Correct and incorrect bite in cats. Why Do Anomalies Appear in Cats?

Today, pet owners quite often turn to veterinary clinic about correcting the bite of their pets. Such dental procedures are needed not at all for the beauty of cats and dogs, but, first of all, for their health.

Pathological bite is an incorrect ratio of the teeth of the upper and lower jaws. This problem can be caused different length jaws (the lower one can be much longer than the upper one or, conversely, it is very underdeveloped), or by the abnormal arrangement of the teeth themselves on correctly developed jaws. Most frequent patients dogs become veterinary orthodontists dwarf breeds.

Left: Undershot bite (prognathia) as a result of underdevelopment of the lower jaw in a dachshund.
Right: Displacement of canines on the lower jaw towards the center oral cavity(retroposition) at yorkshire terrier. The lower and upper jaws are developed correctly.

Scissor-like (orthognathy) is the norm for most dog breeds. It is characterized by tight closure of the upper and lower incisors in such a way that the tops of the lower incisors should rest against the base of the upper incisors. The fangs should be in a tight "lock".

Scissor bite.

Overshot (progenia) in the Bichon as a result of a greatly elongated lower jaw.

Overshot Yorkshire Terrier. The photo clearly shows that the tops of the lower incisors do not rest against the base of the upper incisors.

Ticks (direct bite) develop with a slight displacement of the lower jaw and an incorrect inclination of the incisors. Allowed and considered the norm for some breeds of dogs.

Level bite in Cane Corso. The tips of the incisors rest against each other,
fangs are located in a dense "castle".

Distortions - the asymmetry of the jaws, is not the norm for any breed.

Skewed Tibetan Mastiff. The left branch of the lower jaw is pushed forward.

A feature of bite correction in cats is the ability to manipulate only the position of the fangs. This is due to the fact that the incisors of such animals are very small, which practically excludes the possibility of imposing an orthodontic appliance on them.

Left: the cat's canine is displaced to the center of the upper jaw.
Right: superimposed on the canine orthodontic construction, which displaced
canine in the correct position.

Malocclusion may have serious consequences for your pet. There are situations when a displaced canine, for example, forms an oronosal fistula (a hole in the sky between the oral and nasal cavities), or leads to incomplete closure of the jaws, which in turn causes the formation of plaque, and then tartar.

Undershot bite, retroposition of the lower canines and tartar in a bobtail dog.

There are situations when malocclusion wears only cosmetic defect, then there is no way to fix it medical indications. In such a situation, the correction is carried out only at the request of the owner.

Disqualifying defect?

In most cases, malocclusion is a reason for reducing the exhibition score or a disqualifying defect. Therefore, if the doctor performs bite correction, then he is obliged to inform the owner that this problem is predominantly hereditary and can be passed on to offspring, with the rare exception when the bite has to be corrected after injuries ( severe bruises, jaw fractures).

Treatment of bite pathologies

Fortunately, any malocclusion can be corrected. There are situations when it takes more time and effort. Sometimes you need several surgical interventions and orthodontic corrections, but any bite can be corrected.

There are bite correction methods great amount. The technique is usually selected depending on the type of bite pathology, as well as the doctor's possession of one or another correction technique.

Conditionally therapies pathological bite can be divided into two groups: orthodontic and surgical. Orthodontic includes a huge variety of different devices that are aimed at changing the position of the teeth. Surgical is aimed at changing the length of the jaws.

Options for orthodontic structures.

Vestiposition (disposition of the crown of the tooth towards the vestibule of the oral cavity) of the canines at Pomeranian. Against this background, there was a change in the position of the extreme upper incisors.

Setting up an orthodontic structure.

3 weeks after correction.

The task of the specialist is to select a technique that is most suitable not only for correcting some abstract bite, but also necessary for this particular animal, based on its physiological, anatomical and emotional characteristics.

In turn, the owner of an animal that undergoes bite correction is obliged to create such conditions for his pet, under which the risk of damage to the orthodontic structure is minimized. Accordingly, it is necessary to isolate the animal from any load on the jaw: fun with toys or animals, chewing on sticks or solid food. After each feeding, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the structure from food debris. In some cases, antibiotic therapy is performed.

How does the pet tolerate treatment?

