Cat Dental Disease: A UK Guide to Symptoms and Treatment
Dental disease is one of the most common health problems in cats in the UK — the PDSA estimates that approximately 70% of cats over the age of three have some degree of periodontal disease. Yet many owners don't realise their cat is suffering, because cats rarely show obvious signs of mouth pain.
Key takeaways
- 70% of cats over three have dental disease — bad breath, drooling, and food preferences for soft food are common signs that owners often overlook.
- Feline tooth resorption is a uniquely painful cat dental condition affecting 30–40% of adult cats — affected teeth must be extracted.
- Dental treatment in cats requires general anaesthesia; routine scale and polish costs £150–£300, rising significantly if extractions are needed.
Types of Dental Disease in Cats
Cats suffer from several types of dental disease, some of which are distinct from those seen in dogs or humans. The most common is periodontal disease — inflammation and infection of the tissues supporting the teeth — progressing from gingivitis (inflamed gums) to periodontitis (destruction of bone and ligaments holding the teeth in place).
Feline tooth resorption (formerly called feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions, FORLs) is a painful and poorly understood condition unique to cats, in which the tooth structure is progressively destroyed from within. It affects approximately 30–40% of adult cats and is identifiable as a pink lesion at the gumline where the tooth root meets the enamel. Affected teeth are extremely painful and must be extracted.
Stomatitis — a severe, often immune-mediated inflammation of the entire mouth — is less common but significantly more severe and difficult to treat. It causes intense pain, severe halitosis, difficulty eating, and weight loss. Affected cats may resent handling around the face. Treatment is challenging and often requires full-mouth tooth extraction, which paradoxically resolves the immune-mediated inflammation in most cases.
Signs of Dental Disease in Cats
Cats rarely cry out in pain or show obvious distress even with severe dental disease — they continue to eat despite significant discomfort, driven by hunger. However, closer observation reveals signs that owners often recognise in retrospect as having been present for some time. The most common signs include: bad breath (halitosis), which is one of the earliest and most consistent signs; drooling or pawing at the mouth; a preference for soft food or dropping food from the mouth; reduced appetite or weight loss; reluctance to be touched around the face; and changes in behaviour such as increased grumpiness or reduced interaction.
In advanced disease, swelling around the face (indicating a dental abscess), visible tartar (yellow-brown deposits on the teeth), reddened and swollen gums, and missing or broken teeth may be apparent. The smell of a cat with severe stomatitis can be very noticeable even from a distance.
The RCVS recommends annual dental assessments as part of routine health checks. Many dental conditions are identified at annual booster appointments before owners have noticed any signs at home — which is another argument for not skipping annual vet check-ups.
Dental Treatment Under Anaesthesia
As in dogs, all meaningful dental treatment in cats requires general anaesthesia. This is essential for a thorough examination of the entire mouth, dental probing and radiography, professional scaling and polishing, and extraction of diseased teeth. Anaesthesia-free dental cleaning is not recommended by the BVA or RCVS — it is superficial, stressful, and does not address subgingival disease.
Pre-anaesthetic blood tests are recommended for all cats, and are particularly important for middle-aged and older cats to screen for underlying organ disease that might affect anaesthetic risk. These tests typically cost £60–£120.
Cost of dental treatment in cats: a routine scale and polish costs approximately £150–£300. If tooth resorption or extractions are identified, costs rise by £50–£150 per tooth, and additional radiography to plan extractions adds £80–£150. In cats with severe stomatitis requiring full-mouth extraction, total costs may reach £800–£1,500 or more, though this is often a one-time expense that resolves years of suffering. Under the March 2026 CMA reforms, vets must provide written estimates for treatments expected to cost £500 or more.
Preventing Cat Dental Disease at Home
Daily toothbrushing is the gold standard for home dental care in cats, though many owners find it challenging. The technique must be introduced gradually — starting with letting the cat taste pet-safe toothpaste, then gently touching the teeth with a finger brush, then building up to a full brush. Flavoured toothpastes (malt, chicken, or seafood) are available for cats. Human toothpaste must never be used — fluoride is toxic to cats if swallowed.
If brushing is not tolerated, alternatives include: dental water additives (added to the drinking bowl); dental gels applied to the gums; dental treats bearing the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal of approval; and dental diets such as Hill's Prescription Diet t/d, which has the VOHC seal and has been clinically shown to reduce plaque and tartar.
Wet food diets, while healthier in some respects (increased water intake, better for urinary health), do not provide the abrasive cleaning action of dry food. The most important preventive measure, however, remains regular brushing or alternative plaque control — diet alone is not sufficient to prevent dental disease in predisposed cats.
Transparent Pricing for Cat Dental Treatment
The cost of cat dental treatment varies considerably between practices. A routine scale and polish might cost £150 at one practice and £300 at another in the same town. The difference may reflect genuine differences in the level of care (dental radiography, for example, adds cost but provides critical information about the health of tooth roots that are otherwise invisible), but it may also simply reflect the overheads of the practice.
Under the March 2026 CMA reforms, vets must now publish standard price lists and provide written estimates for treatments expected to cost £500 or more. This makes meaningful price comparison much more achievable.
CompareMyVet at app.comparemyvet.uk is designed to help UK cat owners find local practices that publish their prices transparently. Our platform currently covers Brighton & Hove and is expanding across the UK. If your cat needs dental treatment, visit app.comparemyvet.uk to compare local practices and approach your vet informed about what represents fair pricing.
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Common questions
Tooth resorption can be difficult to identify at home — affected cats often continue eating despite severe pain. Signs may include excessive drooling, jaw spasms when the gum margin is touched, reluctance to eat hard food, and occasionally a pink lesion visible at the gum line. Dental X-rays under anaesthesia are required for a definitive diagnosis and to identify all affected teeth.
No meaningful dental treatment can be performed without anaesthesia. Anaesthesia allows your vet to thoroughly probe all teeth, take dental X-rays, scale below the gumline, and extract diseased teeth — none of which can be safely or properly performed in a conscious, moving cat. Anaesthesia-free dental cleaning is not endorsed by any veterinary regulatory or professional body.
The earlier the better — ideally as a kitten. Introducing toothbrushing and dental health habits early makes them easier to maintain throughout life. Adult cats can also learn to accept brushing with patience and gradual introduction. Annual dental assessments should begin from approximately one year of age.
CompareMyVet is live in Brighton & Hove — search 29 practices by price, ownership and services. Launching across the UK in 2026.