How does dental health impact the overall health and well-being of my cat?
The problem with dental disease in cats specifically is related to their longevity. Dental disease in cats comes in several different forms, but in particular, the buildup of dental calculus on the teeth over a period of years results in gingivitis. Gingivitis has an effect on your kitty's heart, as well as his liver and kidneys, and affects his blood pressure, and that blood pressure affects his kidneys. Kidney disease is the most common disease in cats as they become seniors, so taking care of their teeth is really important and needs to be done professionally. You can attempt to brush your cat's teeth, but I've been in practice for 48 years, and I've had very few clients that can brush their cat's teeth. So you just need to see a veterinarian on a yearly basis, and that veterinarian is definitely going to be looking at their teeth because it's the key to longevity and control, particularly of kidney disease in kitties.
Dr. Larry Nieman
Neighborhood Vets Mobile Care
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Cat Dental - FAQs
Dr. Larry Nieman
Neighborhood Vets Mobile Care
Is there anything I can do to help my cat prepare for a dental appointment?
Not much. If we do your cat's dentistry, and we arrive at your driveway, you just have to bring them out to our van, and we do the whole procedure there. Our dental squeeze is behind the door behind me, and we'll take care of cleaning his teeth.
Why does my cat need anesthesia for teeth cleaning?
I'm certain that all of you who are looking at this video have had your teeth cleaned at the dentist's. The reason for that is that a cat just won't allow us to put that piezoelectric dental scaler or a polisher with a grid on it to polish his teeth in his mouth. So that's why general anesthesia is required.
Who monitors my cat while under anesthesia?
In our case, it's my assistant and me, but we do that with electronic monitoring. Of course, we're watching your cat's breathing cycle and ensuring that his pulse oximetry is adequate, his EKG is doing well, his blood pressure is okay, and all that gets monitored electronically. So it's really safe, although it didn't used to be 48 years ago when I started.
Will my cat be intubated to have cat dental work done?
Yes. We use sevoflurane anesthesia, and we administer that through an endotracheal tube that we place when we induce the anesthesia with an iv.
How long does a cat dental appointment take?
In our practice, usually about an hour and a half. We always take blood and do pre-anesthetic blood work before cleaning the teeth. With the sevoflurane that we use to maintain general anesthesia, they usually wake up really quickly, so they get to wake up in their home rather than in a clinic.
If my cat needs extractions, will pain medication be given?
Absolutely, yes. We know for sure in veterinary medicine that our patients recover much more quickly if we control their pain, so absolutely. We use pain control when they get their teeth pulled.
If you would like more information, have questions, or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact us or schedule an appointment. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media https://www.facebook.com/NeighborhoodVets, https://www.instagram.com/neighborhoodvets