All animals experience bite correction in different ways. But in most cases, any signs of anxiety in patients can be noted only in the first few days, then addiction sets in. If the animal is easily excitable, then it is recommended to wear postoperative collar to avoid injury to the patient. These first few days are also the most responsible for the owner, who must especially carefully monitor his pet and note the peculiarities of his behavior.

Should teeth be removed?

There are situations when, due to significant crowding of the teeth, it is not possible to achieve their correct occlusion (closure) in an animal. Then there are several options: try to correct this problem, most often by resorting to surgical expansion of the jaw, or simply remove one or more teeth. If the owner is inclined to still remove the teeth of the pet, then this cannot be called bite correction.

Correction of this pathology is measures aimed at restoring the functioning of the dentoalveolar system and at the correct position of the teeth. There are options when to correct the bite, you have to put dental implants or extrude (expose) the impacted tooth. Impacted teeth are teeth that are in the jaw after the time of their normal eruption, when the formation of the roots is completed.

Incisor retention in a Yorkshire Terrier before and after correction.

Placement of the implant and crown of the tooth in place of the missing one
large tooth P4 in a Giant Schnauzer.

Relapse in orthodontics is the return of displaced teeth to their original position some time after the end of treatment. This is due to the fact that, after the tooth is placed in a new place, it needs to “grow” there. This is possible in conditions where there are no additional traumatic factors on the dental system and there are no inflammatory processes. To prevent recurrence in orthodontics, retention devices are traditionally used - retainers, the task of which is to keep the teeth in the position achieved as a result of treatment.

Relapse is also possible when the correction of the bite was carried out before the end of the growth of the animal. Then the corrected bite can undergo significant changes, since the development of the jaw bones is uneven.

Today, owners quite often turn to the veterinary clinic to correct the bite in their pets. The most frequent patients are dogs of dwarf breeds.

What is an overbite? What are the variants of malocclusion? How common is it in cats and dogs? Is malocclusion in dogs fundamentally different from malocclusion in cats?

Pathological bite is an incorrect ratio of the teeth of the upper and lower jaws. Similar pathology can be caused by an incorrect ratio of the length of the jaws (the lower jaw can be much longer than the upper or severely underdeveloped) or by the incorrect location of the teeth themselves on correctly developed jaws.

On the left - Perekus (progenia) as a result of a strongly elongated lower jaw in a Bichon dog. In the center - Nedokus (prognathia) as a result of underdevelopment of the lower jaw in a Dachshund dog. Right - Displacement of the canines on the lower jaw towards the center of the oral cavity (retroposition) in a Yorkshire Terrier. The lower and upper jaws are developed correctly.

Let's look at the most common types of bites in dogs:

• A scissor (orthognathic) bite is normal for most dog breeds.

It is characterized by tight closure of the upper and lower incisors in such a way that the tops of the lower incisors should rest against the base of the upper incisors. The fangs should be in a tight "lock".

• Overshot (progenia) is the norm for bulldog breeds of dogs.
• Undershot bite (prognathia) is not the norm for any breed of dog.
• Ticks (direct bite). Allowed and considered the norm for some breeds of dogs.

Rice. 5. Undershot in Yorkshire Terrier. The photo clearly shows that the tops of the lower incisors do not rest against the base of the upper incisors.
Rice. 6. Level bite in Cane Corso. The tops of the incisors rest against each other, the fangs are located in a tight "castle".

• Open bite (non-closure of incisors) is not the norm.
• Distortions (asymmetry). Not the norm.

Rice. 7. Skewed Tibetan Mastiff. The left branch of the lower jaw is pushed forward.

Incorrect bite in its advantage occurs in small and dwarf breeds of dogs. In large dogs, malocclusion is quite rare, in cats it is almost never found.

A feature of bite correction in cats is the ability to manipulate only the positions of the fangs. This is due to the fact that the incisors of cats are very small, so the possibility of imposing an orthodontic appliance on them is practically excluded.

On the left, the cat's canine is displaced to the center of the upper jaw.
On right - on the fang superimposed orthodontic construction, which shifted the canine to the correct position.

What are the consequences of living with a malocclusion? How serious can they be for a pet?
A bad bite can have serious consequences for your pet. There are situations when a displaced canine leads to the formation of an oronosal fistula (a hole in the sky between the oral and nasal cavities) or to incomplete closure of the jaws, which, in turn, causes the formation of plaque, and then tartar.

