How to tell if a cat has a toothache

Few people are able to completely avoid tartar. But it is possible to significantly reduce its formation if you learn how to properly care for your cat's teeth:

What Should You Know About Tartar and How To Get Away From It?

Most people have heard about tartar from toothpaste ads. But not everyone understands its dangers and why it's important to fight it. We asked our dental hygienist Evgenia Vladimirovna Bolshakova to answer the most frequent questions about tartar.

It is a hardened plaque that has not been removed from the tooth surface in time.

In general, plaque on the teeth is deposited all the time. It is a sticky film made up of food debris, saliva, bacteria and their products. The film is firmly attached to the teeth, so it can only be removed mechanically – with a toothbrush and dental floss. Where plaque is not brushed off well enough, it soaks in calcium salts from saliva and hardens. This is how tartar is formed.

The mineralization process begins 16 to 20 hours after plaque is deposited. It is completed by 12 to 14 days.

Tartar can deposit not only on natural teeth, but also on artificial crowns, fillings or dentures.

Why does tartar appear if I brush my teeth regularly?

First, not all people clean their teeth properly. The gumline, interdental spaces and the sides of your chewing teeth are often the first places people go to get tartar. To effectively remove plaque from these areas, additional hygiene aids like floss, brushes and an irrigator are necessary.

Secondly, in addition to insufficient hygiene, there are other factors that contribute to the deposition of stones. These are, for example, smoking, excessive consumption of flour and sweets, or lack of raw fruits and vegetables in the diet (solid food works like a toothbrush).

Some people have a bad habit of chewing food on one side only. This can cause dental deposits to form on the other side because the teeth are not cleaned during chewing.

Another possible cause is diseases of the digestive tract and endocrine disorders, which can affect the saliva composition.

Tartar is also more likely to occur in people who have uneven teeth and bite problems because they have more difficulty cleaning their teeth.

What do a cat's teeth and gums normally look like?

Like most mammals, cats have 2 sets of teeth – milk teeth and permanent teeth. Kittens are born toothless, but within a few days their first baby teeth begin to erupt.

The change from temporary to permanent begins 6 to 8 weeks after birth. It's a gradual process, so for most owners, it goes unnoticed, given the small size of the teeth. By 8 months of age, all of the baby teeth should be replaced by the molars. Since cat saliva contains the enzyme lysozyme, which has an antibacterial effect, the change is painless.

An adult cat normally has 30 teeth: 16 on the upper jaw and 14 on the lower jaw. There is a congenital feature – oligodontia, transmitted by inheritance, in which the tooth set is incomplete.

The structure of the teeth is due to the cat's diet. Cats are carnivorous animals; they use their teeth to hold their prey and tear up meat. Description of the dental set:

• Incisors. Small teeth that are located at the front of both jaws with 6 on each. Unlike herbivores and omnivores, the cat does not bite off food with them; they serve to hold bits of food.
• Fangs. The longest and sharpest teeth, 2 canines on both sides of each jaw. They have the deepest root canals. Designed for killing their prey – a cat bites into the area near the spine of its prey, damaging the spinal cord; also they rip off pieces of food.
• Premolars. The 6 upper and 4 lower small molars are used to grind dense food, such as meat.
• Molars. Four molars on both jaws. Also serve to chew food.

Causes and symptoms of dental disease in cats

In the absence of proper care, improper nutrition, congenital abnormalities in pets, as well as in humans, can appear problems with the teeth, which require treatment by a veterinarian dentist. The most common among these are cavities and pulpitis. Periodontitis and osteomyelitis are also common. How to spot a cat's dental problems and what can cause them?

Cavities and pulpitis

Caries is a pathological process that develops in the hard tissues of the tooth and leads to damage to the enamel. Cavities are caused by the reproduction of bacteria that cause damage to tooth enamel. Although cat saliva contains lysozyme, it does not do enough to kill all the germs in the mouth.

What can cause pathogenic microflora to grow in a cat's mouth? Risk factors:

1. Stain stage. Enamel loses some of its constituent minerals, causing a whitish stain to appear on the surface. This stage goes unnoticed by the owners of the animal, because the cat does not experience any discomfort.
2. The superficial stage. Enamel begins to deteriorate – a dark spot appears. Since there are almost no nerve endings in the enamel, the cat also does not experience discomfort. However, the owners of the pet can suspect something wrong when examining the oral cavity, because the destruction becomes noticeable.
3. Intermediate stage. The dentin is involved in the pathological process. The cat has pain in the damaged area, especially when eating.
4. Deep caries. The cavity grows and affects the dentin. Pain occurs even without mechanical action.

When do you need a doctor's help?

Teething is stressful for the little body, especially if it is painful. And it is not surprising that at this time the baby's immune system is slightly reduced. That is, there is an increased risk of "catching" any viral or bacterial disease. Therefore, parents need to be careful in choosing how to help a baby crying with a fever, cough or runny nose. It's one thing if teeth are to blame, but it's another thing if your baby is sick.

The main rule here is that if you first encounter a worrying symptom, you should contact your paediatrician. A professional will determine exactly what the problem is and give appropriate recommendations on what to do when teething in children.

Immunity drops when teething, so "catching" an infection won't be difficult. Photo: Yandex.Pictures.

• high temperature (above 39 degrees),
• vomiting,
• frequent stools, diarrhea,
• severe cough,
• runny nose, profuse nasal discharge,
• Rash and redness spreading to other parts of the body,
• Unceasing crying, extreme restlessness, inability to sleep,
• refusal not only of solid food, but also of water and other drinks.

If the above symptoms are present, it is necessary to seek medical help immediately. Even if the baby has already had such manifestations before.

Preventive measures for teething

To exclude possible complications and diseases during teething, it is necessary to avoid crowded places, do not contact with sick people, provide your baby with proper nutrition. And to keep the first teeth healthy and strong, take good care of them from the first days – clean and rinse your baby's mouth, avoid injury. If the first incisors do not appear for a long time, and even after one year of age there are none, you should visit a pediatric dentist or pediatrician to find out the reasons.

Tell us, how did your children's baby teeth grow? Was it difficult? We're waiting for your answers in the comments! And in future posts, we'll be sure to tell you how to make this period easier.

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Signs of Pet Dental Problems

It can be difficult to notice the initial symptoms of illness because pets can't tell you what's hurting them. The American Veterinary Medical Association has identified several potential signs that a four-legged friend may need dental care soon:

• Stale breath;
• broken or wobbly teeth;
• Abnormal chewing, drooling or food falling out of the mouth;
• Additional teeth or retained baby teeth;
• Decreased appetite or refusal to eat;
• Teeth that are discolored or covered with tartar;
• Pain in or around the mouth;
• bleeding from the mouth;
• swelling in the areas surrounding the mouth.

If the diagnosis is confirmed and the cat has dental problems, she will be constantly irritable and aggressive until the pain goes away.

How to prevent dental problems

The first thing to remember is prevention and constant oral care. The best method of disease prevention is regular brushing and an annual checkup at the veterinarian, who will find the symptoms of dental disease in time.

Of course, practicing oral hygiene is not easy. So it all depends on what kind of character the animal has and whether it is ready for such manipulations. Some are more cooperative than others.

Veterinarians also recommend an annual dental cleaning, during which plaque and tartar are removed and then the teeth are polished to prevent future plaque buildup.