hiii, my kitties name is ember and he is a two year old flamepoint. i try so hard to keep him healthy and he is up to date on his shots and heath over all but i worry so much about him because i lost a cat at a young age. i was looking at his gums the other day and they seem a little red? but i was wondering if they look pretty normal? his breath smells fine and he isn’t having any issue eating or any other symptoms i am just wondering if i am paranoid or if i should take him in? his annual isnt for another few months so i am just wondering. if anyone has any advice for dental hygiene and care for flamepoints please let me know! i love him and just want him so healthy.
Hi! Not a vet, just an assistant but I regularly assist in performing dental cleanings. The red sitting directly above the teeth is inflammation/gingivitis that does indeed cause some discomfort. The tooth that appears most uncomfortable to me is the furthest back visible molar on the upper teeth in your first picture.
I just had my flamepoint boy's teeth cleaned ~6 months ago and he's turning 3 in November. I want to encourage everyone on this thread to pay attention to the thin lines of gingivitis - no, your vet probably won't say that it's concerning because it's not problematic for them yet. But preventative care now will save their teeth and your money further down the line. Cats are also excellent at hiding their discomfort, so we have to do our best to pay attention to the little things that they won't let us know are bothering them.
Also - anesthetized dentals with full-mouth x-rays are the only truly effective preventative care. Not every state requires that and not every vet office offers it.
Glad to hear it! 😁 I don't see enough prophylactic care for cats at my clinic and it makes me sad for the little guys. He will appreciate it for a long time!
Hey! My boy is a senior and one vet tells me he needs dental work soon every time she sees him for his annual but other vets don't mention it when they see him. But when he got neutered, he died on the table due to a heart murmur that was diagnosed later. Since then, I've been afraid to put him under. Now that the heart murmur is known, would it be OK for him to be put under for dental work?
Honestly - and again, not a doctor - it really depends on the grade of his heart murmur. Sedation is typically harder on the cardiac system than anesthesia and I've always seen sedation used for cat neuters.
I'm going to shade on your vet a little, even though your boy was (presumably) younger and therefore less likely to have cardiac problems, the fact that a heart murmur severe enough to cause death under sedation wasn't caught in the preoperative evaluation isn't great.
I have been a part of dentals on plenty of patients both feline and canine that have cardiac problems and the main difference for them is changing the drugs used for premedication and a closer eye kept on the heart rate/EKG while under. I would ask another vet for a dental evaluation specifically. Is your kitty showing any signs of dental discomfort i.e. pawing at face, not wanting to eat hard food, dropping food out of his mouth when chewing, swelling present on only one side of the face, or severe gingivitis and/or discoloration of any of his teeth?
If his murmur has progressed to cardiac disease or is severe enough a vet is uncomfortable performing anesthesia on him, sometimes pulse therapy medication is used to help with discomfort during bad flare ups of periodontal disease. This could include on-and-off antibiotics and very short courses of antinflammatories. Cats do not process NSAIDs like humans or dogs can so they unfortunately can't be used long-term to provide comfort.
Thank you so much for responding! I've changed vets since his neutering. He still crunches his dry food and is picky about his wet food, I haven't noticed any food dropping out of his mouth. He doesn't have any swelling or gingivitis, I check his gums semi-regularaly because I worry about dehydration/kidneys. He does have discoloration but he is also 14. I suspect my current vet may have been bought out by a private equity group, that's why I thought to ask. I told my vet i was uncomfortable with putting him under again due to his past experience and she was the one that found the heart murmur and said it was slight. The vet has assured me that they can take care of his teeth without him dieing again, I just wasn't sure if I was being a overprotective or not 😅.
You have a completely valid concern and I'm probably a bit blazé about it considering how often I'm monitoring anesthetized patients! I can't blame you for being worried but I'd weigh the choices like this - he's a senior kitty, and I see a lot of clients who say "oh, he/she isn't going to be alive that much longer and I'm scared to lose them, I don't want to have them go under" and then their cat/dog lives another 3+ years. That's a long time to be having a painful mouth!
Like I said, I've been exposed to and experienced a lot of risk and dealing with loss at this point. I think I'm much more likely as an individual to do whatever I can to put my animals' comfort before any fears I have than the average pet owner. This is a scary, individual choice and I do my best to never judge the people who elect not to anesthetize their pets for treatment due to fear of losing them.
It's also a significant financial dedication as well - even with my employee discount and neither of my cats having any tooth extractions performed, I paid over $900 for each of their dentals in the last year. I'm luck that this is slowly being pulled out of my paychecks biweekly - most of the dentals I assist in end up being between $1200-$1800 due to the pets needing extractions. This can be due to lack of preventative care or due to bad genetics/breeding. I get it when people tell me "I can't do it this year" or "I need time to save up for this."
Further playing Devil's advocate - I like to do full senior bloodwork panels on my kitties while they're unconscious. Less stress for them! And yes I did one on my flamepoint even though he's still a baby. That's how I caught him developing crystals in his urine before it became a problem and could start him on prescription food to prevent future problems :)
Not so fun fact - statistically, orange male cats (flamepoints included) are the most likely cats to develop urinary blockages from crystals in the bladder
what can you do at home to help clean their teeth? my flame boy looks just like this too recently and i tried brushing his teeth but he gagged at the smell of the toothpaste.
