Having been around cats pretty much all my life, I have come across a number of times when they have needed dental care in response to problems that have occured - broken teeth, periodontal disease, gingivitis, etc.. I was thinking about dental care (prompted by the picture of Churchill and his pearly whites) and took a look at the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) site on the topic of oral care.
AAHA has some really good information on dental care for pet lovers (when in doubt, do see what the experts say) but one fact that stood out to me, which is right at the end of the article (AAHA - you really should lead with this fact, it's a big attention grabber), is that good dental care for a cat or dog can extend his or her life by 5 years. That's kind of like saying if we didn't brush our teeth every day, we'd live 35 years less than you'd expect - wow!
If you are interested in more details, check out the AAHA's Dental Care Guidelines for Cats and Dogs. And if you really want to get involved in your pet's dental care, check out this article on brushing teeth at home.
