Viewing feline dental health as a lifetime investment rather than episodic crisis management changes the economics and welfare calculus of dental care significantly in favour of prevention.
Framing dental care as a lifetime investment changes the welfare and economic calculation fundamentally. Daily brushing that takes 2 minutes represents a tiny investment that prevents chronic pain across potentially 15 years of life. Professional cleanings from age 2-3 that catch disease early prevent the irreversible damage of advanced periodontitis. The welfare case and economic case for prevention both point toward the same conclusion.