Not sure if this is what they're talking about, but I bought my cat these treats that are little plastic tubes filled with tuna that I squeeze and she licks the end. Like a miniature meat Gogurt.
About a year and a half ago I spent around $1100 on extensive dental work for my adopted cat. I told him that was his big expense, please don't put me in the position to make a hard decision again in the future because I can't keep doing that. Little fucker is worth it though.
Yea, about the same on extensive dental when I switched to a vet that did routine dental x-rays. This was the year after her radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism, $1500+. No regrets, little fucker is worth all of it and more, but damn those would be tough choices on a tighter budget.