Oral disease can prove a serious hazard to your cat’s health. Since the mouth serves as the gateway to the rest of your cat’s body, dental problems can cause major medical conditions involving the heart, liver and kidneys. And while oral disease affects dogs and cats alike, it’s cats in particular that run the greatest risk of health complications because they often live without proper medical attention.

Cats are instinctively experts when it comes to masking pain and illness. In the wild this helps them survive. However, when these highly independent creatures conceal health issues from their human family, they often suffer as a consequence. This is why cat owners must remain vigilant in their home health care routines. Regular bushings with flavored toothpaste made especially for cats, a well-balanced diet, regular veterinary examinations, and dental specific treats will help keep oral disease at bay.

Lesions on your cat’s gums or foul-smelling breath can be early warning signs of a potential problem. The most common dental problems cats experience result from plaque and calculus buildup. Plaque is a colony of bacteria, mixed with saliva, blood cells, and other bacterial components that attaches to the teeth. At this stage the build-up is soft and at home brushing can take care of the problem. But when the bacteria die, minerals in an animal’s saliva calcify the plaque. The resulting dental tartar, or calculus, is a hard rough substance that firmly adheres to the tooth enamel. At this point only a professional cleaning will be able to help manage the condition.

If left unchecked, plaque and calculus buildup can eventually cause inflammation of both the gums (gingivitis) and the membrane lining of the tooth socket (periodontitis). In the final stages of periodontal disease, the tissues surrounding the tooth are destroyed, the bony socket holding the tooth deteriorates and the tooth becomes loose. This is a very unpleasant process for your four-legged friend, which is why it’s best to avert dental disease before it even starts.

To avoid the negative effects of poor dental hygiene preventive medicine is the best approach, but you should still make sure you know how to spot trouble when it’s there. Keep an eye out for these warning signs:

Common warning signs of dental problems in cats include:

• Lack of appetite, lethargy or listlessness
• Red, swollen or bleeding gums
• Bad breath or drooling
• Dark spots on molars
• Raised sores in mouth

Close to 80% of all household pets have some form of periodontal dental disease; it is especially prevalent in small breed dogs, cats and pets 6-years of age and older. We all want the best for our feline friends, and that means sparing them from the pain of periodontal disease and the ravaging effects it can have on the heart, liver and kidneys.

Remember… cats can live longer, healthier lives if oral health care is managed and maintained throughout their lives. In fact, proper dental care may add as much as five years to your cat’s life!