baylee's teeth... it's hard, she won't do it willingly so I have to hold her mouth open and she has such tiny teeth! I think the next time she has a vet visit, I'll see if they have any tasty toothpaste and if they'll do it for me.
 

lisalee

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I'm lucky that Sash hasn't had to have his teeth cleaned. My vet did notice a little tarter at his last checkup on one of his teeth, she said it was nothing to worry about but I have started giving him tarter treats by Nutro daily and I just bought Wysong's dentatreat. I also use Pet Gel by Oxyfresh on his teeth about twice a week. I just want to try to keep on top of things so we hopefully won't have any problems.
 

ash_bct

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I brush Baker's teeth

Cola and Tango don't need it but Baker has a problem with tartar build-up. He gets the vet-cleaning once a year and I brush his teeth every other day.
If I don't he will eventually need teeth pulled

At first it was a fight to brush them, but now he seems to actually enjoy it LOL
His favorite tooth-paste flavor is BEEF
 

pinkdaisy226

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Where do you find flavored toothpaste? Apparently Baylee doesn't like malt-flavored toothpaste, which is the only kind I can find!
 

esrgirl

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How often are you supposed to brush their teeth? I just realized that I've never done this for the cat I've had for a year now! The vet has never said anything about her teeth, but if I need to do it I'd like to know how often.
 
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Hans has perfect teeth, even though he's 14 years old! And the kitten's teeth are healthy as well. I don't even bother brushing them since they're doing fine.

Mer has had gingivitis problems since I brought him home in June, and I had his teeth and gums cleaned by the vet in August. (I was so nervous since he had to be anethesitized. It was a good thing it was done, though, because when they removed a wax buildup while he was under, they discovered his eardrum was torn.) Brushing doesn't seem to make much difference since it's not a build-up, but an infection. I use an oral rinse on him every other day, and he HATES it. I feel so guilty. Not only does it taste like rancid oranges, but it burns. (I put a little on my tongue before I used it on him so I knew what kind of reaction to expect.) The oral rinse clears up the inflammation and his gums start to look like a normal pink instead of dark red. I don't know how long it will be before he needs another dental work-up. I'm hoping I can stretch it for a few years.
 
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