Cat losing teeth

Our cat is 7 years old and he has lost 2 of his front teeth, and another looks like it is going to fall out,they get brown and it seems like it is discomforable to him. how come this is happening to him.

[Arnold L Goldman, D.V.M.]

Hi,

Cats and dogs do not often enjoy the benefit of daily dental care, as we do. Few owners regularly brush their pets teeth. In some cases, the pets will not accept it either due to demeanor (many cats) or through lack of training,  accept it (many dogs).
Owners too, are busy and may not make this a priority. Too bad as doing so will avoid pain in their pets mouths and save money in the long run, perhaps avoiding repeated involved dental procedures and dental surgery.

Further, unlike us, pets do not typically have regular contact with a veterinarian regarding dental issues early enough to avoid painful tooth and gum disease. By the time teeth are falling out there has been significant tooth and gum disease for some time. Indeed by 2 years of age, many pets already have gum disease of a magnitude deserving of professional cleaning, imaging (x-rays) and evaluation.

Do bring your cat to a veterinarian skilled in dentistry, especially one who will include dental x-rays in the package of services they may call a "dentistry". Hidden disease is only caught with x ray images and such imaging is the standard of care in pet dental medicine today.

Sincerely,

Arnold L. Goldman DVM, MS
MedHelp