Recently had a vet visit and the vet stated my cat needs a 800 dollar dental cleaning/bloodwork and removal of one tooth. How necessary is this to get done? and do cats live long lives without dental work? anyone here have cats live long without ever cleaning their teeth? trying to get others opinions
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Cat Dental Question
- Thread starter andrew11
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There are cats that can live without getting a dental cleaning in their entire lives. However.... If your vet is saying a dental cleaning is needed, it probably is needed. Untreated dental problems will just get worse. If there is a tooth that requires extraction you run the risk of an abscess in the mouth. That is a potentially deadly complication because either it will become too painful to groom and eat or the infection can spread and kill your cat (dental related infections were a major cause of death before modern dental care and continue even in modern times with humans who put off taking care of tooth related pain). It's a risk if you don't take care of it. Also, if there is already one tooth that requires removal, delaying or skipping a cleaning could lead to more teeth getting worse. So if the one doesn't lead to an infection another one could. You could also get to the point where your cat needs a more expensive or invasive surgery to fix the problem that could have been taken care of earlier for less.
In short, not doing the cleaning or getting the extraction will just let the situation continue to get worse and could lead to more serious, and expensive, problems. You wouldn't skip a dental procedure recommended for you and you shouldn't skip one recommended for your cat.
All that said, $800 is a little on the expensive side. I am going to assume your vet is recommending a full blood work up which is probably $300 of that. That one you can talk with the vet on, sometimes younger cats are fine with just a basic blood panel and the more expensive one only if something is unusual. Obviously, experience and local market prices will vary but it might be wise to get a second opinion and quote from a different vet in your area. Also ask if the work can wait until February, I've asked before and it varies on if it can or not my vets have always been very upfront and understanding when asked, many vets offer discounts on dental cleanings in February since it is dental health month. I've had cats who never needed a dental and I've had cats who ended up having all their teeth removed. It varies widely but it is always wise to do the dentals when it is needed.
In short, not doing the cleaning or getting the extraction will just let the situation continue to get worse and could lead to more serious, and expensive, problems. You wouldn't skip a dental procedure recommended for you and you shouldn't skip one recommended for your cat.
All that said, $800 is a little on the expensive side. I am going to assume your vet is recommending a full blood work up which is probably $300 of that. That one you can talk with the vet on, sometimes younger cats are fine with just a basic blood panel and the more expensive one only if something is unusual. Obviously, experience and local market prices will vary but it might be wise to get a second opinion and quote from a different vet in your area. Also ask if the work can wait until February, I've asked before and it varies on if it can or not my vets have always been very upfront and understanding when asked, many vets offer discounts on dental cleanings in February since it is dental health month. I've had cats who never needed a dental and I've had cats who ended up having all their teeth removed. It varies widely but it is always wise to do the dentals when it is needed.
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Infections in the teeth can also spread through the bloodstream and affect the heart, liver, or kidneys. When Kitty Needs a Dentist
Dental Care for Pets
~ I agree - seems high $$ . Dental is one treatment that is very worthwhile. I would shop around for a price comparison.
Best of luck ...
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If $800 includes the dental exam, the extraction, and the x-rays, that sounds about right to me. Krista’s latest dental without any extractions was $800. She gets a discount on the dental and the x-rays because she doesn’t have many teeth left.
Just to echo everyone else, Krista was hospitalized earlier this year due to complications of dental problems—broken tooth and painful tooth resorption led to her not eating and causing inflammation in her liver and gallbladder. The final bill was many times more than that $800 dental and the recovery was a lot longer and harder than a few days like a standard dental with extractions.
You can pay now or you can end up paying a lot more later. Her quality of life will only get worse by putting this off.
Just to echo everyone else, Krista was hospitalized earlier this year due to complications of dental problems—broken tooth and painful tooth resorption led to her not eating and causing inflammation in her liver and gallbladder. The final bill was many times more than that $800 dental and the recovery was a lot longer and harder than a few days like a standard dental with extractions.
You can pay now or you can end up paying a lot more later. Her quality of life will only get worse by putting this off.
Cats' dental issues don't sound all that different than humans'. Although not a high chance there IS a chance the infection might spread and can be fatal.
