Research overview: the importance of dental radiography in cats

Dental radiography revolutionized feline oral care by revealing disease hidden below the gumline, including the early and subgingival stages of tooth resorption, retained roots, periodontal bone loss, and other lesions invisible on visual examination alone. Studies show that full-mouth radiography frequently uncovers clinically important findings that change treatment. This overview synthesizes the dental literature rather than one citation, describing why so much feline dental disease is undetectable without radiographs, how imaging guides extraction and treatment decisions, and why it has become a standard of care in feline dentistry. It matters because cats are masters at hiding oral pain, and radiography is essential to diagnosing the resorptive and periodontal diseases that cause hidden suffering, making it indispensable to thorough feline dental practice.