Our beloved cat can also get sore teeth from time to time, especially when he is a puppy. This furry is born without teeth, and as the weeks go by it grows and grows stronger, which is why we should not let it bite us even at an early age.
However, we do not usually give much importance to taking care of this part of your body until you start to have symptoms such as bad breath or tooth loss. Therefore, we are going to tell you how to know if my cat's teeth hurt and what you can do to help him.
Causes of tooth pain in cats
Teeth are coming out
It is usually one of the most common causes. The cat is born without teeth, but around a month it will have milk teeth and later, at 3-4 months, the definitive ones will begin to appear. Total you will end up having 30 pieces composed of 12 incisors (6 upper and 6 lower), 4 canines or tusks (2 upper and 2 lower), 10 premolars (6 upper and 4 lower), and 4 molars (2 upper and 2 lower).
The incisors are used to tear food, the fangs to kill their prey, and the molars to cut.
You have suffered trauma
If you have been in an accident or have had a bad fall, it may be that your teeth have been damaged, or that a part has even broken, which will cause you a lot of pain.
Have any infection or inflammation
If the cat has not received the necessary dental care throughout his life, the tartar will come a time that will be a focus of infection. Also, there may be inflammation in the gums or even gingivitis.
Cancer
If you have a tumor in your mouth, it can cause a lot of pain in your teeth, preventing you from eating normally.
How do you know if your teeth hurt?
We will know that your teeth hurt if you show any of the following symptom:
- It bites everything it finds.
- You have bad breath (halitosis).
- You have started to lose weight and / or appetite.
- He is listless, sad.
- Chewing hard.
- He has fever.
Which is the treatment?
Depending on the cause that is causing the pain in the teeth, the treatment will be one or the other. Usually the vet will recommend analgesics for pain, anti-inflammatory for inflammation and / or some antibiotic to treat infection.
However, if there has been a fracture, or if you have cancer, you may need to have a tooth or tumor removed.
As we can see, there are several reasons why a cat can feel pain in its teeth. Whenever we suspect that his teeth hurt, it is best to take him to the vet.