Tooth Resorption

trixiekitty

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This is my first time hearing/dealing with this. We took in two of our cats to the vet today to get their rabies shot and a general wellness check. When the vet opened up Honey's mouth, she noticed she was missing a tooth. Ends up one has been resorped (is that the right word?) and another one is on the way. There is a lump where the tooth used to be, and didn't seem painful, but when the vet went to touch the other tooth, Honey shrank back and it might've hurt.

Our vet recommended x-rays and extracting the tooth while also seeing if any more teeth need to be taken out. I have never heard of tooth resorption until today, and was wondering if anyone else has dealt with it? Does tooth extraction really help? What can I do to prevent it in the future, if possible?

The procedure will be expensive (a little over $700). Is it normal for it to be this expensive? I could understand, because she will need to be under. They did say we could wait, but I don't want Honey to be in pain or uncomfortable. I am leaning toward getting it done as soon as possible, but am not sure. I will be asking the vet if this is a one time thing or if she might need to do it again in the future, or if it varies with each cat.

Thank you for any help!
 

denice

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One of my kitties has had two teeth removed for this.  They aren't even sure what causes it, they believe it's auto-immune in nature.  The vet told me that it was found in kitties that were in the tombs in Egypt so it's been with kitties at least since they were first domesticated.

Yes dentals are expensive.  Prices vary widely by location but they are expensive.  These lesions actually usually start in the roots so x-rays are needed to make sure they get all the teeth that have them, at least at that time.  These lesions are painful, they are like a bad cavity in one of our teeth.
 
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goholistic

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I agree with @Denice. Dentals are expensive and FORLs (feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions) are very painful. I first noticed my Boo was having issues when he would go to eat his food, spit it out, and run away. I looked in his mouth and one FORL was visible. When I took him to the vet and had x-rays, there were two more visible from the x-ray. He had both bottom canines removed and a pre-molar. Tooth extraction is the only way to fix the problem. You can help keep Honey's teeth clean by brushing, but even that sometimes does not prevent FORLs from forming.

How old is Honey?
 
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trixiekitty

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Thank you both for replying!

Honey is 5.5 years old. She's always been super healthy, and hasn't shown any discomfort when eating her wet food (but now that I know how her mouth is, she may just be hiding it).

It sounds like it should be done as soon as possible. It was odd, because the vet made it sound like it wasn't too big of a deal and that we could wait, but if they're painful then I definitely don't want to wait.

Thank you again for the information! I will be calling soon to get Honey in.
 

Winchester

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Yes, get it done quickly because your Honey may be in pain. We had a cat (our Rainbow Baby Banshee) who suffered from FORL and she needed dentals to extract the teeth. I think sometimes one tooth may hurt more than another, if that makes any sense. 
 
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trixiekitty

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Yes, that does, thank you! I'm glad I asked about this here instead of relying on what the vet said.
 

furmonster mom

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FORLs are an ongoing issue.  Our older cat, Belle has had them for several years, and each time they crop up, we've gone for extraction.  And yes, it gets expensive.  Poor ol' gal only has 3 teeth left to her name, lol, but she gets along fine without them. 

According to my vet, there is still no explanation as to why these things happen to some cats but not others.  The hypothesis that it was a genetic proclivity has been disproved.  They can happen to any cat, at nearly any age. 

FORLs are the result of an autoimmune process, and the process will just keep going until the teeth are gone.  Once there are no more teeth, the body stops the process.  My vet explained that it's a lot like what the body does to lose the baby teeth, only for some unknown reason the process will kick in a few years after the primary teeth have grown in. 

FORLs are very painful.  So watch for your cat going off her appetite.  If there is a point where you can't afford the extractions immediately, try to at least get some pain meds and antibiotics for the short term until you can pull together whatever finances are necessary.
 

neely

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I first noticed my Boo was having issues when he would go to eat his food, spit it out, and run away. 
Our cat, Neely, also suffers from FORL.  She had to have 3 teeth pulled 4-5 yrs. ago and when we took her to the vet recently we discovered she is missing even more teeth due to resorption.  The vet told us about spitting out her food also.  She has been doing this for some time and then kicks it with her paw.  We thought she was playing a game but now we realize why she is doing it.  We feel absolutely terrible for her.
   
 
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