Author: Yeo Jae-seung, Chief Director (Chief Director of 24H UN animal medical center, Director of Companion Animal Cardiology and Nephrology Center, Chief of Internal Medicine at 24H UN animal medical center)
This content has been prepared in compliance with relevant laws and regulations including the Medical Service Act.
Cats instinctively do not show pain well. Oral pain is no exception. A small observation from a guardian—such as their cat seeming unable to eat well, or their breath smelling worse than before—can actually be the first sign of a dental disease. If you are wondering where and how to get dental care for your cat in Busan, I hope this article will be helpful.
Where should you get dental care for your cat in Busan?
Feline oral diseases often have already progressed significantly by the time symptoms become noticeable. According to clinical data, cats have a strong tendency to hide pain, making it difficult for guardians to notice problems with teeth or gums. For this reason, regular oral checkups, combined with the ability to receive detailed examinations quickly when abnormal signs appear, are important.
Additionally, cat dental care always involves general anesthesia. This is true for scaling, tooth extraction, and root canal treatment alike. According to clinical data, pre-anesthesia internal medicine evaluation to check overall health status—including heart, kidney, and liver function—is essential to proceed with anesthesia safely. This is why it is important to choose an animal medical center equipped not only with dental treatment equipment but also with pre-anesthesia testing capabilities and an interdepartmental consultation system.
The anesthesia method and treatment plan may vary depending on the individual's underlying conditions or age, so thorough pre-anesthesia evaluation by a veterinarian must always precede treatment.
Mini Q&A
Q. My cat seems to eat well, but does it need dental care?
A. Even with dental pain, cats do not express discomfort well, so oral lesions may continue to progress even if eating behavior is maintained. For cats 2 years old and above, regular oral checkups are recommended even if there are no symptoms.
Common feline dental diseases — stomatitis, tooth resorption lesions, periodontitis
Cats have a higher incidence of dental disease compared to humans. Here are three representative conditions that guardians should especially be aware of.
Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesion (FORL, Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesion)
According to Health Kyunghyang data, odontoclastic resorptive lesion affects 20–60% of all cats, and appears in as many as 3 out of 4 cats over 5 years old. Clinical data indicates that over 70% of cats aged 2 and above have this lesion.
The problem is that resorption is often progressing internally in teeth that appear healthy to the naked eye. Lesions are often only confirmed through dental radiography or Cone beam CT imaging, making this a condition easily overlooked without precise imaging equipment.
Chronic Feline Gingivostomatitis (FCGS, Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis)
Feline stomatitis is a condition in which the immune system overreacts to a specific antigen in the oral cavity, causing severe inflammation and pain throughout the mouth. According to clinical data, symptom relief is limited with medication treatment alone, and partial or full tooth extraction is known to be the most effective treatment direction.
Periodontitis
In early-stage periodontitis, scaling and medication management can slow progression. However, in cases that have progressed to a chronic state, extraction may become necessary, and the treatment plan varies depending on the degree of progression.
All three conditions share the common characteristic that early detection reduces treatment burden and helps maintain the patient's quality of life.
24H UN animal medical center's approach to feline dental care
Feline dental care is not simply about examining teeth. According to clinical data, the safety of dental surgery is directly related to overall health status, and since the incidence of dental disease tends to be higher in elderly cats, pre-anesthesia internal medicine evaluation must precede treatment to enable safe care.
As emphasized in Health Kyunghyang data, the key reason dental CT is necessary is that damage can begin inside the tooth—particularly in the dentin and pulp chamber. Confirmation based only on the visible condition of the tooth is difficult, making accurate imaging diagnosis critically important.
Since its opening in 2016, 24H UN animal medical center has been approaching feline dental care by examining systemic health together, utilizing university hospital-level equipment such as dental CT and digital X-ray, along with an interdepartmental consultation system in internal medicine and surgery.
