Because Cats Hide Their Pain, Professional Dental Care is Essential for Their Comfort and Overall Health.
As a cat owner, you know your companion is a master of subtlety. They communicate in quiet ways and possess a stoic nature that can make it difficult to know when something is wrong. We often dismiss a cat’s bad breath as a minor issue, but more often than not, it’s a primary symptom of painful dental disease hiding just out of sight.
At San Marcos Veterinary Clinic, we are passionate about feline dental health because we know it’s one of the most overlooked aspects of a cat’s overall wellbeing. Cats rarely stop eating, even when their mouth is in severe pain, which is why professional dental care is so critical. It’s our chance to find and fix problems to ensure your cat lives a comfortable, pain-free life.
The Silent Epidemic: Common Dental Issues in Cats
Unlike dogs, cats are prone to specific and intensely painful dental conditions that are impossible to see without a thorough exam.
- Periodontal Disease: Just like in people, plaque, and tartar buildup leads to inflamed gums (gingivitis) and can destroy the bone supporting the teeth. This is a constant source of chronic pain and infection.
- Painful Resorptive Lesions: This is a very common and severe concern in cats. The tooth structure essentially begins to dissolve itself from the inside out, creating something like a cavity that exposes the sensitive pulp. This condition is exceptionally painful and a primary reason for professional dental care.
- Stomatitis: In some cats, the immune system overreacts to plaque, causing severe, widespread inflammation of the entire mouth. This condition is debilitating and requires dedicated medical management.
Why Anesthesia is Essential for Safe and Effective Cat Dental Care
We understand that the thought of anesthesia can be worrying about any pet owner. However, for a true, effective, and safe dental cleaning for a cat, it is absolutely essential. Anesthesia-free cleanings are purely cosmetic and cannot address the real diseases hiding below the gumline.
Here’s why anesthesia is the standard of care:
- For Thoroughness: The majority of tartar and bacteria are under the gumline. A proper cleaning requires instruments to go into that space, which would be impossible on an awake and stressed cat.
- For Diagnosis: Full-mouth dental X-rays are the only way to find painful resorptive lesions, bone loss, and tooth root abscesses that are hidden from view.
- For Their Safety and Comfort: Anesthesia eliminates all pain, fear, and stress during the procedure. It also protects your cat from accidental injury from the sharp, ultrasonic scaling tools used for a deep cleaning. Our team uses the most modern, safest anesthetic protocols and monitors your cat’s vitals every moment they are asleep.
Our Comprehensive Cat Dental Cleaning Process
When your cat comes in for a dental procedure, they receive comprehensive, compassionate care from start to finish.
- Pre-Anesthetic Health Screen: We perform an exam and recommend blood work to ensure your cat is healthy enough for anesthesia.
- A Tailored Anesthetic Plan: Every cat receives an anesthetic protocol customized to their specific needs.
- Full-Mouth Dental X-Rays: We take a full set of X-rays to assess the health of every single tooth, both above and below the gumline.
- Thorough Cleaning & Polishing: A veterinary technician carefully cleans and scales each tooth and then polishes the surfaces to help prevent future plaque buildup.
- Charting and Treatment: The veterinarian assesses the X-rays and oral exam to create a detailed chart of your cat’s mouth and perform any necessary treatments, such as extractions of painful, non-viable teeth.
Partnering With You on At-Home Dental Care
After your cat’s professional cleaning, we will partner with you on a home-care plan. While brushing is the gold standard, we understand it’s not possible for every cat. We can also recommend VOHC-approved dental diets, treats, and water additives to help maintain their oral health between cleanings.
Your Questions About Our Cat Dental Cleaning Services (FAQs)
Ensuring your cat’s dental health is crucial for their comfort and overall well-being. Here are answers to some common questions we hear from cat owners:
Why is an anesthetized cat dental cleaning necessary?
Professional dental cleaning under anesthesia is essential because the most significant dental disease occurs below the gumline, where it’s impossible to see or treat on an awake cat. Anesthesia allows us to thoroughly clean, probe, and take full-mouth X-rays to accurately diagnose and treat painful conditions like resorptive lesions and hidden infections, ensuring your cat’s comfort and safety throughout the process.
What is “resorptive lesion” and why is it so painful for cats?
Resorptive lesions are a very common and intensely painful condition unique to cats, where the tooth structure begins to dissolve from the inside out. It’s like a severe cavity that exposes the sensitive inner pulp of the tooth. These lesions are excruciating and can only be definitively diagnosed with dental X-rays and treated with extraction, which is why regular professional dental exams are critical.
What’s included in your comprehensive dental cleaning?
A professional dental cleaning includes a pre-anesthetic health screening and a tailored anesthetic plan. Once safely anesthetized, we take full-mouth dental X-rays to assess hidden issues, thoroughly clean and scale all teeth above and below the gumline using ultrasonic tools, and then polish the teeth. Our veterinarian then charts the mouth and performs any necessary treatments, such as extractions.
How can I tell if my cat has dental pain if they still seem to be eating?
Cats are experts at hiding pain. Even with severe dental disease, many cats will continue to eat because their instinct to survive is so strong. Subtle signs of dental pain might include bad breath, drooling, difficulty chewing hard food (though they might still eat soft food), chattering teeth, pawing at their mouth, or being more irritable than usual. A comprehensive oral exam and X-rays are usually needed to confirm the presence of pain.
What at-home care do you recommend after a cat dental cleaning?
While professional cleanings are essential, at-home care helps maintain oral health. The “gold standard” is brushing your cat’s teeth daily, but we understand this isn’t always feasible. We can also recommend Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) approved dental diets, treats, and water additives specifically designed to help reduce plaque and tartar buildup between professional cleanings.
Let us help you solve the painful problem behind your cat’s bad breath.
