Bad teeth are one of the most common reasons for cats falling out of remission, as well as cats being hard to regulate and having high numbers. Not only can bad teeth cause problems with blood glucose regulation, but if you've ever had an abscessed tooth or bad cavity, you know how painful they can be.
Pain and inflammation in the mouth are both bad news for our sugarcats, and the fact they do have "excess" sugar in their mouths leads to more common dental disease
One of the best things you can do is brush your cats teeth (yes, it can be done but takes time and a lot of patience). Another thing that works really well is to get them to gnaw on a piece of meat. Chicken gizzards are excellent for this because they're very fibrous and the act of gnawing on them is a natural way to keep the teeth clean (Have you ever seen a tiger with bad teeth?...Chewing on meat is the reason why!) You can also just use larger pieces of any kind of meat your cat will eat...it's more the act of gnawing that scrapes the teeth clean.
As for how often, that depends completely on the cat....bad teeth in cats is a lot like bad teeth in people. There's a huge genetic component to it as well as hygiene. It's important to have your vet check your cats teeth regularly and watch for signs of trouble.
When considering a vet to do a good dental, it's important to make sure the vet you choose has the ability to take x-rays. Most of the worst problems occur below the gumline and without x-rays, there's no way to see what's going on.
Here's a great post that includes
everything you need to know about dentals (including pictures!)
