Why a cat's tooth fell out: reasons, what to do

Features of the cat's dental system

The cat is a predator that hunts small rodents, kills them and eats their flesh. Due to this form of nutrition, the dental system of a predator has a special structure. The incisors are practically not involved in hunting and chewing food and therefore are small in size. Cats use them to catch fleas and bite dirt out of their fur coats.

The most significant in size are the fangs. These long, sharp teeth are essential for holding onto caught prey. They are slightly curved inside the oral cavity and are also used for protection. The loss of fangs is tantamount to the loss of weapons. A predator cannot kill its prey and tear it apart. If the fangs are lost, the animal will have to be content with carrion.

Molars and premolars are saw-shaped. Their sharp cutting edges help to cut meat and cut it off the bones. Due to the lever action of the jaw joints, the cheek teeth act like scissors. The upper part of the crown of a cat's cheek tooth is sharper than that of some members of the canine family.

The cat does not chew its food because it is not necessary. Her saliva does not contain digestive enzymes. The enzymes needed to digest protein foods could also dissolve oral tissue. Therefore, predators simply swallow large pieces.

Natural selection is very rational and cruel, therefore, in the wild, a predator that has lost the ability to feed and defend itself dies.

Famous mutant cats

In addition to the gene changes that gave the world new breeds of cats, there are also rarer types of mutations. Animals that have them have become famous all over the world. But any mutation remains undesirable, and trying to breed something like this on your own is strictly prohibited.

Cat with wings

One of the most noticeable mutations in cats is the appearance of so-called wings. The shoots can reach 15 cm in length. They are covered with hair and are based on bone and muscle tissue. It is believed that these appendages are another pair of underdeveloped limbs. There are suggestions that this mutation may be caused by poor ecology and other unfavorable environmental factors. The most famous “winged” cat is a pet from China.

Owners of “winged” cats often claimed that the extra limbs are used by their pets to jump long distances

Video: “winged” cats

Vampire cat

As the name suggests, cats with this mutation have long upper canines that are visible even when the cat's mouth is closed. But this feature is more likely to hinder the cat than to make it easier to catch prey. And, of course, she does not make a blood-sucking animal out of a cat.

Long fangs give cats a scary look, but do not affect the pet’s character at all

Monty the cat

Monty the cat is famous on the Internet for his unusual skull structure. The fact is that the animal does not have a nasal bone. This gives his appearance an alien appearance. This mutation did not prevent the cat from finding loving owners.

Veterinarians who carefully examined the cat were able to establish that he had an extremely rare disease for cats - Down syndrome, but long-term treatment helped Monty

Cat with two faces

The rare disease diprosophia can cause a very unusual mutation: partial or complete duplication of the face on one head. Typically, animals with this anomaly live no more than two days, but long-livers are also found. For example, Frank and Louis. The cat lived for more than 12 years in the home of a caring and loving person.

The animal has a double nickname - Frank and Louis - which is due to the presence of two faces in the cat

Causes of loss of fangs

Loss of teeth, including fangs, can have several causes:

physiological – natural change of baby teeth to permanent ones;
age-related – tooth loss caused by degenerative processes in the aging body;
pathological – tooth loss occurs as a result of pathology of the tooth crown, gums or trauma.

Natural change of teeth is a temporary process. In the wild, the female helps feed during this period.

Physiological change of teeth

Kittens are born toothless and feed on their mother's milk until their first teeth appear. First, the incisors erupt, and this happens at the age of 1-2 weeks. Then after 3-4 weeks the canines appear and after 6-8 weeks the premolar teeth finish erupting. Babies have no molars. By 2 months, the kitten should have 26 baby teeth. They are whiter and thinner than permanent ones.

The replacement of baby teeth with permanent ones begins at the age of 3.5-5.5 months. The procedure is the same as for teething:

3.5-5.5 months. – incisors;
5.5-6.5 months. – fangs;
4.0-5.0 months. – pre-radical.

Molars appear in babies at the age of 5-6 months. By 7 months, the physiological change of teeth should be completely completed. But in some cases it drags on for up to 9 months.

In females, the replacement of milk teeth begins later than in males.

An adult cat's complete dental formula is:

12 incisors - 6 pieces each on the lower and upper jaws;
4 fangs;
10 premolars (premolars);
4 molars.

There are a total of 30 permanent teeth in a cat's mouth. Signs of tooth change are:

hypersalivation - excessive salivation;
the desire to chew and gnaw inedible objects;
decreased appetite;
mood changes – irritability, aggressiveness, increased excitability;
decreased physical activity due to malnutrition.

You need to help your baby get rid of a loose baby tooth only if it interferes with the eruption of a permanent one. Sometimes instead of 4 fangs there are 8 – the milk ones have not yet fallen out, but the permanent ones have already appeared. This happens due to the fact that fangs are formed in separate follicles. Normally, the kitten will get rid of the tooth that is causing discomfort on its own, but the help of a veterinarian may be required.

Age-related canine loss

With age, degenerative processes occur in the animal’s body:

mineral metabolism is disrupted - teeth become less durable, they wear out and even break. The longest ones in the jaw, the canines, are especially affected;
Collagen synthesis decreases - teeth begin to loosen due to weakening of retaining fibers and loosening of gum tissue;
Immunity decreases, which increases the risk of infections and the development of dental pathologies.

Signs of wear on dental crowns (the part of the tooth that protrudes above the gum) can be seen in cats aged 3-5 years. The animal's teeth become dull and darker due to deposits of tartar and soft plaque.

Cats older than 5-6 years may already be missing some teeth. To extend the life of the dental system of a domestic predator, you need to monitor oral hygiene from the first months of life.

Even with the complete loss of fangs and significant thinning of the dentition, a domestic cat will not suffer from hunger. Companies involved in the production of pet food produce a number of special lines of food for cats older than 7-12 years.

Pathological tooth loss

Dental problems can lead to the loss of canines and other teeth, even in a young animal. Caries is a fairly rare pathology in cats, which is due to the structure of the predator’s dental crown. Fangs are least often affected by caries, since they do not have grooves and depressions on their surface in which food can accumulate. But other pathologies can lead to caries:

traumatic chipping of fangs as a result of gnawing hard objects;
trauma to the gums by sharp fish and poultry bones with subsequent penetration of infection into the wounds;
metabolic disorders leading to thinning of the enamel;
lack of minerals and vitamins in the diet necessary for the mineralization of teeth;
deposits of tartar, which is a nutrient substrate for pathogens.
Read also: A cat’s eyesore: what to do

In addition to caries, a cat can lose its fangs as a result of:

periodontitis;
gingivitis;
odontogenic osteomyelitis;
tartar;
pulpitis.

Pets suffer from the same dental problems as their owners. A cat can lose its fangs from mechanical damage or injury - breaking them in a fight, falling from a height, or a direct blow to the face.

Today there are not many veterinary clinics that offer a full range of services for treating dental diseases of pets. But in large cities, a furry pet can have an implant installed in place of a lost canine or premolar. The question is the cost of this service. The high cost significantly reduces the demand for dental prosthetics in cats.

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