Will Falconer, DVM Moderator
Hey Danielle,
Thanks for your perspective here. I think you've gotten really good at identifying symptoms and will likely be fine without exams.
Teeth that build tartar and/or calculus (the build up that almost looks like plaster, distorting the outline of the tooth) indicates a health problem. The animal is laying down too much calcium here. In the joints, we call it arthritis, in the lens of the eye, it's called cataract, and in the bladder, stones. Teeth can catch it, and we call it calculus.
In past cases, where I wasn't focusing necessarily on teeth, but the Whole Animal, I've seen the teeth clean up. Surprised me, actually. So, what happened? We must have changed the metabolism in getting the animal well, and they reabsorbed the excess calcium that was on the teeth.
I also love to see raw bones be a regular part of the diet, though that's more difficult in cats, especially older cats. Worth trying though. See the linked page for some ways to try it on them.
So, were they my cats, I'd be starting them on "Whole Cat" remedies, which as you may remember with Rosie, takes a lot of questions and answers about the individual, looking back at historical ways of being ill, etc. and dosing infrequently with a remedy for the individual's constitution until we see her symptoms go away. It takes time and attention to detail, but the end result is overall better health, not just cleaner teeth.