Do cats really need the Vet anesthetized Dental Cleaning and Extractions?
Asked by
CatWoman (
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December 19th, 2010
Does a cat really need to have a Vet dental teeth cleaning? It is risky going under the anesthesia, expensive, and some Vets have to do re-dos because they leave bits of the roots in the mouth, like in my story about Merlin my cat who died of cancer. So is long term antibiotics a good solution to gingivitis and serious gum disease in a cat, as opposed to taking your cat to a risky dental cleaning?
Should cats really get the anesthetized teeth cleaning? My cat Merlin lost all of his front pre-molars and he stopped eating, and he had a scraping sound when he was eating. I took him in for root pre-molar extractions. The VET did a blood test and okay’d him for Dental. She did a lousy job at the extractions. On one pre-molar root, she left it with sharp edged jagged pieces I could see. Later, I took my cat to a different Vet, and he advised me to take him to emergency immediately. It turned out my cat had cancer. He never should have been okay’d for dental. The second Vet took one look at my cat and knew he was gravely ill. The Dental Vet probably did as well, but she was greedy for the money. The ER Pet Hospital Dr. told me the anesthesia put my cat into shock since he had cancer. Not too long later, about a few weeks after the dental, my cat died of cancer. He did have pearly white teeth (and still that jagged sharp left in tooth by the dental vet, whom also gave him ringworm, a limping leg, clipped his nails past the pink area, and put a sign on his cage saying he was aggressive) and clean gums, and so he was cremated and I have his ashes in a cedar box with a nameplate and a lock. Now my other adult cat seems to have possibly lost an upper premolar. I have been brushing his teeth. I am so afraid of taking him to have dental cleaning. He is eating fine and has a very healthy appetite and drinks bottled water I feed him over a water bowl. He is so beautiful, I think he is a blonde Ragamuffin. The first time I started brushing his teeth there was blood on the toothbrush, (a tiny cat brush with cat toothpaste), then after that, no more blood when I would brush his teeth. I just cannot reach all of his teeth?
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It has never occurred to me to get my cat’s teeth cleaned. I sure wouldn’t want to be the one to do it!
You’re not going to find a place that will do dental work (basic cleaning or tooth removal) without sedating the cat (I don’t think—I certainly haven’t found one). I have two 12 yr old Ragdolls and they have both had a few cleanings recently. The older they get, the more attention they need. Frasier, my boy, has gingivitis so cleanings are pretty important for him. My girl, Sasha, a few years ago, was exhibiting some signs of pain (drooling, having a hard time eating) and it turned out that she needed to have a tooth removed. Just this past April, I brought kitties in for a cleaning and collectively, they had to have 9 teeth pulled.
Bottom line is that as kittens, probably not but once they start to get older, it can be detrimental to their health to not have their teeth cleaned.
I also try to brush their teeth at home. I got brushes and chicken flavored (ew!!) toothpaste for them and they like the taste of the paste… so it’s not too difficult to brush their teeth.
And it sounds like you need a new vet.
Our previous cat died of a gum infection that left her unable to eat or even drink. I haven’t researched long-term antibiotics. The downside of that approach is the near certainty that it will breed super-bugs as bacteria evolve to resist the antibiotics.
It is so sad that some people go into veterinary medicine with no apparent love of animals. I fear some are just there because the pay is good and they knew they didn’t have what it takes to make it through medical school and residency. It certainly suggests that checking out the vet’s online reviews and getting recommendations is a wise first step to selection. And if you have any doubt, get a second poinion.
@CatWoman It sounds like you had a terrible experience with cat dentistry and I am sorry. However, cats, just like people, can have teeth cover up with tartar and become loose and allow infection into the gums, or can have other dental problems. Dental maintenance gives them a chance to retain healthy teeth and gums throughout their lives. People go once or twice a year. The “high option” plan at my vet clinic offers it once a year [along with myriad other services] and I think that would be lovely but is too damn expensive for me; so I usually pick the budget plan for a couple of years then the high-option plan for one. My cat[s] have teeth-cleanings about every 3 years. However if one of my cats would be at risk going under anaesthesia, I would avoid this optional treatment.
@Samantha_Rae, my vet gave me this toothbrushing kit, too, but I have been reluctant to try it, as getting comfortable with nail-clipping took me so long. Congrats to you!
My 16 year old cat stopped eating and was losing weight. The veterinarian told me that my cat needed his teeth cleaned. While they were cleaning my cats teeth they extracted his two lower canines as they were abscessed. I think that the vet saved my cat’s life. Within a few days after the his teeth work my cat was eating well and was back to playing with his turbo scratcher like he use to,
There are cat teeth cleaning services (people) who are not doctors and do not anesthetize the cats. In many states they are quasi-illegal due to the strongarm activities of those state’s Veterinary Associations.
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