Physiological change of teeth
Kittens are usually born without teeth. Their milk teeth erupt in the third week of life. They erupt in the following order:
- Incisors appear between 2 and 4 weeks of age.
- Canines – at about 4 weeks of age.
- Premolars – at the age of 4-8 weeks.
A kitten in the two-mouth age has all the required 26 milk teeth.
The teething process in kittens is normally a smooth process that can not necessitate interference by the respective owner.
The replacement of baby teeth with permanent teeth begins at the age of 3-5 months and ends at 7-8 months. It occurs in the same order as the appearance of baby teeth:
- At 4-5 months the incisors change.
- At 4-6 months – fangs.
- At 5-6 months – premolars.
- At the end of the 6th month, molars grow.
Normally, the dental row of an adult cat is represented by:
- 12 incisors (6 teeth on the lower and upper jaws).
- 4 fangs (2 on each jaw).
- 10 premolars (located behind the canines, 3 on each side of the upper jaw and 2 on the lower).
- 4 molars (2 on each jaw).
You can distinguish a kitten’s milk teeth from permanent teeth by the following signs:
Milk teeth:
- White, very sharp, thinner than permanent ones.
- The canines at the gum have a slight thinning.
- The incisors are positioned straight, the canines are slightly curved backward.
Molars:
- Slightly yellowish have a round cross-section.
- The canines do not have a thinning in the gum area.
- The fangs are set straight.
Most often, a kitten’s teeth change painlessly, unnoticed by its owners, but in some cases, complications may develop. The following signs indicate this:
- Lethargy.
- Loss of appetite.
- Salivation.
- Keeping the mouth slightly open.
- Bad breath.
- An ulcer that does not heal is present at the site of a missing tooth.
If the owner is aware of one or more of the listed symptoms in his kitten, he should take his pet immediately to a veterinary clinic and show the animal to a vet.
Occasionally, a kitten’s incisor baby teeth will not erupt and shed at the right time, and they stay adjacent to the newly emerged permanent teeth. Such delayed baby teeth can hamper the development of permanent teeth in the right manner resulting to harm on gum, cheek, or lip. If they do not fall out on their own, the kitten should be shown to a veterinary dentist.
You can learn more about when and how kittens change teeth in the article Changing milk teeth in kittens.
Tooth loss in an adult cat
The loss of permanent teeth is an alarming signal that may indicate the presence of serious diseases.
Do cats lose teeth as they age?
Some owners believe that tooth loss in an older cat is a normal phenomenon associated with age-related changes in the body. However, a healthy, properly raised cat kept in good condition can retain its teeth into old age.
Age-related changes in cats are manifested by tooth wear. This process begins with the incisors: the first signs of wear on the central incisors of the lower jaw can appear as early as 1.5-2 years.
Feline oral disease starts early and tartar may first appear by the time the cat is 3 years old. In this case, teeth require careful care: The grooming process requires washing at home with specific pastes, then going for a routine check-up by the veterinarian, and in case we need tumor removal, surgery, and cleaning at the clinic.
Canines are subject to changes later than incisors: the first signs of wear on them can appear at the age of about 5 years. The teeth of a cat over 10 years old can be significantly worn down, but their loss occurs not so much from old age, but from illness and improper care.
What cat breeds are prone to tooth loss?
Any cat can lose a tooth, but the high-risk group includes representatives of breeds with a shortened muzzle (British, Scottish, Persian). This is explained by the peculiarities of the structure of their jaws.
What diseases can cause a cat to lose teeth? Main symptoms
The cause of tooth loss in an adult cat may be one of the following problems:
Jaw injuries
Losses of teeth and fractures are possible outcomes of bruises, falls from a high point, collisions with a car. In such instances, you should seek the services of a vet with your cat as apart from the damaged teeth, your pet may have other critical injuries.
Dental diseases
When cats reach the age of maturity according to their veterinarian clinic findings most of the cats are seen to have mild to severe dental diseases. Very often, bacterial generations create a sticky film called tartar, which adheres to the crown area of the teeth. Tartar does not bother the cat mildly, although when it causes inflammation at the edge of the gum, there may develop – gingivitis, the formation of periodontal pockets, periodontitis, and tooth loosening. Dental pathosis where chronic inflammation occurs in the oral cavity of a cat is considered to be a cause of feline odontoclastic tooth resorption ( FORL ). It can also develop from dental trauma, viral pathology, oncologic and autoimmune diseases.
According to one of the classifications developed at the University of Pennsylvania, the following stages of resorptive tooth damage are distinguished:
- Minor loss of hard tooth tissue.
- Moderate loss of hard dental tissue.
- Deep damage to the hard tissues of the tooth. Most of the tooth is destroyed:
- The crown and root of the tooth are damaged equally.
- The crown is more damaged than the root.
- The root of the tooth is more damaged than the crown. The remains of hard dental tissue are visible only on an X-ray.
During stages 1 and 2 the cat may not further present any signs of the disease at all. In stage 3 of resorption, a pet owner may observe a pet’s loss of appetite, salivation, and swollen gum around the affected tooth. The cat may also switch to drinking soft food. At times the owner realizes something is wrong and seeks the services of a veterinary clinic only after destruction of the tooth crown which they diagnose as an injury.