Rice. 9. Undershot bite and retroposition of the lower canines in a one-year-old bobtail dog. Tooth stone.

There are situations when the malocclusion is only a cosmetic defect, then there are no medical indications for its correction, and its correction is carried out only at the request of the owner.

How is an overbite usually corrected? How long can treatment take? What does the doctor do and what should be done at home (if necessary)?

There are a huge number of methods for correcting bites, so in each case the choice depends on the conditions of the most incorrect bite and on the doctor’s possession of one or another technique for correcting the bite.

Conventionally, bite correction methods can be divided into two groups: orthodontic and surgical.

The orthodontic method of correction includes the use of a huge variety of different orthodontic appliances, which is aimed at changing the position of the teeth. The surgical method is used to change the length of the jaws.

Rice. 10. Variants of orthodontic constructions.	Rice. 11. Variants of orthodontic constructions.	Rice. 12 a. Vestiposition (disposition of the tooth crown towards the vestibule of the oral cavity) of the canines in a Pomeranian. Against this background, there was a change in the position of the extreme upper incisors.	Rice. 12 b. Vestiposition (disposition of the tooth crown towards the vestibule of the oral cavity) of the canines in a Pomeranian. Against this background, there was a change in the position of the extreme upper incisors.

The time it takes to correct an overbite usually ranges from a few weeks to a few months. It depends on many factors: the individual characteristics of the animal's body, breed, initial bite, method of correction. The task of the doctor is to choose a technique that is most suitable not only for correcting some abstract bite, but also necessary for this particular animal, based on its physiological, anatomical and emotional characteristics.

In turn, the owner of the animal, after carrying out manipulations to correct the bite of his pet, is obliged to create such conditions under which the risk of damage to the orthodontic structure in the animal would be minimized. Accordingly, it is necessary to isolate the animal from any load on the jaws: do not allow playing with other animals, various toys, chewing sticks, exclude from the diet of your pet solid food. After each feeding, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the structure from food debris. In some cases, antibiotic therapy is performed.

How easily/hardly does the pet tolerate the treatment? What can bother him and how can the owner help the pet?

All animals experience bite correction in different ways. But in most cases, signs of anxiety in patients are observed only in the first few days, then addiction sets in, therefore, if the animal is easily excitable, it is recommended to wear a postoperative collar for the first 2-3 days after the installation of the structure in order to avoid self-injury by the patient. These first few days are also the most responsible for the owner, who must especially carefully monitor his pet and note the peculiarities of his behavior.

Does it happen that one or more teeth need to be removed to correct an overbite? What is it for?

There are situations when the correct occlusion cannot be achieved in an animal due to significant crowding of the teeth. In this case, there are several options for solving the problem: resort to surgical expansion of the jaw or simply remove one or more teeth. If the owner is inclined to the decision to extract teeth, he must understand that this cannot be qualified as a correction of the bite, since the correction of the bite involves measures aimed at restoring the functioning of the dentoalveolar system and the correct position of the teeth.

Sometimes dental implants/impacted tooth extrusion is required to correct an overbite. Impacted teeth are called teeth that are in the jaw after the terms of their normal eruption, in which the formation of roots is completed.

Can a corrected bite become incorrect again? Why?

A relapse in orthodontics is the return of displaced teeth to their original position some time after the end of treatment and is possible when, for some reason, the period necessary for the displaced tooth to “grow” on a new meta has been violated. Therefore, in order to avoid this situation, it is important to exclude any additional traumatic factors and prevent the inflammatory process. Also, to prevent recurrence in orthodontics, retention devices - retainers are traditionally used, the task of which is to keep the teeth in the position achieved as a result of treatment.

A relapse is also possible in the case when the correction of the bite was carried out before the end of the growth of the animal. Then a correctly corrected bite can undergo significant changes, since the growth of the jaw bones occurs unevenly. In this regard, bite correction is recommended to begin after the end of growth (for dwarf breeds - after 11 months, for large and giant breeds- after 14-15 months).

Are there situations when the wrong bite cannot be corrected?

Any wrong bite can be corrected! Sometimes, when it can be associated with several surgeries and then orthodontic corrections, it will take more time and effort, but any bite can be corrected.

An example of an interesting case from the practice of correcting an abnormal bite to an animal.

