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Getting a kitten is always an exciting time. Shopping for their accessories and making them the perfect nest are all part of the anticipation of welcoming your new member of the family. But kittens aren’t just tiny cats. After birth they are still developing and finishing what nature and their mum started. Kittens are born with closed eyes, and, like human babies, no teeth. Kittens’ baby teeth or milk teeth as they are known, appear between the ages of three and six weeks.
You may have wondered whether kittens lose their teeth, and the answer is yes, just like us. In this article we’ll look at when teeth appear, when they disappear again and how you can help your kitten keep their adult teeth in tip top shape for their life as an adult cat.
Caring for your kitten’s teeth during teething
You can read all about teething here but in a nutshell the timeline of teeth coming and going is:
3-6 weeks. Milk teeth, also called baby or deciduous teeth, start to erupt.
8 weeks. All 26 baby teeth are in place.
3-4 months. Baby teeth begin to fall out. The adult teeth will start to appear.
6-7 months. All 30 adult teeth are fully erupted. Some kittens will end up with what’s called “persistent deciduous teeth” or “retained milk teeth”. This is where the baby teeth, usually the canines, do not fall out and end up wedged next to the adult teeth. This can cause a premature build of plaque and tartar and then gum disease. Your vet will usually recommend removal of these teeth and this will most often need to be done under anaesthetic.
Teething can cause discomfort because the teeth have to pierce through the sensitive gum tissue. Just like with children, some kittens are more sensitive to pain than others. You may notice your kitten has bad breath or halitosis, they may drool, avoid food or paw at their mouth. You might notice they groom less and they may start chewing household objects.
Caring for brand new baby teeth
Food. For several reasons it’s best to feed kittens some wet and some dry food so that they don’t get hooked on a certain texture. When your kitten is teething you may find that they prefer wet food or soaked biscuits because it will be more gentle on their sore gums. Keep offering dry biscuits too, so that they always have a choice.
Toys. Your kitten will have the urge to chew things to alleviate the pain. Make sure they don’t have access to places where they might chew dangerous items such as electrical cables. Providing rubber toys for them to chew can help.
Brushing. Teeth brushing is the most proven way of keeping teeth healthy. If you get your kitten used to having a daily brushing it will be so much easier than starting with an adult cat. Don’t start trying to brush your kitten’s teeth until you are happy that all the baby teeth are fully erupted and your kitten isn’t in any discomfort. Here are some pointers for when it comes to brushing teeth;
Use cat toothpaste. Human toothpaste is designed to foam up, be spat out and is minty. None of which will appeal to your kitten!
Use a specially designed toothbrush. Kittens have tiny mouths, so you may find a small brush that fits over your finger works best.
Be gentle. Just get them to lick some of the meaty-flavoured toothpaste from your finger to start and then gently lift their lip and use your finger alone to rub the gum first before progressing to the brush.
Start at the back. The incisors and canines at the front of the mouth are more sensitive than the back teeth. Start with the back teeth to help them accept it.
Start gradually. Just do a few little rotations on one side to start with and gradually build up.
Daily is best. Try to brush your kitten’s teeth daily. If you can’t manage that, do it as often as you can and don’t beat yourself up - it’s still better than nothing!
Be aware of the time that your kitten starts to lose their baby teeth and get their adult teeth. Usually, this period isn’t as painful because the holes are already there but if you notice your kitten is mouth shy, just be patient and start again when the adult teeth are there and the pain has subsided again.
Lifelong dental care habits for cats
As we said, brushing will do more than anything to help prevent dental disease and gum disease. Dental disease is really common in adult cats and tends to get worse with age. It can cause pain, inflammation and at worst, infections that can get into the bloodstream and cause problems with other organs such as the heart and kidneys.
Top tips for good dental care for life are;
Teeth brushing!
Dental care foods. Some dry foods are specially designed to prevent plaque and tartar. They have large kibble sizes so that your cat has to chew them and they have specially aligned fibres that scrape your cat’s teeth as they bite into them. Ask your vet how you can complement daily teeth brushing with these special foods.
Regular check ups. Your cat will have a full examination from your vet every year with their vaccinations. Listen to their advice regarding professional cleaning. Doing this before gum disease has set in is always better than waiting until there is a big problem.
The safe side. In between your routine visits try to keep an eye on your cat's teeth and gums. If you notice redness of the gums, cracked or chipped teeth or brown/yellow tartar build-up, ask your vet to have a look. The sooner issues are picked up, the better for all concerned.
Good dental health can make a huge difference to your cat’s quality of life. By getting into good habits right from the start, you will be way ahead of the game when it comes to adult life and keeping those pearly whites gleaming.
Reviewed by Dr. Hein Meyer, DVM, PhD, Dipl-ECVIM-CA and Dr. Emma Milne BVSc FRCVS.
