Dental disease affects over 70% of cats over three years old, causing chronic pain that significantly impacts quality of life. Prevention and early treatment are essential for feline welfare.
Feline dental disease causes chronic pain that fundamentally compromises quality of life in a majority of adult cats. The hidden nature of cat dental pain means many owners are unaware their cat is suffering until disease is advanced. Affected cats often continue eating despite severe dental pain, reinforcing the misconception that eating means teeth are fine. Signs that may indicate dental pain include preference for softer foods, dropping food, pawing at the mouth, and reduced grooming. Annual veterinary dental examinations under sedation allow identification of disease invisible to external inspection. Treatment often transforms cats that owners had attributed to normal aging — the improvement in vitality post-treatment reveals the pain burden they had been carrying.