Hello there, Hank again! I’m glad to see that you’ve all stuck around to read all of these blogs, it’s my turn again to talk to you all about a new subject! I’ve been super busy manning down the fort and keeping the counter in the treatment area warm. It’s been really nice and relaxing doing as I please… as always (hehe).

Anyways, this month’s subject I am going to talk to you about the importance of dental care furr your feline furrends. All of this infurrmation can apply furr those (in my opinion) pesky dogs too, but we are going to be talking about cats specifically of course. First things first, yearly exams can definitely help keep an eye on your feline’s teeth. How many of you guys actually pry your cat’s mouth open and check their teeth? Better yet, how many cats will let you even do that without squirming around? Unless you’ve been messing with your furry furrends mouth since they were a tiny baby, they probably don’t tolerate it very well. I, to this day, still hate when these people try to open my mouth against my will. I’ll have to admit though, the doctors here are great with felines when it comes to doing an oral exams, unless the cat is very very cranky! Having your doctor keep an eye on your cat’s teeth can help let you know if they are due furr a dental cleaning or if they need extra care with their teeth.

Some owners are curious when it comes to the process of a teeth cleaning. Luckily furr you, I am here today to infurrm you! I see this happen to kitties on the daily, and their teeth come out looking so pretty and white. Furr starters, they do have to be put under this thing they call anesthesia (drugs that help the kitty sleep). This helps the doctors do a really good exam on the teeth and figure out what needs to be done. Once the cat is under, they start what’s called the scaling and polishing. This process will help remove tartar that is above and below the gum line. After scaling is completed, the teeth are polished to remove scratches and help decrease the rate of plaque that can build up! Plaque is a sticky colorless film of bacteria and sugar that constantly forms on teeth! Now, I just explained a very basic purrcedure, but there are some kitties that need teeth to be extracted!

What can happen if nothing is done with your feline’s teeth and the tartar just builds up in their mouth? Furr starters, it can cause irritation of the gums, which can cause bleeding. When that gets worse, it can lead to more inflammation with pain and even tooth loss! Would you want to lose teeth? I would think it would be miserable! Sometimes if it gets too bad, it can expose the sensitive and enamel-free part of the tooth which can also cause pain. The bacteria on the tartar can actually be absorbed into the blood and cause infection in places like the heart and kidneys! We definitely don’t want your fur baby to go through pain!!

How would you prevent these things from happening you may ask? There are a couple of ways you can try to keep their teeth clean. Furr starters, brushing! You can start this when they are kittens after their adult teeth have come in, it will help them get used to it and tolerate it much better than if you were to start at a later age. The doctors here have a great infurrmational piece of paper with directions on how to get your cat familiar with brushing! There are special toothpastes and even toothbrushes that are meant furr them that would help! The only thing you need to remember is that you CAN NOT use human toothpaste!!

If brushing is not an option, have no fear… there is a water additive that you can put in the water bowl that your fur baby should just drink up! Here at Twin Maples, the doctors recommend something called healthymouth. All you have to do is put the directed amount of additive into the water bowl and it will help reduce bacteria that can form in between teeth cleanings! This is a great substitute to brushing teeth if your feline friends will not stand it!

I hope that you have learned something in this beautiful blog I just wrote furr you all, I am so tired now and I need a nap. I have exceeded my amount of work furr the entire day and maybe even week. If you need me, I will be in the treatment area on my heating pad on and my eyes closed!!

Bye furr now,

Hank.