Dental disease affects the majority of cats over age three and causes significant chronic pain, but is highly preventable through lifetime preventive dental care strategies.
Dental pain in cats is a chronic, largely silent welfare burden. Cats rarely show obvious signs of oral pain - they continue eating even with severely painful mouths. Regular veterinary dental examination under anaesthesia enables definitive assessment and treatment. Lifetime preventive care beginning in kittenhood creates the best welfare outcomes, but even late-starting preventive care reduces future dental disease progression.