More importantly though, have you ever had dental abscess? Toothache? They are torture. Imagine living with that all your life. And in humans dental problems also get worse and more expensive to treat when you don't take care of it as early as possible.
If you need to save up money first there are some great threads here on dental care and products out there. But they will only temporarily prevent the situation to get worse, at best. I also suggest depending on the problem make sure she has the right food. e.g. With my Hima the problem is more about gums and hard texture kibbles hurt her mouth and make things worse. But if it's just tartar, there are oral care kibbles that is hard to clean the teeth and they are helpful for that.
Also keep an eye on her, things might still get worse and she might need antibiotics.
More importantly though, have you ever had dental abscess? Toothache? They are torture. Imagine living with that all your life. And in humans dental problems also get worse and more expensive to treat when you don't take care of it as early as possible.
If you need to save up money first there are some great threads here on dental care and products out there. But they will only temporarily prevent the situation to get worse, at best. I also suggest depending on the problem make sure she has the right food. e.g. With my Hima the problem is more about gums and hard texture kibbles hurt her mouth and make things worse. But if it's just tartar, there are oral care kibbles that is hard to clean the teeth and they are helpful for that.
Also keep an eye on her, things might still get worse and she might need antibiotics.
Did you actually get the cause diagnosed like this or is it the vet's/your guess? Hima also got hospitalized earlier this year with very similar symptoms, high bilirubin and other liver enzymes, fever, not eating etc but the vet didn't connect it to her dental problems.
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She stopped eating over Christmas. I didn’t get her into the vet until after New Years. In that week or so, she had an IBD flare up, a pancreatitis flare up, and the cholangiohepatitis (elevated ALT, GGT, bilirubin, and abnormal bile salts test)—that was new for the hat trick. I had to feed her what she would eat which was food that didn’t settle with her IBD. That’s where the Krista’s Care thread starts off if you want a detailed account.
My childhood cat almost died from a rotten tooth so yes I’d say it’s important. He lived to 21 but he had to have most of his teeth pulled over the years.
It’s kinda like asking if you’ll live very long never cleaning or brushing your teeth. The answer is no You won’t probably. Rotten teeth can get into the blood stream and cause all kinds of problems. Look into care credit if u can’t afford it.
It’s kinda like asking if you’ll live very long never cleaning or brushing your teeth. The answer is no You won’t probably. Rotten teeth can get into the blood stream and cause all kinds of problems. Look into care credit if u can’t afford it.
I know about the rest I just don't remember reading her vet said dental problems led to everything else "hospitalized earlier this year due to complications of dental problems—broken tooth and painful tooth resorption led to her not eating and causing inflammation in her liver and gallbladder."
Bacteria that grows below the gum line around a cat's or dog's teeth (dental plaque) can give off toxic byproducts from the process of breaking down leftover food in the animal's mouth.
Those toxins mix with the animal's saliva and get swallowed.
In the sort term, this usually goes unnoticed but, over the long term, small amounts of toxin, ingested over a long period of time can cause health problems. It can stress the liver and kidneys and it can cause heart problems, later in life.
If your vet says your cat's teeth need cleaned, it's a good bet that there is a buildup of plaque already. If you want your cat to be as healthy as possible, you should have your cat's teeth cleaned.
It would also be good to look at your cat's diet to see how much starch and other things there is in its diet. A cat's metabolism can't process very much starch or sugar.
If a cat eats too much starch, not only will it cause weight gain, it can cause the buildup of dental plaque.
Those toxins mix with the animal's saliva and get swallowed.
In the sort term, this usually goes unnoticed but, over the long term, small amounts of toxin, ingested over a long period of time can cause health problems. It can stress the liver and kidneys and it can cause heart problems, later in life.
If your vet says your cat's teeth need cleaned, it's a good bet that there is a buildup of plaque already. If you want your cat to be as healthy as possible, you should have your cat's teeth cleaned.
It would also be good to look at your cat's diet to see how much starch and other things there is in its diet. A cat's metabolism can't process very much starch or sugar.
If a cat eats too much starch, not only will it cause weight gain, it can cause the buildup of dental plaque.
