? How to know when you need dental work?

I keep seeing all these threads about poor kitties having extractions and dental work and it seems really common. I'm just wondering what were some indicators that your babies needed work done? My cat always seems to have seafood breath now from eating wet food constantly so that's not a good tell sign for me. And she hates having her mouth touched, always has so I can't pry her jaws open to take a peek.

 

My Tuxie had a bad breath problem, same as a person with bad breath..just sort of unpleasant. Plus he would often chew with his head tilted when eating chunks of meat, like it was harder for him to chew on one side. Of course the best way I could tell was when he had bloodwork done and the vet and I managed to get a closer look at his teeth., since he fought having his mouth opened. Besides the tartar build-up there were spots where the gums were red and inflammed. When he had his dental done he ended up needing two extractions and now he chews without tilting his head and his breath only smells of kitty food,

 

Your vet will be able to confirm if your cat needs a dental or extractions. In Bandit's case, he had FORLs, so his gums would get inflamed and red around the base of his teeth, and the only way to resolve the FORLs were to have the teeth extracted. Once the teeth were pulled, his BG suddenly stabilized and he became very well regulated (and eventually went into remission). Other signs of a painful mouth can include reduced appetite, and an overall change in behavior. Bad breath can be a sign if there is gingivitis, but the real tell tale sign is the gum inflammation.

 

Drooling, pawing the mouth, dropping food out of the mouth while eating are symptoms of a dental problem. The vet looking in the mount can tell if a dental is required. However, a good look can't be made on an un-sedated cat so the full extent of dental problems can;t really be made until the cat is anesthetist for the dental.

 

If you can smell a cats breath from any distance away (even if it smells like seafood from eating), there is most likely a dental issue. Breath from a healthy mouth you can't really smell unless the cat is right next to your nose. When Max's gums were inflamed and bleeding we knew he needed to be seen. If you've never had a cat's teeth cleaned, it's worth doing it every few years even if you don't know that there is a problem. Most cats by the age of 5 have dental issues.

 

Poor Rudy just had seven extractions and I had no prior indication that anything was wrong. I had him at the vet for chin acne and I asked if they could peak in his mouth to see if he needed a cleaning. They saw tatar build up and a cracked molar. After xrays, they found more issues. Some kitties hide pain very well, Rudy being one of them.

 

Oh wow! how safe is the sedation? Thai is 17 (in 2 days!) - I would be concerned that the sedation thing wouldn't be good for the elderly..

 

Sedation for an elderly cat is a judgement call based on health, labs, condition of teeth, and possible complications of leaving infected or broken teeth in. It's different for every cat. Having dental disease can cause serious issues in itself, but yes, there are risks involved in the sedation. I wonder how many people on this board have had dentals their older cats. Both my cats were around 8 when they had cleanings/extractions.

Do you suspect something going on with Thai's teeth? There may be ways to allow the vet to assess without the sedation (anti-anxiey medications for calming her during an exam, labs for infection, x-rays, etc.)

 

Mitz had her last dental about 3 years ago when she was 17 (and before she was diabetic). Had to have 3 teeth pulled and a another vet told me last year that it probably saved her life. She recovered just fine from the extractions but I had several concerns at the time: I had to drop her off first thing in the morning and because they ended up having a few walk-in emergencies that day, they didn't even start on Mitz until 5:30pm. I was NOT happy that she had to spend about 11 hours there in a cage with no food. And then they sent us home with prescription food that made her sick.
If she needs any more dental work done, I'm going to take her to veterinary dental specialist. I may take her there for an evaluation because she's got some seriously awful dragon breath lately. She doesn't show any indication that she's in pain, but like Karen said, kitties are very good at hiding it and I didn't know last time either until a checkup with the vet.
Hope this helps,
Joan

 

Happy (almost) Birthday to Thai!!!!
Rudy did OK with the sedation. He will be 16 in July. He is recovering much slower this time then when he had two teeth extracted when he was only 7, but he'll manage I know every cat is different and that is why I'm glad they did a blood panel on him first to make sure he was good to go.

 

Gabby had her last dental with multiple extractions when she was 15. I was extremely nervous to do it because of her age and she had a congenital heart murmur, but I made the call because her mouth was affecting her quality of life. She was like a new cat afterwards...I had no idea the extent of how long and how badly her mouth had been hurting her. It was definitely the right decision for her.

 

Teeger was 12 when he had his dental, and Tonka is 12 now and having his first one soon. In both their cases, the cats showed no signs of pain or problems with their teeth, although their breath was funky. It was the vet checking their teeth and seeing a lot of tartar and some gum inflammation that triggered the call for the dental. In Teeger's case, about 2/3 of his teeth had to be extracted, but he went right back to demanding food and eating that night. For both my boys, they had to have bloodwork done. I think most vets will either insist on it or strongly suggest it for any "senior" cat (i.e. over 10 years). They decide based on that and other indicators of their health how safe it will be for anethesia.

 

You can lift the lips to look at the teeth and gums (well, if your cat will let you!). If there is plaque on the teeth, broken teeth, or redness or bleeding at the gum lines, your cat needs a dental cleaning, under sedation.

You want the vet to do dental x-rays to ensure there are no problems below the gum line, such as abscesses, resorbed teeth, or fragments of removed teeth.

Long acting local anesthetic nerve blocks may help reduce some of the gas anesthesia in a senior cat. There are some reversal agents for the anesthetics. You may need to go to a veterinary dental specialist, or a high level veterinary practice, (ex MedVet in Columbus), or Veterinary College clinics.