Information and advice on cats and what's the average of the common life of it?

Among the common diseases in adult cats and observed by 50-90% in cats over 4 years of age are diseases of the mouth, teeth and gums, and preventive dental care is one of the most important things for the prevention and treatment of these diseases.

 Oral and dental diseases are classified into types, which are stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontitis and tooth leaching, and we will deal here with these types, which often cause, depending on their severity, a lot of symptoms such as severe pain, discomfort and stopping eating, which can affect the daily behavior of the cat and a lot of  Other health problems.

 Gingivitis

 It is an inflammatory condition of the gums around the teeth that leads to redness and swelling of the gums and the occurrence of pain as well, and gingivitis begins with the accumulation of plaque on the teeth, and plaque is a layer on the teeth that contains bacteria, and in normal cases, these bacteria are useful, as plaque accumulates in the area where the gum meets the teeth.

 In cases of not cleaning and removing plaque regularly, its accumulation will increase deeper between the gums and teeth until things develop and the plaque begins to accumulate under the gums, and with the accumulation of plaque that contains bacteria leads to an immune reaction by the immune system, which causes inflammation in the gums, where the inflammation occurs as a result  Combinations of beneficial and harmful natural bacteria, and among the causes of the accumulation of plaque is inadequate oral health care.

 After calcification and hardening, the plaque layer develops by absorbing minerals from saliva and gums into what is called calculus or tartar, and the tartar has a rough surface and a suitable place for the presence of harmful bacteria and their reproduction.

 These harmful and pathogenic bacteria, after their accumulation above and below the gums, produce substances harmful to the cells separating the gums and teeth, thus causing an inflammatory reaction due to the reaction of the immune system to them, and consequently, gingival inflammation becomes reddish and painful.

 Among the causes of gingivitis are infectious and systemic diseases such as feline leukemia, immunodeficiency disease in cats, kidney disease, diabetes and autoimmune diseases, and gingivitis in this case is associated with inflammation and ulceration of parts of the lining of the mouth as well, and we call this condition stomatitis.

 Diagnosis and clinical signs of gingivitis

 Gingivitis is characterized by the redness and swelling of the gum, the presence of pain, anxiety and discomfort, and in some severe cases, bleeding occurs in the area where the gums meet the teeth, and this disease is accompanied by the cat's cessation of eating and the cats turn their heads abnormally during eating, salivation, and in some cases a bad breath,  Cats tend to eat soft foods in this case.

 Prevention and treatment of gingivitis

 Regularly removing plaque on your teeth is the ideal way to prevent gingivitis by brushing your teeth with a toothbrush, using cat toothpaste, and avoiding using human toothpaste for cats.

 And this condition is treated according to the severity and development of the inflammation and according to the cause of it, and it may include cleaning the teeth at home with the administration of antibiotics, whether in the form of tablets or mouthwash, or cleaning and removing tartar from the teeth in extreme cases that require removing the teeth, and in cases of gingivitis caused by diseases  Systemic or infectious, it is important to treat the underlying disease to control gingivitis.

 Periodontitis

 Gingivitis progresses to periodontitis due to lack of control of gingivitis, which is an irreversible condition, in which the tissues connecting the gums and bone with the teeth weaken due to harmful substances produced by harmful pathogenic bacteria.

 This leads to the destruction of these tissues and the loss and loss of teeth due to the loss of the connection between the bones and the gums on one side and the teeth on the other, so controlling gingivitis is very important.

 Periodontitis diagnosis and clinical signs

 Periodontitis is caused by gingivitis, as mentioned above, and therefore the infected cats exhibit symptoms similar to the signs of gingivitis, such as redness, swelling and bleeding, and also the cats affected by it are unwilling to eat food with drooling and bad breath, and in addition to these signs, they may show a decrease in  Gums, exposure to root surfaces, and tooth dislocation.  In extreme cases, the cat may lose one or more teeth.

 A complete evaluation of a cat with periodontitis includes a gum examination and an X-ray examination of the head and jaw, which requires anesthesia.

 Periodontitis treatment

 To treat periodontitis in cats, it is recommended to remove the accumulated plaque and tartar by cleaning and polishing the teeth while trying to preserve the teeth as much as possible.  In extreme cases of periodontitis, a tooth extraction may be required, and sometimes multiple teeth extraction.

  Tooth resorption

 Dental resorption is a process in which the tooth structure is destroyed, starting at the inside of the tooth, and often progressing to other parts of the tooth.  Tooth resorption is the most common cause of tooth loss in cats, and between 30 and 70% of cats show some signs of this devastating process.  The cause of tooth resorption is unknown.

 Signs of tooth resorption

 Tooth resorption in cats is a pinkish defect along the line between the gums and teeth, and when it appears in this color, the tooth has been damaged very much, the lesions can vary in severity from relatively small defects in the line of meeting of the gums with the teeth to large defects in the enamel of the tooth crown  .  Dental resorption may or may not be associated with gingivitis.

 The symptoms associated with dental resorption are severe pain, so the affected cats may be reluctant or unwilling to eat, and they may salivate, and turn their head to the side while eating, and they may be irritable and anxious.  Veterinarians usually make the diagnosis by examining the mouth and teeth, carefully checking for any lesions, and examining X-rays of the head and jaw, which require anesthesia.

 Dental resorption treatment

 Dental resorption in cats is treated by controlling cat pain, preventing the condition from developing, and restoring tooth or dental function as much as possible.  Your veterinarian may recommend close monitoring in cases where the lesions are confined to the root of the tooth and there is no apparent discomfort.

 In cases where a cat shows signs of pain or discomfort and the lesions extend to the crown of the tooth, it is best to have the tooth removed.  If there is significant damage, it can be difficult to extract the tooth completely.  In these cases, the vet may consider amputation of the tooth's crown (the visible part above the gum line).  Regardless of the treatment, close follow-up and monitoring are important.

Figure 1: Daily toothbrushing can prevent most forms of dental disease.  Follow our four-week training program until your cat feels comfortable with daily brushing.

 Clean your cat's teeth

 Follow this four-week training program to help your cat brush her teeth daily.

 Required tools

1.  Toothbrush for cats
2.  Cat toothpaste (human toothpaste is not safe for cats)
3.  Prizes for your cat (either an edible treat or water from her favorite tap)

 First week:

 Get your cat used to the smell of toothpaste, you can leave a toothbrush and toothpaste outside the cat’s residence for you to check it daily, you can put a little toothpaste on your finger to smell it and your cat lick it, or put a drop next to your cat’s mouth to lick it while giving it some incentive rewards when licking the paste.

 second week:

 As your cat becomes accustomed to the taste of toothpaste, you can start applying toothpaste to her teeth daily, with some prizes awarded.

 Week 3:

 Get used to your cat's toothbrush.  Apply a small amount of toothpaste to the brush and leave it to lick.  If he's shy about licking it, put a touch near the mouth.  Follow with a reward.

 fourth week:

 Pull your cat's lips gently enough to gently insert the brush between the lips and the gums.  Place the bristles at a 45-degree angle to the teeth, aiming to reach the narrow slit between the teeth and the gums.  Brush gently, and try to brush around the upper and lower teeth.  It is only necessary to clean the outside surfaces, as the cat's tongue cleans the inner surfaces well.