Studies have found signs of dental disease in up to 70% of cats over 5 years of age. You cannot neglect your cat’s dental health! Sadly, it’s also perhaps the most overlooked and under-treated area in feline medicine. That's why at The London Cat Clinic we’re fanatical about providing top-class feline dental care.
We’re proud of our dental facilities and team’s level of training and expertise. We provide your cat with the most up-to-date techniques for anaesthesia and pain relief. We have invested in advanced dental x-ray and dental procedural equipment and are in the unique position to have specialist veterinary dentist available to perform advanced procedures such as root canals and oral surgery.
Cats are affected by a range of dental problems including periodontal disease, fractured teeth and oral masses. Some problems are specific to cats, such as tooth resorption (where the teeth are dissolved away) and oropharyngeal inflammation (inflammation of the throat). Tooth resorption clinically affects between 20% and 75% of mature cats. Pure-bred cats such as Abyssinians, Siamese, Russian Blue, Scottish Fold and Persians appear to be affected at an earlier age.
Too often, dental problems in cats remain hidden from their owners until they become acute. Until that point, a large number of cats don’t show any outward signs of pain or discomfort to their owners; they simply suffer in silence. When the pain becomes obvious, for example facial swelling or bleeding in the mouth, the disease is already well advanced. This can come as a real shock to cat owners.
Signs of a possible dental problem with your cat include:
Bad breath
Excessive chewing or teeth ‘chattering’
Pawing at one side of the mouth or rubbing one side of the mouth frequently against things
Being keen to eat but then walking away from food bowl
Favouring wet food over dry food
Abnormal miaowing when eating
The London Cat Clinic is focussed on preventative care. Regular dental check-ups at your cat’s yearly health assessment are an important part of this philosophy.
If we find an indication of dental disease, we’ll recommend a Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment (COHAT), more details of which can be found here. This is probably the most misunderstood of all veterinary procedures and can be amongst the most time-consuming and labour-intensive.
Unlike humans, our patients require general anaesthesia to enable the clinical examination to be carried out. Much of the dental disease we see is below the gum line, requiring close examination and dental x-rays. We can only tell you exactly what treatment is required and what costs are involved after this procedure has been performed.
We advise insurance is obtained which covers dental disease as well as injury to the mouth and teeth. Insurance companies willrequire regular dental checks which are in line with our six and twelve month health assessments and a plan put in place by you within the period specified within the policy documents.
If you have any questions or concerns about your cat’s dental health, please make an appointment with us. If you would like further advice, feel free to give us a call on 0203 740 1112.