In our practice, there was the following incident: a dog of the Russian Greyhound breed underwent bite correction, and an orthodontic construction was applied to the incisors. It just so happened that on December 31, in a fight with another dog on a walk, she knocked out her upper incisor. The owners rushed to the clinic, but the doctor who performed the correction sent them to look for a fallen tooth. The owners were smart: they collected all the snow that was in the area of ​​the fight with a shovel, washed it at home in the bathroom and found a tooth.

On January 1, the happy owners arrived at the clinic with a found tooth, which was successfully reimplanted back to the animal. After a few months, both the doctor and the owners could not determine with certainty which of the teeth was affected. This is how Christmas miracles happen. The miracle in this situation is not that the tooth has grown, but that it was found in the snow. Therefore, if for some reason your pet has lost a healthy tooth, and you managed to save it, put it in saline and get to the clinic as soon as possible. In the case when reimplantation is carried out on the same day, the probability that the tooth will grow is approximately 70%.

Can a pet with a malocclusion participate in shows and exhibitions? How does malocclusion affect the show career of cats and dogs?

Bite must be evaluated at exhibitions. In most cases, malocclusion is a reason for reducing the exhibition score or a disqualifying defect. Accordingly, the doctor who corrects the bite is obliged to inform the owner that this problem is predominantly hereditary and can be passed on to offspring, with the rare exception when the bite has to be corrected after injuries (severe bruises, jaw fractures).

Conclusion

Veterinary orthodontics for last years stepped far ahead. To date, the correction of bite in animals is not a miracle, but an everyday practice. Choose an orthodontist who knows different ways bite correction, and he will select the most suitable one for your pet.

Short lower jaw in a cat

Hello friends! Today I want to tell you about two interesting cases from practice and show two cats with anomalies. Don't worry, there won't be scary pictures.
First case. A young Sphynx kitten, about five months old. The owners noticed that a small bump appeared on the nose, the kitten began to sneeze and there was discharge from the left nostril. Tears also flowed from her left eye.

Upon inspection, I saw such a picture, as you can see in the photo.

Fang out of place

In a kitten, the lower jaw is much shorter than the upper one, which is why the fangs are displaced and injure tissues. When the jaws close, the left lower canine is completely immersed in the gum, where the left upper canine should be, a deep channel has formed in this place. Let dentists forgive me for such a description of the location of the teeth, but I think it will be clearer.

As a result of the injury, inflammation began in the nasal sinus and sneezing with secretions appeared, and then the process spread to lacrimal canal. But this provisional diagnosis, we will additionally examine the kitten in order to clarify and decide how to help him. But it is already clear that there is an anomaly.

Second case. The cat has several disorders: malocclusion, here, on the contrary, the lower jaw is much larger than the upper one.

Malocclusion, the lower jaw is much larger than the upper

Got extra fingers hind limb, the limbs themselves are irregularly shaped. And also the tail vertebrae are completely fused, the tail does not bend at all like a stick.

Two extra fingers in a cat on the hind limb

Why do anomalies appear in cats?

Friends, I have told only about a small part of the violations, there are actually a lot of them. And we need to take into account that we pay attention to those deviations that are visible, but there are still hidden ones. That is, the symptoms are not visible without additional examination or until the animal becomes completely ill for them to show up.

In the appearance of anomalies in cats, a person is to some extent guilty when he began to purposefully breed a cat with the signs he needed. Reduced the influence of natural selection.

A person protects a kitten from cold, hunger, renders veterinary care, so weak individuals survive and then they give the same offspring. Sometimes they resort to inbreeding (closely related mating), which further weakens the body.

No, I am not against thoroughbred animals, but you need to take into account that they have a weak body from birth and in order not to harm, you need to choose the right pairs for breeding. Do not allow cats with defects that are inherited to mate.

And there are problems with this, because not all breeders are conscientious about their business, and many are not breeders at all and simply make incubators in order to make money on expensive kittens.

In addition, deviations appear when improper care for a pregnant cat. For example, on normal development fetus affects enough folic acid, and an excess of vitamin A (retinol) can negatively affect. Many drugs are dangerous and cause fetal deformities, especially if used in the first half of pregnancy.

What to do?

I already wrote in an article about how to choose the right kitten, that you need to buy a thoroughbred animal from trusted people, invite a specialist with you ... read more

But if you are unlucky and your cat has an anomaly, then you need to try to help with medication or surgery. For example, in the absence anus a kitten undergoes an operation, with an incorrect bite, when the cat injures itself, the necessary teeth are removed.

