You don't say how old you are, but I'm guessing that you are getting on in years. It's natural that the gums shrink and there is also some bone loss in the jaw. The shape of the jaw can actually change a little. Ask your dentist, it might be a good idea to get a new set made. Otherwise, I think the only option is either to have them lined again or just put up with them like they are.

Cats don't really get cavities. They do undergo a weird process where they resorb their teeth for some reason (it's not known why). This can expose the root and allow a direct access to the bloodstream for bacteria to enter and cause septicemia, leading to serious organ damage or even death. Every cat (and dog) is different in their dental needs. Some almost never need dental prophies, others need them a lot. I know a pair of bichon frises who get dental prophies every 6 months, and they really need it! OTOH my mom's dog never had a prophy in 14 years, and her teeth were in great shape. So it really depends on the individual. I would at least say that all dogs and cats need to have an oral exam every year, and a prophy recommendation made on the results of the exam. I would ask specifically what is involved in cleaning your cat's teeth. Some places do a crappy job IMHO in order to keep costs down. They should have the cat intubated and fully anesthetized (not just sedated), they should use an an ultrasonic scaler and polisher on both sides of all teeth and up under the gumline (some places just crack off the obvious tartar and don't polish, which makes it easier for bacteria and tartar to come back), they should probe all the teeth for pockets around the gums. I'm a little concerned that they even offered to just extract the bad tooth without doing a full dental prophy. Unless of course he had just had a prophy and then fractured a tooth or something. You can miss early signs of disease by not doing the full prophy.

I just adopted (5 days ago) a 10 year old male (they think he's a mix) and full bred 2 year old female. They were together and were required to be adopted together. I currently have a two year old male as well. The 10 year old male I'm told had a lot of dental trouble and they opted to pull all of his upper teeth all put a few lower teeth - pretty sad! He is good natured and doesn't seem to have too much trouble eating. My concern now in reading all these posts is if he has other health issues such as heart and liver problems. He does cough and his breathing is a little labored but they are both currently on antibiotics for kennel cough and seem to be making some improvement. I will be making an appt with my regular vet this week to get them checked out. Any advice or experience here would be greatly appreciated. They are all very sweet and we want them to live very happy comfortable lives. Thanks, Lori

I don't need to worry about cleaning teeth. Even though my dogs eat kibble most of the time (Ultra Lamb and Rice), they get, at a minimum, one raw turkey drumstick each on the weekends. Some weeks they are lucky and I buy them turkey thighs, also. They have beautiful teeth. Works for cats, too (with chicken parts). Back when I got my older dog he was 2 or 3 years old and his teeth were COVERED with tartar. There was hardly any white showing. If he chewed on something, his teeth would even bleed. That night I got him (Saturday) I started feeding him raw chicken parts. By the time his Monday vet appointment came around, his teeth were looking so much better that the vet didn't hardly comment on them. He just said that if they get any worse that they WOULD need cleaning in the future. Well, after two weeks you'd never know they were so terrible in the beginning. I really think that this was a worst case scenario when I got him and he really turned around.