You may be surprised to know that it is possible to train some cats to allow you to brush their teeth. I can hear you scoffing as I am writing this.

But the point is that dental disease is incredibly common, often neglected and the cause of oral pain, periodontal disease and other health issues such as kidney and heart disease.

It is thought that 85% of cats over the age of three years will have some form of dental disease. Plaque initially forms where bacteria are allowed to form a film on the surface of the teeth. That plaque will eventually harden to form calculus and tartar – a mineralised deposit stuck to the surface of the tooth.

By that stage gingivitis will have already started and the gum will start to recede, exposing the periodontal ligament which anchors the tooth into its socket. As this ligament weakens, the integrity of the tooth starts to suffer and once the tooth root is exposed to bacteria there is little that can be done other than extracting the diseased tooth under a general anaesthetic.

Cats have a thin layer of enamel on the surface of their teeth and are particularly prone to tooth decay. We often see flakes of enamel breaking away, exposing the sensitive tooth pulp.

Once the enamel is damaged, the tooth inevitably continues to deteriorate, slowly breaking apart until only broken roots are left behind, causing pain and acting as a source of bacterial infection. This results in bacteria entering the blood stream and causing damage to kidney and heart tissue.

Look after your cat’s teeth

To look after your cat’s teeth, start by getting into the habit of examining their gums and teeth, particularly at the back of the mouth. Are the teeth white and clean or discoloured and covered in tartar? Are the gums pink and healthy or sore, inflamed and bleeding?

What sort of food do you feed your cat? Some dry food diets are designed to clean the surface of the teeth as your cat bites into them. You can also get cat dental chews and chew toys to mechanically scrape and clean plaque off the teeth.

It is possible to train many cats to tolerate teeth cleaning, oral mouth wash gels or actual tooth brushing. Start slowly with gentle teeth wiping and rubbing, and build up to more vigorous brushing over many weeks. Look after your cat’s mouth and they’ll thank you for it in the long-term!