Question

My cat won’t let me brush her teeth. Is it true that tartar and gum disease can cause other problems?

Answer

Tartar management is cats can be challenging, as you have found. If you have seen that there is significant tartar on your cat’s molars and premolars, you are already at a stage where you will need your local veterinarian to perform a complete dental prophylaxis under anesthesia. This tartar is probably causing the gingivitis that you are seeing.

Dry kibble diets help in tartar prevention, however, even cats who eat nothing but dry food occasionally need dental prophylaxis. The most important thing is to have the tartar taken care of because leaving it in the mouth can cause kidney infections and heart valve disease.