Dental disease is the most common health problem in domestic cats, with up to 70 per cent showing significant periodontal disease by age three. Extraction of severely diseased teeth resolves chronic pain and typically produces immediate, dramatic quality-of-life improvement.
Cats with undiagnosed severe dental disease live with continuous oral pain that suppresses appetite, grooming behaviour, and social interaction. Owners frequently attribute these changes to normal ageing rather than pain. Post-extraction improvement is often dramatic — cats that were dull and inappetant resume normal grooming, play, and social behaviour within days of recovery. Welfare-centred cat health care includes annual veterinary dental examination under anaesthesia with radiography, owner education about home care, and early intervention before disease reaches the point of systemic infection.