Toothbrushing plays a crucial role in your cat’s dental health and thus quality of life.
Here we go through everything you need to know about the kitten’s teeth and how to take care of them in the best way!
When does the kitten lose its baby teeth?
The cat begins to change its teeth at about 3 months of age and has normally finished changing its teeth at about 6 months of age. However, this varies from breed to breed and between individuals, if you are unsure, it is always wise to consult a dental veterinarian.
If you see that a permanent tooth starts to appear even though the baby tooth remains, it is usually not normal. These baby teeth often need to be extracted. A persistent (remaining) baby tooth risks adjusting so that the kitten has problems with the bite, which in turn can cause problems.
Look in the kitten’s mouth
Get in the habit of looking your kitten in the mouth daily. Give a small reward after you look (for example, the kitten’s favorite candy), and look only briefly at the beginning, increasing the length you look as you notice that the kitten can handle it.
If the accident should occur and the kitten damages a baby tooth, it probably needs to be pulled out. This is because a damaged baby tooth becomes a gateway for bacteria. The bacteria enter the pulp and can go up into the tooth root and in the worst case damage the permanent tooth. If your kitten has a damaged baby tooth, you need to make an appointment with a veterinarian for an examination.
This is how you reduce the risk of tooth loss
To reduce the risk of tooth loss, it is important to teach your cat early on how to get his teeth brushed. One way is to think of toothbrushing as a “trick” that you want to teach the cat. That is, start very easily, for example, dabbling with a soft baby toothbrush or fingertip on a tooth – reward with your favorite candy. When the kitten thinks this is easy, you can increase the difficulty level and dab on several teeth and eventually start brushing / rubbing the teeth.
Since toothbrushing is something you need to do every day, throughout the cat’s life, it pays to let the learning take a little longer so that it is then easy to brush your teeth. The chance of continuing to brush your cat’s teeth is then considerably greater, compared to if each toothbrushing becomes a fight.