As much as we want kisses and licks from our balls of fur, their mouths are not always as clean as ours, with many diseases and bacteria present we are not always prepared for. Gingivitis is often the cause of an extremely stinky breath or the overall bad health of your cat and needs to be treated.
The best toothpaste for a cat that has gingivitis is the oxyfresh premium pet dental kit for cats that includes the toothpaste you will need, toothbrushes, and a water additive for $12. This will help clean your cat's teeth, but for severe gingivitis, you must get antibiotics from your veterinarian.
Choosing the best toothpaste to help clean out your cat's mouth and get into all the right corners, we need to look at everything available. The right toothpaste may be something that you can get online, or your local vet may have something else that they swear by.
What to give cats that have gingivitis?
Before you can just start using a toothbrush, your finger, or even a combination of the two to clean your cat's gingivitis, there are a few things you need to know. Gingivitis is not simply the cat's mouth that has become dirty; it is an inflammation of the soft tissue in their mouths.
A few things need to be done initially to help the toothbrush and toothpaste do their jobs properly. Your vet will need to diagnose it first as well, with most cats that have gingivitis requiring that your cat have a proper cleaning first before just starting to clean them at home.
(source: vcahospitals.com)
Teeth Cleaning
This is the hardest part to realize and often the part of the gingivitis process that is the most stressful for cat owners. Proper vet teeth cleaning will have the cat put under general anesthesia to have the gums cleaned, the tartar removed, and the removal of as much plaque as possible.
It is important to do this step to ensure that your cats' teeth are properly cleaned before sending him back home, where you can continue the cleaning process. Many times, the vet will be able to easily remove the plague that is harder to remove and that will be hiding deeper in the mouth.
Home Cleaning
Once the worst of the plague and tartar has been removed, you will have to start cleaning your cats' teeth, using toothpaste and the right brushes to do so. It will be a difficult road at the start, with your cat possibly running away, biting, or scratching you whenever it is time to clean.
However, it is essential to brush your cats' teeth twice a day to stop the gingivitis from spreading and becoming a full infection that can pose an extreme risk to your cat. As painful and annoying as it can be, you must clean your cat's mouth and brush it to ensure the gingivitis does not get worse.
Stomatitis Prognosis
The more severe version of gingivitis is called stomatitis, which is a full infection of the soft tissue of your cat's teeth. If left untreated, they will stop eating entirely and will most likely die either from starvation or because they have become completely infected.
If you are treating this, you will be required to brush your cats' teeth the same as normal gingivitis, but you will also have to give your cat antibiotics to help fight the infection. Usually, you will also have softer food that you need to feed your cat during the worst part of this as their teeth will be too painful to eat properly.
What are the top 4 kinds of toothpaste?
There are quite a few toothpastes for your cat that will work to fight gingivitis; this is because the real purpose is to help clean the teeth, which is what all toothpaste do. Unless you are prescribed a specific type of sensitive toothpaste or toothpaste with antibiotics, you can use most normal pet kinds of toothpaste.
However, please ensure that if you are already using some toothpaste and your cat still got gingivitis, you may need to consult your vet about it. The following kinds of toothpaste are what we have seen work to help cats beat gingivitis, with the proper help and attention given from their owners.
Oxyfresh Premium Pet Dental Kit for Cats
This is the starter kit that we recommend anyone getting when they need to start brushing their cat's teeth; it includes a finger brush and two-finger covers. Further, it includes toothpaste to be used when brushing but also a water additive to help fight gingivitis every time your cat drinks water.
Once you are used to cleaning your cat's teeth and everything pertaining to it, you can move onto other kinds of toothpaste and techniques. We always recommend that you take care when doing this, as you can lose some of the finer feeling of brushing their teeth when using normal brushes.
Virbac C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Kity
At $13, the two-piece Virbac CET kit is made for those who have younger pets, as it comes included with a brush that has softer bristles. You will also be getting a finger sleeve with the toothpaste that you can use to get into the corners and softer spots of your cat's mouth.
You will be able to use the brush in two ways, as it is a double-sided brush with a smaller and thinner side on one end. This allows you to use the toothbrush on a kitten or on a cat that has a smaller mouth, something that needs to be done as your finger will not always be able to reach smaller spaces.
HIBOS Cat Toothbrush Toothpaste Dental Care
Sometimes we need to admit that our cats are smarter than us when it comes to catching them, especially if they have already been caught once to brush their teeth. The HIBOS toothpaste is a bit more expensive at $19 but will help you to have a quick draw on brushing their teeth.
Similar to a pen, you can press on the back to make the toothpaste come out on the bristles, where you can then just quickly start brushing your cats' teeth. While the brush is a bit harder, it will allow you to reach a bit deeper as it is smaller and can easily reach into the crevices of the teeth.
Petsmile Professional Cat Toothpaste
For the more experienced cat owner, the Petsmile toothpaste does not come with anything other than the tube of toothpaste. At around $14, it is perfect for someone that needs to clean their cat's mouth when they already have their cleaning equipment or finger sleeves.
This toothpaste will easily clean out the gingivitis and help to get your cat's breath smelling better; however, you will not have a completely fresh breath smell. Mint is sometimes poisonous to animals, and toothpaste for cats usually tastes like chicken so that they can easily eat it without getting sick.
Conclusion
Choosing the best toothpaste for your cat is important and will determine whether gingivitis worsens over time. We recommend always talking to your vet before choosing a toothpaste, as there might be something specific that they would prefer.
Always remember that your cats' teeth can always be brushed to help your cat have permanently healthy gums!