Cat Teeth Falling Out

When cat teeth are falling out, it is typically a cause for major issue to the owner. If a feline has teeth that are falling out, it can either be a totally normal process or one indicating that an underlying health condition exists. In order to figure out whether the issue is major or not, feline owners ought to first understand why a cat’s teeth might fall out and what indication to look for.

Understanding Tooth Loss in Cats

Physiological change of teeth Kittens are born toothless. Their incisors erupt at 1-2 weeks of age. A two-month-old baby’s teeth should already be at least 26. But they also begin to fall out at 3-4 months. The process of change also takes 3 to 4 months, ending at seven months.

Teeth should not fall out in a healthy adult cat. A cat loses teeth in two cases: in childhood, when the milk teeth change to permanent ones, and at an older age. When the cat is 10-12 years old, the teeth begin to fall out due to old age. In other cases, tooth loss is often due to oral disease or other problems in the pet’s body.

Keep an eye on your cat’s health, count how many and which teeth have fallen out. An adult cat should have 30 of them: 6 incisors, 2 canines, 2 molars on the lower and upper jaws. Premolars are 10: 6 on the lower jaw and 4 on the upper jaw.

When the baby teeth change, the kitty may exhibit symptoms such as:

  • Hyper-salivation;
  • Chewing of inedible objects;
  • decreased activity;
  • irritability, excitability.

Often the process of changing teeth goes with complications – instead of 4 canines grow 8. This is due to the fact that the formation of molar canines occurs in separate follicles: milk ones have not yet fallen out, and new ones are already actively growing. The kitten experiences discomfort, cannot chew, and therefore loses weight.

In these cases, you need to go to the clinic to have a specialist remove the wobbly tooth. The procedure is performed under anesthesia.

Tooth replacement, which takes place without complications, does not require medical intervention. The main thing is that the food in the baby’s diet contains the necessary amount of mineral salts, calcium and phosphorus.

Healthy adult cats’ teeth should not fall out.

Causes of Cat Teeth Falling Out

It is easy to distinguish between baby teeth and permanent teeth: the first ones are white, sharp as needles. They are slightly flat, and there is a slight thinning at the transition of the tooth to the gum. The canines are bent backwards. Root (permanent) teeth are yellowish in color, with a more rounded section. The canines are straight, there is no thinning in the gum area.

If a cat is kept in good conditions, receives a balanced diet, enriched with nutrients, vitamins and trace elements, and is not exposed to external traumatic factors, it may well keep its teeth to a ripe old age.

However, if the pet has them falling out after he is 1 year old, that is, we are talking about the loss of permanent teeth, it is an alarming signal, which means the presence of serious pathologies occurring in the body.

It is important to understand: teeth in adult cats do not just fall out. This is a problem not only of the oral cavity, but also of the whole body, since the mucous membrane of the mouth and gums have many blood vessels, through which the infection spreads throughout the body.

By the age of three, plaque turns into stone in a cat, so the oral cavity needs careful care – cleaning with special pastes. If you neglect hygienic procedures, loss of teeth in the future can not be avoided.

Teeth falling out in an adult pet may indicate the following problems in the body:

  • Trauma in the mouth;
  • A weakened immune system;
  • Violation of the natural microflora in the mouth, populating it with pathogenic bacteria;
  • vitamin deficiencies;
  • diabetes mellitus;
  • tartar;
  • metabolic disorders;
  • Changes in hormonal background (pregnancy, taking hormonal drugs, including contraceptives, antibiotics, etc.);
  • Dental diseases (gingivitis, periodontal disease, dental caries, etc.)
  • Bad bite;
  • Gastrointestinal diseases;
  • oncology.

Biology of Cat Teeth

Felines are biologically made with two sets of teeth: milk teeth and adult teeth. Kittens are born with their milk teeth, which enable them to latch onto the nipple and are only made to conveniently deal with mom’s milk. These teeth are hardly strong enough to chew food and normally fall out around 6 months of age. Most cat owners usually do not discover when a kitten’s milk teeth fall out since it’s normal for the kittycat to swallow them.

After the milk teeth have fallen out, a feline develops a new set of adult teeth. These teeth are created to chew dry food, bones, mice and other difficult form of nourishment. They are far more resilient in nature and will stay for the life of the cat.

In short, if you observe that your kittycat’s teeth are falling out, it is usually not a cause for concern or a condition that requires medical treatment.

Feline Dental Disease

Feline dental disease is a true medical condition and one of the leading causes of feline teeth falling out. It normally takes place as the outcome of tartar buildup on the teeth, which felines are really sensitive to and somewhat susceptible to. This tartar buildup often causes irritation of the gums, in turn triggering the root of the tooth to become exposed. Signs of feline dental disease include:

  • Red, irritated appearance of the gums
  • Bad breath
  • Rotten appearance of teeth

As the procedure of feline dental disease continues, it can cause decaying of the teeth. When the teeth have actually rotted beyond repair work, they often fall out, and this is often the first sign of feline dental disease that cat owners discover.

