How can I keep my cats' teeth healthy?

Question.
I have two, two-year-old Tonkinese: a male and female. When I took them to the vets for their boosters the vet said they both had active gingivitis and would need dental work. So, I took them back and they each had a tooth removed. Why are their teeth so bad at so young an age?
They only eat dry food, normally Purina Indoor Cat, but I have now added Hill's Dental
Diet to this, as I want to continue their indoor diet because of the benefits to their health.
They only drink water. They have one pouch of cat food between them at night as a treat.    !
I am now trying to clean their teeth, but it isn't easy. I need one hand to hold them, one to open their
mouths and then how do I clean their teeth? It's impossible to fend off angry back legs and claws.

Answer.

Gingivitis is an all too common problem for cats and there are a number of possible causes. In older cats the most common cause is a build-up of mineralized tartar on the teeth and the problem can be
controlled by removing this tartar and then taking steps to try to prevent it from reforming. However, gingivitis can also occur in cats that have very little tartar on their teeth, and this can be a very frustrating problem to try to control.

In these cases we often do not know what has caused the cat to develop the inflammation. It is possible that in some cases there is a link with viral infections, especially Calicivirus infection which is very common. Many pet cats carry Calicivirus in their mouths and show no symptoms, but it is thought that in some cats the presence of the virus may stimulate an abnormal immune response within the mouth, almost as if the cat is allergic to the virus.

Another factor currently believed to be important is an abnormal immune reaction to the normal bacterial flora of the mouth. All cats have very large numbers of bacteria in their mouths. and most have no problems. However, cats that are predisposed to develop gingivitis may not be able to
tolerate the presence of these bacteria, and their immune system may trigger an inflammatory response against them. It may be that there is a genetic element to this, and some people feel that gingivitis is more common in certain breeds of cat, although there is little strong evidence to confirm this as yet. Attempts to control gingivitis are currently mainly aimed at reducing the number of bacteria within the mouth. Keeping the teeth as clean as possible is essential for this, so regular teeth cleaning at home, or at the vet's, is important. If your cats will not allow you to brush their teeth then you may have to consider other cleaning methods, but it is worth persevering for a while because with time they may become more used to the process, and therefore more accepting of it.
Other methods that can be used to reduce the bacterial load in the mouth include the use of dental chews and antibacterial oral gels. Discuss your tooth-brushing problems with your vet to see if there are any other methods that might be suitable. Removal of any damaged teeth, as your vet has done, is also important, and in severe cases periodic courses of antibiotics, or other treatments to reduce the inflammatory response in the mouth, may be used.

Specialized diets, can also playa role by helping to remove plaque from the teeth and hence reduce the level of bacteria in the mouth.

_{source Your Cat Mag.}