When claws grow on extra fingers, then they are regularly trimmed or removed completely. And so on, there can be many congenital abnormalities in animals, and in each case one has to act individually.

But still, an animal, even with violations, has the right to life and right approach you can create good quality this life. That's all for now, if you have questions on the topic or off topic, write in the comments, I will be happy to answer.

Veterinarian Sergey Savchenko was with you

Today, pet owners quite often turn to the veterinary clinic to correct the bite of their pets. Such dental procedures are needed not at all for the beauty of cats and dogs, but, first of all, for their health.

Pathological bite is an incorrect ratio of the teeth of the upper and lower jaws. Such a problem can be caused by different lengths of the jaws (the lower one can be much longer than the upper one or, conversely, it is very underdeveloped), or by an abnormal arrangement of the teeth themselves on correctly developed jaws. The most frequent patients of veterinary orthodontists are dogs of dwarf breeds.

Left: Undershot bite (prognathia) as a result of underdevelopment of the lower jaw in a dachshund.
Right: Displacement of the canines on the lower jaw towards the center of the mouth (retroposition) in a Yorkshire Terrier. The lower and upper jaws are developed correctly.
The most common types of bites in dogs are:
- Scissor-like (orthognathy) is the norm for most dog breeds. It is characterized by tight closure of the upper and lower incisors in such a way that the tops of the lower incisors should rest against the base of the upper incisors. The fangs should be in a tight "lock".

Overshot (progenia) is the norm for bulldog breeds of dogs. This type of bite is characterized by the fact that not only the incisors of the lower jaw go beyond the line of the incisors of the upper jaw, but also the canines.

Overshot (progenia) in the Bichon as a result of a greatly elongated lower jaw.

Undershot bite (prognathia) is not the norm for any breed of dog. With this type of bite, the gap between the incisors of the upper and lower jaws is clearly expressed.

Overshot Yorkshire Terrier. The photo clearly shows that the tops of the lower incisors do not rest against the base of the upper incisors.

Ticks (direct bite) develop with a slight displacement of the lower jaw and an incorrect inclination of the incisors. Allowed and considered the norm for some breeds of dogs.

Level bite in Cane Corso. The tips of the incisors rest against each other,
fangs are located in a dense "castle".

Open bite (non-closure of the incisors) - the incisors are vertically spaced and do not touch each other. Not normal for any breed.

Distortions - the asymmetry of the jaws, is not the norm for any breed.

Skewed Tibetan Mastiff. The left branch of the lower jaw is pushed forward.

Incorrect bite in its advantage occurs in small and dwarf breeds of dogs. In large dogs, it is observed quite rarely, in cats it is almost never found.

A feature of bite correction in cats is the ability to manipulate only the position of the fangs. This is due to the fact that the incisors of such animals are very small, which practically excludes the possibility of imposing an orthodontic appliance on them.

Left: the cat's canine is displaced to the center of the upper jaw.
Right: an orthodontic construction was placed on the canine, which displaced
canine in the correct position.

Consequences of malocclusion

A bad bite can have serious consequences for your pet. There are situations when a displaced canine, for example, forms an oronosal fistula (a hole in the sky between the oral and nasal cavities), or leads to incomplete closure of the jaws, which in turn causes the formation of plaque, and then tartar.

Undershot bite, retroposition of the lower canines and tartar in a bobtail dog.

There are situations when the malocclusion is only a cosmetic defect, then there are no medical indications for its correction. In such a situation, the correction is carried out only at the request of the owner.

Disqualifying defect?

In most cases, malocclusion is a reason for reducing the exhibition score or a disqualifying defect. Therefore, if the doctor performs bite correction, then he is obliged to inform the owner that this problem is predominantly hereditary and can be passed on to offspring, with the rare exception when the bite has to be corrected after injuries (severe bruises, jaw fractures).
Treatment of bite pathologies

Fortunately, any malocclusion can be corrected. There are situations when it takes more time and effort. Sometimes several surgeries and orthodontic corrections are needed, but any bite can be corrected.

There are a huge number of methods for correcting bites. The technique is usually selected depending on the type of bite pathology, as well as the doctor's possession of one or another correction technique.

