If you are a new or fairly inexperienced cat owner, you may not have heard of professional dental cleans.

A pet professional dental clean is much like a scale and polish that you would have carried out by your own dentist or hygienist - a truly thorough and comprehensive clean that is simply not possible to achieve yourself at home. Although your pet dentist in Columbus, NC will stress the importance of cleaning your cat's teeth yourself, they understand that there is only so much you can do yourself without professional tools and equipment.

A professional clean nearly always happens while your pet is under the effects of a general anesthetic. This means that your feline will remain completely still, giving your pet dentist the time they need to undertake a truly thorough clean of her teeth. It also makes the process much safer, since any sudden movement would ordinarily put her at risk of being injured by the sharp tools used to clean her teeth.

Despite some owners having concerns about the use of general anesthetic for professional dental cleans, most vets in Columbus, NC agree that the slight risk associated with the use of the anesthetic is incomparable to the benefits offered by a thorough cleaning.

Why it is important to get your cat's teeth cleaned professionally

There are a number of different reasons why regular dental cleanings by a professional are so important. These include:

Your cat could develop significant dental problems

Dental problems aren't just for humans. If you don't take proper care of your cat's teeth, you could find that your kitty suffers from a range of different dental problems, including:

• Toothache
• Dental disease
• Mouth sores and ulcers
• Gum and jaw bone deterioration
• Feline resorptive lesions - a condition which is incredibly painful

The trouble is that you may not even realize that your cat has these issues until they have been going on for some time. This is because

Dental problems could be very painful for your kitty

While not every dental problem may cause discomfort initially, eventually some pain is virtually guaranteed. Toothache is regularly cited as one of the worst types of pain and if you have ever had an abscessed tooth or infection gum, you know just how bad it can get. Wouldn't you want to protect your cat from that? Dental cleaning can significantly reduce the likelihood of her experiencing tooth pain.

Dental disease could have serious consequences for her health

Dental disease, also known as periodontal disease, is an inflammatory gum condition that causes a range of unpleasant symptoms from bad breath to tooth loss. However, the infection that develops in the gums can quickly spread to the bloodstream and move around her body. This means her bodily systems and key organs could be affected, putting her health and life at serious risk. In addition to this, if your kitty already has a chronic health condition, such as diabetes, dental disease could make it much harder to control.

If you would like more advice and support on the best way to care for your cat's teeth, or if you would like to arrange for a professional clean for your furry feline, please don't hesitate to contact our caring and experienced pet dentistry team at our veterinary hospital in Columbus, NC by calling 828-970-1780.