How should I clean my cats teeth without hurting him

Q. Should I have my cats teeth cleaned?

Elaine Wexler-Mitchell, D.V.M., says: Cats need a healthy mouth to survive because their eating, drinking, & grooming depends upon it. Dental health is influenced by genetics, diet, & home care. Preventive home care options include tooth brushing, oral rinses & wipes, & specially formulated treats & diets, but more serious conditions such as gingivitis require a visit to ur veterinarian. Early signs of gingivitis include mouth odor & a red, raised line at the tooth-gum line. Without proper care, plaque & tartar build on the teeth & bacteria lodge within these substances, which damages the gums. Left untreated, tooth erosion, root infection, & penetration of bacteria into the sinuses or blood stream occur. Studies show that bad teeth r a source of infection that impacts other organs such as the kidneys, especially in geriatric cats.

To ensure a more serious condition does not occur, ur cats mouth needs to be examined at least annually by a veterinarian. During this exam ur cats gums, teeth, & tongue r evaluated for problems. If gingivitis, plaque, or tartar buildup is evident, the best treatment is a professional cleaning by ur veterinarian. This process involves probing & evaluating each tooth, hand scaling, ultrasonic scaling, polishing, & a fluoride treatment while ur cat is under general anesthesia. Although some cats may allow superficial scaling of their teeth, anesthesia is needed for a thorough procedure that uses sharp instruments under & around the gums. Diseased teeth r usually extracted. Some cats need annual or semiannual dental cleaning, while others require the procedure only once once or twice in a lifetime.

http://catchannel.com/vetlibrary/article_ask_teeth.aspx

Some cats have worse teeth than others, & some may need teeth cleaning every few years. Part of owning a cat is being prepared for such expenses.

Tooth-cleaning catfood does not work, it gets mushy when it goes into their mouth. You can get a little cat toothbrush & some enzymatic cat toothpaste, but that will only work on plaque & frankly, many cats will not put up with it.

Tartar is what ur cat has, most likely, & once tartar forms, no crunchy food or tooth brushing will get it off. The accumulation of which can lead to irritation of the gums, leading to exposed tooth roots, & eventually possible loss of teeth, & gum infections.

BRUSHING THEIR TEETH AND FEEDING CRUNCHY CAT FOOD DOES NOT CONTROL TARTAR. Only a proper veterinary procedure can remove plaque.

the best way to do that is to see a vet. they get really down their and can clean and see if their is a problem but u should be able to buy a pet toothbrush at any vet clinic. dont use a regular one

Go to the vet & ask about this:

Larger pet stores should sell a finger brush. It is kind of like a 'finger puppet' that u put on ur finger, & massage the cat is teeth & gums. They're made of some sort of soft rubber.

You do not want to actually use any kind of brush on a cats teeth since they're smaller, & therefore, thinner, than our teeth. A brush could scratch their teeth & / or gums.

Instead, use the finger brush, wet it with water, & get them used to u massaging their teeth & gums (this is a LOT easier if u teach them as a kitten.) If this does not solve the problem, they have cat toothpaste. You're much better off getting this at the vet.

There are hard treats that can be given to them on a daily basis to help remove tartar (same as we humans get) you can even get toothpaste. The best way to remove tartar from your cats teeth is to have your veterinarian do it and unless your cat really freaks out they will not have to be anaesthetized. They wo not be happy but it is the most full-proof method, and at the most you only have to have this done once or twice a year.

If ur cat and u have a good relashonship then u should just pick up a tooth brush! no animal likes having their teeth cleaned but if u give her lots of love, she will come through. If u would really rather not do that I would ask the local petco people wut to do. They have good advice and r not afraid to down a bad product.

My dog hates having her teeth cleaned. I would put pet toothpaste on a finger brush. The brush covers 1/2 of your finger with little rubber bristles to brush the cats teeth and massage to gums. Give it a try! You have got nothing to lose. Paticake

burn off the plaque with a butane lighter or a minitorch.. u can get one at the local vet if you r lucky

Here r some tips to help u brush ur cat is teeth. First some background. Adult cats have 30 teeth, these r comprised of 12 incisors, 4 canines, 10 premolars & 4 molars. Cats teeth were made to tear into raw meat. This chopping of food cleansed the teeth. Because domestic cats usually eat commercially prepared foods, most never have the opportunity to slice up large, tough food objects. As a result their teeth suffer from the accumulation of tartar. The steps involved in getting ur cat to accept tooth brushing r similar to the gradual process involved in introducing nail clipping. Here is how u can start.

~ Familiarize kitty. Before u bring in the toothbrush, ur cat must be comfortable sitting on ur lap while his mouth & lip areas r massaged (be sure u do not poke the sensitive gums with ur fingernails).

~ Next, place a dab of cat-toothpaste on ur finger & let kitty taste it.

~ The next day place a small amount of cat-toothpaste on a normal toothbrush or the specially designed finger brushes

~The next day, brush one or two teeth in a circular motion. Start with the canines (fangs) & those teeth just behind them. Be sure to brush the adjoining gum line.

~ Increase the number of teeth u brush every couple of days.You need to eventually brush the rear teeth where plaque & tartar accumulate.

~ Stop brushing when u decide to stop, not when kitty wants to stop! If kitty figures out that fussing makes u stop quicker, it will lead to a downward spiral where little brushing is done.

~ Brush for 30 seconds on the outside surfaces. Because cats do not get much tartar on the inside surfaces u do not need to focus there.

~ Stop each session & be sure to praise kitty. A little treat may help out here.

Best to let a vet do it occasionally . once I thought I was doing it OK and also using special food and when the cat who was not that old went for a check up her gums were all red and she had to get a lot of teeth pulled . I felt terrible. I think it is worth it to have the vet check and give recommendations . some cats need more care for plaque than others.

They should be fine w/o you doing that. Whiskas has treats that clean cat is teeth. My cats love 'em.

http://petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=74&pf_id=5020

Hi there.ideally, the best way to keep cats teeth clean is to brush regularly. Here is an instructional video on how to brush cats teeth by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for Feline Health: http://felinevideos.vet.cornell.edu/brushing_teeth/index.shtml

jack hammer works well.