Conditionally methods of treatment of pathological bite can be divided into two groups: orthodontic and surgical. Orthodontic includes a huge variety of different devices that are aimed at changing the position of the teeth. Surgical is aimed at changing the length of the jaws.

Options for orthodontic structures.

Vestiposition (disposition of the tooth crown towards the vestibule of the oral cavity) of the canines in a Pomeranian. Against this background, there was a change in the position of the extreme upper incisors.

3 weeks after correction.

In its advantage, the time of bite correction varies from several weeks to several months. It depends on many factors: the individual characteristics of the animal's body, breed, initial bite, method of correction.

The task of the specialist is to select a technique that is most suitable not only for correcting some abstract bite, but also necessary for this particular animal, based on its physiological, anatomical and emotional characteristics.

In turn, the owner of an animal that undergoes bite correction is obliged to create such conditions for his pet, under which the risk of damage to the orthodontic structure is minimized. Accordingly, it is necessary to isolate the animal from any load on the jaw: fun with toys or animals, chewing on sticks or solid food. After each feeding, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the structure from food debris. In some cases, antibiotic therapy is performed.

How does the pet tolerate treatment?

All animals experience bite correction in different ways. But in most cases, any signs of anxiety in patients can be noted only in the first few days, then addiction sets in. If the animal is easily excitable, then it is recommended to wear a postoperative collar for 2-3 days after the installation of the structure, so that the patient does not self-injure himself. These first few days are also the most responsible for the owner, who must especially carefully monitor his pet and note the peculiarities of his behavior.
Should teeth be removed?
There are situations when an animal, due to significant crowding of teeth, fails to achieve their correct occlusion (closure). Then there are several options: try to correct this problem, most often by resorting to surgical expansion of the jaw, or simply remove one or more teeth. If the owner is inclined to still remove the teeth of the pet, then this cannot be called bite correction.

Correction of this pathology is measures aimed at restoring the functioning of the dentoalveolar system and at the correct position of the teeth. There are options when to correct the bite, you have to put dental implants or extrude (expose) the impacted tooth. Impacted teeth are teeth that are in the jaw after the time of their normal eruption, when the formation of the roots is completed.

Incisor retention in a Yorkshire Terrier before and after correction.

Placement of the implant and crown of the tooth in place of the missing one
large tooth P4 in a Giant Schnauzer.
Relapse prevention
Relapse in orthodontics is the return of displaced teeth to their original position some time after the end of treatment. This is due to the fact that, after the tooth is placed in a new place, it needs to “grow” there. This is possible in conditions where there are no additional traumatic factors on the dentition and there are no inflammatory processes. To prevent recurrence in orthodontics, retention devices are traditionally used - retainers, the task of which is to keep the teeth in the position achieved as a result of treatment.

Relapse is also possible when the correction of the bite was carried out before the end of the growth of the animal. Then the corrected bite can undergo significant changes, since the development of the jaw bones is uneven.

Amazing New Year's Eve Story

In our practice, there interesting case, when the dog of the Russian greyhound breed was corrected the bite, and an orthodontic construction was applied to the incisors. So it turned out that on December 31, the animal managed to fight with another dog during a walk and knock out its upper incisor.

The owners rushed to the clinic, but the doctor who performed the correction sent them to look for a fallen tooth. The owners of the dog were smart and collected all the snow that was in the area of ​​the fight with a shovel, washed it at home in the bathroom and found a tooth.

On January 1, the happy owners arrived at the clinic with their discovery, which was successfully reimplanted back. After a few months, neither the doctors nor the owners could say with certainty which of the teeth was damaged. This is how Christmas miracles happen. What is surprising in this situation is not that the tooth has grown, but that it was found in the snow.

If it so happens that your pet has lost healthy tooth, then put it in saline and quickly head to the clinic. If reimplantation is performed on the same day, then the probability that the tooth will grow is approximately 70%.

In conclusion, I would like to note that veterinary orthodontics has come a long way in recent years. To date, the correction of bite in animals is not a miracle, but an everyday practice. Choose an orthodontist for your pet who knows different methods of bite correction, and he will select the most suitable one for your pet.

Thank you for the article and photographs provided by the specialist of the Clinic of Neurology, Traumatology and intensive care Dr. Sotnikov - doctor plastic surgery Lavrova Ksenia Andreevna.