Age Progression

Other times, the cause of cat teeth falling out can simply be due to age progression, usually at the age of 10 years or more. When this happens, there normally aren’t other obvious signs other than the teeth actually falling out. Most older cats continue to eat usually and do not provide other indication to show a medical condition.

As a feline ages, the gums can end up being loose, simply as other systems of the body ended up being weaker as a result of age. The gums are made to be tight structures that hold both the root and the structure of the tooth securely in location, however as age development takes place and the gums end up being weaker, they may not be able to effectively hold the teeth in place, basically causing them to fall out.

What Else You Should Know About Cat’s Teeth Loss

The notion that all cats lose incisors in old age is wrong. If the animal is healthy, the onset of old age is not an argument for dental health problems. The exception is age of 20 years and older, but rare cat lives up to it.

Loss of the chewing apparatus of its structural units is related to diseases, poor care and unbalanced nutrition, but in no way to age.

Over the years various changes in the condition and shape of the teeth do occur. It is proved that the approximate age of the cat can be determined by the number of erased teeth – the more of them, the older the animal.

The first teeth to wear down are the incisors on the lower jaw (toward the edges of the center), and their shape becomes transverse-oval. Then comes the turn of molars and premolars. Fangs are the last to lose enamel.

Physiological change of deciduous teeth in kittens

Kittens are born without teeth. Baby teeth appear at 1-2 weeks of age. They are small, sharp and have no roots. By two months of age, kittens usually have 26 teeth each. The change of milk teeth occurs gradually and ends by about 7-9 months of age. It usually goes without complications. Sometimes the kitten will have profuse salivation, apathy or excitement, and active chewing of objects.

Sometimes the process of changing teeth proceeds with complications. For example, the pet grows permanent teeth in place of the milk teeth that have not yet fallen out. The baby feels discomfort. If this happens, see your veterinarian to have the baby’s milk tooth removed.

Other causes of tooth loss in adult cats. Oral diseases

Permanent tooth loss in a cat after one year of age is a serious problem that requires immediate intervention. An adult cat has 30 permanent teeth, and even the loss of one of them indicates that there are disorders in the pet’s body.

Let’s name the common reasons why a cat’s teeth fall out:

  • Oral diseases (gingivitis, cavities, stomatitis, tartar)
  • Internal non-communicable diseases (stomach ulcers, gastritis, avitaminosis, diabetes mellitus)
  • Some viral and bacterial diseases
  • Head injury

If you notice that your pet’s tooth has fallen out, see your veterinarian. He will determine the cause of the loss. Of course, a tooth can fall out because of an injury, then only local treatment of the wound will be needed. For other causes of tooth loss, your pet will need treatment, which the doctor will prescribe.

Main Symptoms of Cat’s Teeth Problem

The clinical picture of tooth loss differs depending on the cause of the phenomenon. If the masticatory apparatus has fallen out due to trauma, it is sufficient to treat the wound with a disinfectant solution and if there is no infection, the damaged area will heal well.

The following symptoms are reasons to go to the veterinary clinic:

  • The gums are swollen, red, bleeding;
  • saliva is profusely secreted, causing the cat’s muzzle and neck to be constantly wet;
  • pustules form in the oral cavity;
  • pus in the saliva;
  • there is a bad smell of decay coming from the mouth;
  • Difficulty chewing;
  • Lack of appetite.
  • A cat lying on the floor

As a rule, the cat’s behavior changes; it becomes restless, apathetic, and loses weight. The animal refuses to eat, even if it is very hungry. If the cat tries to eat, it does so very carefully and slowly, since chewing makes him feel uncomfortable. As a rule, he also refuses water.

The owner should observe the condition of the animal, it is advisable to write down the changes to tell the veterinarian about them. This will greatly facilitate diagnosis and determine treatment.

Diagnosis at the veterinarian

Adult tooth loss is not an independent disease, but a sign of serious pathology developing in the body (except for trauma).

Diagnosis is aimed at identifying the provoking factor and includes anamnesis (collecting information about the content, nutrition of the animal, general condition), visual inspection in general and the oral cavity in particular, diagnostic studies.

Treatment methods and prognosis

There is no single treatment regimen for tooth loss in cats. The therapy is individual for each case, and depends on the age of the cat, its health and the cause of the loss of teeth. A tooth that has fallen out cannot be restored, the veterinarian’s task is to prevent further losses.

To solve the problem, the specialist makes adjustments to the cat’s diet, prescribes drugs to strengthen the teeth and the immune system.

Regarding vitamin therapy, we can say that giving vitamin C is not necessary. Cats synthesize ascorbic acid in sufficient quantities, so they do not get scurvy. It is unlikely to save your pet from falling out of teeth.

D. Roberts (Junior Expert)/ author of the article

He is a specialist in the field of veterinary medicine, and pet care. Believes that the person responsible for each pet, which was taken into the house, and therefore should study his behavior, means of determining health status and methods of first aid.

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