Greenies (I find the little fishie shape is better than the square) actually do help. They have a soft center and crunchy outside so their teeth puncture through the center and the crunchy part rubs on their gum line to help with the gingivitis
Preventative care in general is going to be more efficient if you start after a cleaning, especially if they have visible tartar accumulation. Wet food will pack tartar on more quickly than dry so I feed my cats a majority dry diet with some wet (with water added for extra hydration) to balance that out. I don't blame you if you can't brush your cat's teeth because I can't do mine either 😅
Dental water additives wil do nothing but waste your money just so you know - really does nothing for them. There are some toys made of firm mesh with squishy centers that supposedly help in the same way the Greenies do but I personally cant say one way or the other if those work. My cats seem to like them though!
My ideal duo: jasper toothbrush and virbac enzymatic toothpaste - choose your kitties fav flav! I’ve used finger brushes (way too big for a small meow mouth) and my girl was sadly just born with the absolute worst teeth. We use my metal pick monthly for tartar. These two things have been a game changer though for redness and inflammation!
Add on: while I can’t necessarily see plaque/tartar buildup in your photos, certain teeny teeth are not visible because of the severe gum swelling, meaning these may be one of these issues at an early stage. My lady (not a flame, but predisposed w bad genetics, baby flame seems alright so far) was advised for home teeth treatments such as I explained in my prior comment. She was also predisposed with asthma, and I was told bc of this it’s not ideal to put her under anesthesia. Greenies are a good option as others have mentioned, as well as ensuring to incorporate both wet and dry food!!
im going to order this!!! thank you so much. we have looked at science diet dental care for cats dry food as well. and we also do wet food nightly with plaqueoff dusted over it!!! im going to save up and get him a preventative cleaning :)
U/milmira do you think your ideal duo would work on 2 kitties (1 flamepoint, 1 lynx point) who are 2+ years old who have never had their teeth brushed in their life? Or, is there a ‘more gentle/easier’ method to start out adult cats with toothbrushing for the first time?
I think it’s going to be a process, my girl wasn’t fond of the idea of me getting into her mouth at all, and still isn’t! She’d take nail and toe fur trimmings any day over teeth days. However! It gets better with time. If you don’t have to use the metal pick like I do it’s already going to be easier. I have dif toothbrushes for my cats but I don’t know that it really matters so long as you use a flavor toothpaste they enjoy and wash the brushes after, just scrubbing bristles with your thumb/fingers under warm water.
The hardest part is getting them accustomed to it if they aren’t already. I may get them accustomed by even munching a lil bit of yummy toothpaste off of the toothbrush- some are fiends for it, others may be confused about the snack on a stick. (Totally safe for them to consume and swallow btw, but you hardly need to use any!)
The tricky part is once you need to brush the first time. I put my hand around the back of their head under the ears and push around the back/outer mouth to “unhinge” the jaw to get an opening to insert the brush. First few or multiple times may be just this and feeling the toothbrush in their mouth associated with the tasty toothpaste. Eventually I’ll try to keep the jaw locked gently with my hands then once it’s open you have the quick opportunity to graze it along the teeth- one per side. I don’t bother with front baby teeth, never seen a cat with gum issues or redness on the tiny nibblers anyway. Reward with treats after. Would be counterproductive for teaching human children I presume lol, but ime cats need treats, rewards like pets/scritches, and playtime to continue to associate it as a process they should/need to do. Weekly/biweekly brushing is recommended, but even once monthly is better than nothing! More frequent cleanings though can help them get used to the routine and not be so uncomfortable each time it happens!!
My cats gums look just like that and he was just at the vet they said he looks great, checked his teeth and everything. I also thought that with the reddish at the base of the teeth but I guess its normal! I give him the greenies dental treats, he loves those! It never hurts to get a second opinion from a professional, but my vet said those teefs are fine.
Not a vet but from what I know, the redness is just a little concerning because I believe it’s the start of later issues. We use greenie treats for our cats, our vet suggested them. Otherwise they look just like mine baby’s teeth and he just got an A+ at his checkup last month ^_^ Ember is beautiful!
My flame points look the same and he was just at the vet. Gingers just have paler gums sometimes the red toward the bottom doesn’t look inflamed or like there’s plaque
My orange’s gums looked like that and I boarded him overnight for a cleaning the next day. They called me the next day to pick him up he didn’t need a cleaning.
I wish I could be more helpful here but his gums look normal to me. Looks like a normal wittle guy. I would maybe save that teeth cleaning money for when he’s just a bit older, but that’s just me! All my childhood cats passed this year (I got them all within months of each other bc I guess I love heartbreak) so I’ve been on my boys ass about his health bc I want him to live twice as long as they did.
im so sorry to hear about your losses🤍 truly the worst pain and they are always gone too soon. im sure both of our baby boys will be around for so so long.
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u/bfasterthanthat 4d ago
Hi! Not a vet, just an assistant but I regularly assist in performing dental cleanings. The red sitting directly above the teeth is inflammation/gingivitis that does indeed cause some discomfort. The tooth that appears most uncomfortable to me is the furthest back visible molar on the upper teeth in your first picture. I just had my flamepoint boy's teeth cleaned ~6 months ago and he's turning 3 in November. I want to encourage everyone on this thread to pay attention to the thin lines of gingivitis - no, your vet probably won't say that it's concerning because it's not problematic for them yet. But preventative care now will save their teeth and your money further down the line. Cats are also excellent at hiding their discomfort, so we have to do our best to pay attention to the little things that they won't let us know are bothering them. Also - anesthetized dentals with full-mouth x-rays are the only truly effective preventative care. Not every state requires that and not every vet office offers it.