Article taken from Animal.ru

• round (Persian, exotic, British Shorthair, Scottish Fold),
• trapezoidal (Maine Coons, Siberians),
• triangular ( canadian sphinxes, Devon Rex),
• wedge-shaped (Siamese, oriental, Russian blue).

The shape of a cat's head essentially depends on the structure of the jaws, the shortcomings of which can affect the health of the animal, and, of course, damage its show career.

Let's single out General requirements to the shape of the head of cats of all breeds.

Firstly, the skull must be even, without furrows and depressions. The wrong structure of the skull is more common in Persian (exotic) cats.

The skull is asymmetrical: this is due to the wrong selection of pairs. In such cases, in kittens, the eyes are not planted on the same line, but on different levels one is higher or lower than the other.

Cranial asymmetry also causes facial asymmetry - the jaws are distorted, the fangs are displaced. Sometimes such a shift can be seen in kittens in the process of teeth growth.

Secondly, certain requirements are also imposed on cat fangs. Examining closed jaws healthy cat, we will notice that the fangs are directed vertically. The lower fangs are located inside (between the upper fangs) in such a way that the front parts upper canines touched the back of the bottom. The incisors grow exactly between the canines.

AT early age can be prevented or corrected wrong height teeth, as well as undershot or overshot more than 2 mm.
In the specialized literature, these shortcomings are called the term "twist". (AT English language it has several meanings: turn, somersault, twist and the name of the dance).

Therefore, it is so important to show kittens and young animals at exhibitions: an experienced judge can notice improperly growing teeth and draw the breeder's attention to them.

When overshot, the lower jaw protrudes in front of the upper, and when undershot, vice versa.

Snack up to 2 mm is hardly noticeable (especially if the cat has a large round head, well-developed cheeks), therefore it is more common in the so-called "heavy" breeds - Persian, exotic, British Shorthair.

To make sure that there is no undershot or overshot bite, the judge should slightly open the cat's mouth, trying not to touch the mucous membranes.

If the jaws of an animal have normal structure and all the teeth are located correctly, the cat may well qualify for high marks.

However, if at least one canine grows incorrectly, the title is not awarded. Please note that removed or shortened canines in kittens do not qualify for an "Excellent 1" rating.

The lower jaw determines the shape of the chin, which is usually given several lines in the standard, such as: "the chin is wide, strong enough, but not protruding." It is important to note that it should be wide, strong, not weak in a cat of any breed, regardless of the description in the standard.

Ideally, the midline of the chin runs along the midline from top point head through the middle point of the forehead and nose mirror.

According to Jean Paul Maas, one of the most respected and respected feline experts in the world, this vertical line divides the cat's head into perfectly equal parts.

If the breeder did not pay attention to the jaw“twist”, the consequences can be quite dangerous: improperly grown fangs threaten to rest against the gum and injure it. The cat will "crook" his mouth to somehow get rid of discomfort, and the skewed jaw will increase.
Sometimes the consequence of such a distortion is the so-called "non-closure" - a disadvantage in which the mouth does not close completely, the tongue does not fit in the mouth and its tip is visible. Agree, an unattractive sight.

In this situation, the danger lies in the fact that the cat's tongue begins to dry out, darken, and there is a threat of tissue death. Here to such sad consequences may result in jaw and facial asymmetries.

An overshoot of more than 2 mm is considered a big disadvantage and is fined when viewed at exhibitions. The cat is unlikely to qualify for the title and the judge will recommend that it be withdrawn from breeding.

undershot bite - the destiny of more "light" breeds, as a rule, with a wedge-shaped head. With undershot bite, the lower jaw is poorly developed.jaw. It must be remembered that the slightest undershot for any breed is a breeding fault, while a slight undershot that does not cause facial asymmetry may still be acceptable. Such animals should not pass on their vice to the next generations.

Often a weak lower jaw is found in cats of the eastern group, Rex.

Undershot is a common occurrence in the Don Sphynx. Some time ago, a significant part of the livestock of this breed had not just a “weak lower jaw", namely undershot. Luckily, breeders have taken this problem seriously and things are improving now.

In 1975, at the suggestion of members of the French delegation, at the next FIFe General Assembly, a decision was made on the admissibility of malocclusion in some cats. Its value was no more than 1 mm. Currently, this limit has been increased to 2 mm.