reportergasil.blogg.se - Severe calculus buildup

These diets are designed with kibble/biscuit or with special chunks in the wet food that increase tooth penetration and provide a more abrasive action against the tooth to reduce tartar accumulation. Some special diets are available from your vet that are specifically aimed to help prevent plaque and tartar formation. Dry foods tend to encourage chewing and tend to be more abrasive but the relationship between food and dental disease is complex and the structure of the solid chunks of food is probably more important than whether the food is wet (tinned or sachet) or dry. Indeed the food itself may accumulate on or around the teeth and encourage bacteria and plaque formation. It is possible that feeding only soft/wet food provides little or no abrasive action against the teeth when chewing, and so offers little to prevent plaque formation. These can also cause tooth misalignment.ĭiet is thought to play a role in the progression of some cats with dental disease.

Trauma or congenital abnormalities – Sometimes the jaw of a cat may have an abnormal shape either because the cat has a congenital abnormality (an abnormality present from birth, such as an undershot or overshot jaw), or perhaps as a result of trauma (eg, a healed, fractured jaw).

If the adult tooth does not push the deciduous tooth out when it erupts, the adult tooth may grow at an abnormal angle, resulting in permanent misalignment.

Deciduous tooth retention – In some cats, deciduous teeth (‘baby teeth’ or ‘milk teeth’) can be retained after the permanent teeth have erupted (grown through).

Their jawbones are often too small to accommodate the teeth, resulting in overcrowding and misalignment of teeth.

Breed – Very short-nosed breeds or variants in breeds (eg, Persians, Chinchillas, British and Exotic Shorthairs) almost invariably have abnormally positioned teeth, sometimes severely so.

This is because when malaligned, the teeth are not cleaned by the natural abrasion that occurs when food is eaten and chewed. Teeth that are positioned abnormally in the mouth (malaligned) are more likely to accumulate plaque and tartar than those which are correctly positioned. Some factors predisposing to dental disease Tooth Alignment

Genetics – some cats are probably genetically more predisposed to developing dental disease than others.

Chemistry in the mouth – the bacteria and other local changes in the mouth will have an important effect.

Oral dental care – lack of any home dental care.

Several factors affect the development of disease including: Tartar, because it is so hard, cannot usually be removed by simple measures such as brushing the teeth, and dental scaling (performed by your vet under an anaesthetic) is usually required to remove it.ĭental disease can affect cats of any age and varies in severity – some cats develop severe disease at a relatively young age.

In severe cases, a large amount of tartar can develop on the surface of the tooth. Tartar is clearly visible and looks like a cream/yellow or brown hard deposit on the tooth surface. Hard, calcified plaque is known as dental ‘tartar’ or ‘calculus’. If plaque is left undisturbed it can become hardened due to deposition of substances such as calcium in the plaque layer. Plaque can be removed with brushing helping to keep the gums healthy.

Taking measures to help reduce dental plaque development is, therefore, an important step in trying to prevent dental disease in cats. Plaque is important because it is the most common underlying cause of dental disease. As the plaque layer grows and becomes thicker, it can often be seen as a soft, grey or white film on the tooth surface. Initially, the plaque layer is not readily visible, but it can be demonstrated by using a ‘disclosing solution’ that stains the plaque film. Plaque is a complex film of bacteria that develops on the surface of teeth. Dental disease in cats is commonly associated with the accumulation of dental plaque (as a result of bacteria in the mouth) and tartar formation, this can result in what is termed ‘periodontal disease’ – disease affecting the teeth and the structures around the teeth that support and keep them healthy. It is thought that as many as 85% of cats aged three years and older have some sort of dental disease.ĭental disease tends to be more common and be more severe as cats get older, just as in humans. Dental disease is a very common problem in both young and old cats.