Below are the key stages in which feline dental care proceeds.
| Stage | Content |
|---|---|
| Pre-anesthesia internal medicine evaluation | Blood tests, heart and kidney function confirmation, identification of individual underlying conditions |
| Imaging diagnosis | Confirmation of tooth roots and internal lesions through dental CT and digital X-ray |
| Dental treatment | Proceeding with treatment plans including scaling, extraction, and root canal therapy |
| Anesthesia recovery and monitoring | Safe post-anesthesia recovery management, confirmation of stable condition |
| Post-operative care consultation | Detailed guidance on test results and treatment content, establishment of follow-up management plan |
For cats with underlying conditions such as kidney or heart disease, the anesthesia method and fluid treatment plan are individually adjusted to match the patient's condition.
Before your cat receives dental care, what is my pet's condition?
Review your pet's oral condition through the checklist below.
• My cat eats hard food or treats less well than before
• My cat tries to eat but stops midway or chews only on one side
• My cat's breath has become worse than before
• My cat drools frequently or the area around the mouth is wet
• My cat grooms itself (licks its body) less than before
• My cat occasionally shows jaw trembling behavior
• My cat's appetite has decreased and its weight is declining
According to Medical World News data, when odontoclastic resorptive lesion progresses, symptoms appear such as inability to chew hard food, drooling, and a noticeable decrease in grooming and appetite. These symptoms often stem from extreme pain.
If any of the above applies to your cat, it is recommended to receive an oral checkup as soon as possible. Clinical data recommends regular dental checkups at 6–12 month intervals and dental radiographic examination performed alongside scaling to check the condition of tooth roots. Even without any symptoms, for cats 2 years old and above, regular oral checkups help significantly in maintaining the pet's quality of life by detecting lesions early.
Not only those looking for an animal hospital in Nam-gu, Busan, but also those looking for a cat animal hospital in Suyeong-gu or those seeking an animal hospital offering feline dental care in Haeundae can visit conveniently.
Feline dental care in Busan, if you have any questions, please ask freely
Cats have a characteristic of not showing pain, so oral diseases such as periodontitis and stomatitis often progress chronically. According to clinical data, oral problems tend to accumulate with age, making continuous oral care and careful observation of changes in appetite and behavior necessary. When guardians notice small changes first, it becomes the greatest help for the pet.
At 24H UN animal medical center in Daeyeon-dong, Busan, based on a cat-friendly treatment environment and an interdepartmental consultation system, we will carefully examine your pet's oral condition together with you. If you have concerns about feline dental care or feel uncertain about where to start—please visit or inquire anytime, 365 days, 24 hours. We will be happy to provide consultation for first-time visitors without burden.
Feline dental care, these are things you were curious about
Q1. Is anesthesia really necessary for cat scaling?
Yes, cats have difficulty cooperating during treatment, and general anesthesia is essential as pain can occur during tartar removal. To increase the safety of anesthesia itself, pre-treatment tests including blood tests and heart and kidney function evaluation are conducted, and an anesthesia plan tailored to the individual's condition is established before proceeding. Results may vary depending on individual and personal circumstances.
Q2. If a cat has odontoclastic resorptive lesion (FORL), must the tooth always be extracted?
The treatment direction varies depending on the progression stage and tooth condition. In the early stage, observation may be possible in some cases, but when resorption has progressed to the inside of the tooth, extraction can be an effective option for pain relief and improvement of quality of life. It is recommended to consult with a veterinarian based on dental radiography and CT examination results.
Q3. Can feline stomatitis be treated with medication alone?
Temporary symptom relief is possible with medications such as steroids and antibiotics, but in the case of chronic stomatitis (FCGS), it is known that medication alone has limitations in achieving fundamental treatment. Partial or full extraction is known to be an effective direction for symptom improvement, and the treatment plan is established after evaluating the pet's systemic and oral condition together.
Q4. My cat is elderly and I'm worried about anesthesia. Can it receive dental care?
Elderly cats can also proceed after assessing anesthesia risk through sufficient pre-treatment testing. Through blood tests, cardiac ultrasound, kidney function tests, and other evaluations, current health status is identified, and the anesthesia method and fluid treatment plan are adjusted to match the individual to aim for safe treatment. Age itself is not an absolute limiting factor for treatment, so it is recommended to consult first.
Results may vary depending on individual and personal circumstances.