However, many other infections and disorders can lead to a loss of appetite apart from dental ones. The types of reasons associated with the rejection of food can be both safe and those that will eventually adversely affect the health of the cat and require a visit to a veterinary clinic.
Systemic diseases
Changes in chronic gingivitis and its complications in the form of loosening and tooth loss can develop in diseases with metabolic disorders. For instance, in diabetes mellitus, the rise in glucose in saliva contributes to the generation of a bacterial infection in the mouth. Chronic renal failure can also be associated with gingivitis.
Unbalanced feeding
Often chronic gingivitis and its consequences are due to feeding disturbances. Improper nutrition occurs depending on the excess or deficiency of certain nutrients and vitamins can lead to inflammatory processes in the cat’s mouth (vitamins A and C deficiencies), as well as the increased formation of bacterial plaque and tartar caused by the increased amounts of starch and vitamin D. The danger of dental diseases decreases when a suitable type and nutritionally adequate diet is fed to the cat.
My cat lost a tooth. What to do at home?
It is sad seeing your pet feline missing some of its teeth or being chipped then as much as possible the owner must accompany the animal to the veterinary clinic. In no case should they ever touch the place they lost the tooth, attempt to loosen the broken tooth or parts of it, or attempt to remove any part of the tooth by themselves.
Possible complications of tooth loss
Cats’ tooth loss should not be overlooked. CPR to tooth injuries leads to tooth loss, without proper treatment, and treatment, blood may clot further injuring the jaws and teeth near the missing teeth; bitter penetrations might infect bacteria into the damaged tissue and then cause sepsis. Congenital blind fissured teeth or the exclusion of injuries means the presence of pathological processes in the body of a cat, which, if left untreated, threatens the life of a pet.
Diagnosis of the causes of tooth loss in a veterinary clinic
Loosening and loss of teeth by an adult cat is not an individual disease but a symptom of several pathologic conditions in the work of the animal’s body. Fortunately, precise assessment of the causative factors behind the tooth loss and performing a complete intervention can only be done in a veterinary facility.
In the process of the appointment, the cat is thoroughly inspected by a specialist as a further step. As part of the initial examination, the veterinarian will perform the general and dental evaluation of the cat and will also ask the cat’s owner certain questions regarding the details of taking care of the animal, feeding, and its overall state. In addition, if necessary, diagnostic tests will be carried out: blood takes, X-ray tests, etc.
Methods of treating tooth loss
If the cat has already had tooth loss, then the goal of the therapy will be to avoid such losses further on. If there are injuries to the jaws, the necessary surgery is done by the veterinarian.
I came to learn that functional teeth that are still alive but badly damaged are normally advised to be extracted. In less complicated cases, treatment is carried out: filing, canal treatment, tooth crown build-up, tartar removal, and sanitization of the cat’s oral cavity.
If needed, the veterinarian will give the cat some drugs and also will give some advice to the owner of the animal on how to feed the cat.
If necessary, the veterinarian will prescribe medications for the cat and also explain to the owner how to adjust the animal’s diet.
Measures to prevent tooth loss
If you carefully monitor your cat’s health and provide quality care, tooth loss can be avoided.
One of the measures that can help minimize the risks of dental diseases is to regulate the process of pellicle and calculus formation. To do this it is necessary to feed the cat on only the solid dry food and gargle the teeth of the cat with the special pastes. You can obtain them at veterinary pharmacies, and sometimes pet shops and supermarkets also will sell them. You cannot use human toothpaste because of the high concentration of active substances in the composition that is hazardous to the animal’s health.
Tartar is easily prevented by ensuring that the teeth are cleaned through a biannual oral hygiene process. However, if there are already skinny deposits on the teeth, one gets rid of them at a veterinary clinic through an appointment with a veterinary dentist.
Feeding should be given plenty of attention when taking care of your pet.
When you are cooking for your cat, you should choose the quality animal product in the necessary amounts so that the cat gets all the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and microelements in the needed amount and quantity.
When feeding industrial rations it is recommended to select premium and super premium class products used for animals belonging to the given age, health status, and physical activity level.
As is explained during a routine basic check at the vet, many diseases that can lead to the deterioration of the cat’s quality of life can be found in their early stages.
For your pet not to become infected with such diseases or infested with parasitic worms, vaccination should be administered, and antiparasitic treatments should be done on schedule.
You should take some precautions and see that your cat does not slip off the windows, run onto the road,d and get run over or hit a door by chance.
Feeding a cat without teeth
Thus, if for a cat some reason happens to lose its teeth, it is possible to stay active and have disorders in eating, but for any reason, the food must be soft. As such a cat should be fed on either industrial complete wet food or soaked dry food one could consider the following as a good solution. When soaking dry food, water temperature should not be more than 30°C. Milk or broth should not be used for soaking purposes because it alters the quantities and proportions of the nutrients in the diet.
Periodontal disease remains a widespread condition in cats. Owners don’t necessarily have control over whether or not their pet will lose teeth in their lifetime, however, owners can attempt to keep cats with optimal health and high quality of life as long as possible. To this end, you should carefully cut the animal according to the rules for handling, and if you think that there is any illness, then you should consult with a veterinarian.
