Your kitten will have a baby set of teeth which will be replaced by adult teeth at around 5-6 months of age. These adult teeth should last for the life of the cat so it is important you help to take care of them.

Dental care needs to be started from an early age to get your cat accustomed to the procedure and with gentle brushing and lots of praise it can be surprising what can be achieved.

Human toothpastes are unsuitable for cats but there are a range of cat friendly flavoured toothpastes and softer brushes help clean teeth such as the Royal Canin range. Teeth need exercise as well as being kept clean and crunching on dried food is important in this respect also.

It will be almost inevitable that at some stage in your cats life he or she will need to have their teeth descaled under general anaesthetic. The more that is done to maintain tooth health the less frequent descaling will be needed in later life.

Neglected teeth can pose a serious health risk especially from middle age onwards. The tartar that accumulates on the teeth presses on the gums leading to inflammation and infection. The bacteria involved can travel via the blood to the kidneys and heart in particular and contribute to the diseases of these organs in later life.