I bet many of you know that February is National Pet Dental Health Month. But I bet not as many of you realize just how important good dental health is. And I mean for both humans and cats. My human has always been conscious of her dental health, and for a long time she had a dentist but no regular doctor. Although this is not a good habit to have, it’s true that dentists can see some health issues early on by looking into your mouth. Vitamin deficiencies, disease-causing inflammation, and even bone loss show up in your mouth, teeth, and the X-rays your dentist takes during regular checkups. Good oral hygiene can lower the risk of inflammation, and that’s important for both keeping your teeth and your overall wellbeing.
It’s the same for cats. Poor dental health can lead to bacteria traveling from the mouth to the heart valves and kidneys, in addition to causing tooth loss, pain, and abscesses. Your cat will have a longer, happier life if you take measures to improve her oral hygiene.
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My human does her best to take good care of my gums and teeth, and I wanted to share some of what she does. I hope you will be able to adapt some of it for your cat.
Toothbrushes
My human bought all these cat toothbrushes to see which ones worked the best with me. (We’ll get to what she does with the cotton swab in a minute.) They are not expensive, so it was worthwhile to give several a try.
The finger brush from this set was the one I liked the best. The bristles are soft but they are still good at cleaning. And I am gentle and don’t bite, so it works for my human too.
But brushing my teeth actually isn’t the most important part of my routine! Following is my big dental secret.
1TDC for Oral Health & Mobility Support
I found out about these supplements from The Conscious Cat website, and my human and I can say firsthand that it works amazingly. 1TDC (not an affiliate link!) is a joint support supplement that also supports gum and teeth health if you apply it directly to your cat’s gums.
It comes in these little capsules. You twist or cut off the top and squeeze the supplement directly on your cat’s gums.
Or you can do what my human does and squeeze it onto a swab to rub over your cat’s gums. You start off by doing this daily for the first month, then every other day after that. Most cats my age (six years) are already showing deteriorating gum and tooth health. In fact, most show it even younger. But at my vet checkup last fall, my vet was amazed by how healthy my mouth was! I didn’t need a cleaning, which saved my human several hundred dollars, and a lot of stress (because cats need to be put under anesthesia for dental cleaning).
Maxiguard Oral Gel
Maxiguard Oral Gel was another discovery from The Conscious Cat. But to be honest, there are any number of pet toothpastes out there that will probably work. The important thing is to do it regularly, the same way you humans brush your teeth regularly.
You don’t have to put a lot on the brush, just as much as you see here.
Tropiclean Fresh Breath Oral Care Water Additive
While the 1TDC and regular brushing are the most important part of cat dental health here, using an oral care water additive like Tropiclean Fresh Breath is a good supplement to your other oral hygiene activities. There are a lot of good water additives out there. This is just what we happen to use because my human can pick it up at the pet store. But it is in no way a replacement for the rest of the dental care.
There are a lot of inventions pet companies have come up with in an attempt to make oral care an easier task for humans and cats. But I think the best ways are what you see here (especially the 1TDC), and so far it is working well for me. I hope this helps!
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2021 Somali Cat Wall Calendar, Starring Summer
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Wonder if there are the same products for dogs, mine are young enough to start because they would freak at the vet for a dental, I think.
I already have several brushes and toothpaste, but not those newer products you showed.
WOW – lots of great information for our dental health – thanks for that Summer……my Mom keeps a close eye on my “sharpies” (as she calls my teeth!). Important stuff too!
Hugs, Teddy
I would like to do this if I ever had a kitten, so I could start early. Thanks for a good post with lots helpful advice for finding the right stuff.
Really good topic. Thanks.
Oh wow! I’d love TW to put her finger in my mouth! Truth is the reason I stopped drinking water for years was when she started adding dental stuff to it. I’ve only had one dental in my life and it was done unnecessarily so the vet could collect $$. I keep my smile by biting the humans often. BTW, TW goes to the dentist much more often than the doctor.
Great post Summer! Right now NONE of the pets that live here will let me brush their teeth. THankfully their teeth are OK and we don’t have to do a dental-yet We do use supplements and the right crunchie things. But I can see dentals in our futures. Thanks for the great information and have a marvellously happy day!
Those all sound like a good idea but I can’t imagine any of our cats letting us get anything like that near their mouths. Especially Floki. Floki won’t even let me put flea medication on his back and forget about trimming his claws. I would have to somehow stop time in order to get something into his mouth.
Great advice, Summer! Dental health is important for kitties and humans alike!
This is very important information! I think many of us tend to forget about our cats’ dental health.
Excellent post. I really need to start brushing my cats’ teeth. Joanie tried to brush her own- I caught her gnawing on my toothbrush once and have since moved our toothbrushes into the closet. 🙂
Well, this gave our mom some ideas! She doesn’t brush our teeth because we are admittedly uncooperative. Maybe some of these tips will work.
My vet also suggested prescription dental food for Ernie to be given as treats ( it’s too fattening to be used for a regular diet and we like providing wet food anyway). It’s shaped in big round balls. Ernie swallows them whole without chewing! Totally defeating the purpose.
We are going to try some of your suggestions. Thanks!
Dad really wishes he started us on oral care when we were little. He has tried several times but… we put up a lot of resistance
Good info!!!
The Florida Furkids
We like the C.E.T. cat toothbrush. It can be harder to find but it’s a smaller brush with a curve in the handle.
It sure can be done sweet Summer, it just takes practice!
Thanks for telling us about these products, Summer. I don’t like my mouth messed with. Which means I end up going to the vet to have my teeth checked.
I wish Katie would allow any of this.
Lots of good advice and products Summer!
Purrs, Julie