Chipped Back Tooth

Graceful-Lily

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I was doing my regular mouth inspections on Felix and I noticed a pink spot that looks a lot like a chipped tooth. It's small. Should I be worried?

I'm already afraid to brush because of the gingivitis and after all he's been through with his hyper-t, the vet isn't going to do cleanings any time soon. Baking soda seems so abrasive and I can't even get to the bottom teeth with it.
 
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Mamanyt1953

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That looks a bit like exposed pulp. I'd have your vet look at this, as in some cases, this is what early reabsorbtion resembles. I don't KNOW that to be the case here, but I don't think I'd risk not being sure. Especially since he has gigivitis, which causes reabsorbtion.
 
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Graceful-Lily

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I only have enough for the i-131 right now and it's going to clean me out. I won't have any money left after this. The vet checked his teeth when we went for a checkup but didn't say anything about them.

How marvelous this is! Just one more thing to worry about. I can never catch a break. :gaah:
 
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Mamanyt1953

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If it was there when he checked his teeth, just don't worry overmuch unless he starts having problems eating. If not, you could email that photo to him, and ask what he thinks...Sorry, love. Sometimes it gets this way.
 

kittyluv387

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Felix needs his radioactive treatment first so hold on this issue. But from looking at that picture he really needs a dental after he gets healthy again.
 

kittyluv387

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And also, if he has pain in his mouth it could be the cause of him eating less. I remember you mentioned that. Is he eating better these days?
 
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Graceful-Lily

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Yes, his appetite picked up. I did touch around the area with gloves before I knew what it was and he didn't do anything so I don't know about pain. The reason we found out about the hyper-t is that he was supposed to have dental work done.

But he is on wet food now. The dry food makes him very dehydrated and I don't like it but even the dry food, he ate fine.
 
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Graceful-Lily

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How is tooth reabsorption usually diagnosed? Could a dental x-ray reveal anything? I heard that the root will look like it's disintegrating and it won't be very visible. I'm just really concerned because he has a lot of tartar and plaque which means he also has a lot of bacteria and that is not good for exposed pulp. It would get infected and cause a lot of other issues. I thought the vet would see this as an emergency of some sort since infection is serious. And if it is just a chip then a root canal should fix that up fine, right?
 
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Graceful-Lily

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His vet does not perform root canals. They said if the tooth is bad, they extract it. Would this be wise for the exposed pulp? A root canal would seem to make more sense but if it is tooth resorption then an extraction would be the best route. I'm not sure. . .
 

kittyluv387

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How's Felix? What are you going to end up doing for his teeth?
 

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Extraction is almost always the best treatment for cats.
A root canal in people is often performed over 2 visits.
Two visits would require 2 sedations, and cats can't tell us if something is uncomfortable. My husband has had to go back after root canals because something was not 'quite right'
Cats recover fairly quickly from tooth extractions, as long as the vet ensures the entire tooth is removed.
 
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Graceful-Lily

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Thank you for checking back. I did set an appointment to have a dental done but I don't know if I'll have enough money. Our vet quoted me $1,000 - $1,200. I'll have to check back with my mom to see how much we have left in savings for him.

Felix will be in the clear on Saturday. However, I ran him off my bed about 3 times last night before giving up because he kept coming back and we couldn't get him into the basement. He latched on tight. I pushed him to the end of the bed several times throughout the night and each time I woke up, he was back by my side. I almost squished him and he still wouldn't move.

His dental is scheduled for January 15th so I'll see what the vet says then. But like I said, gotta check our savings first.
 

kittyluv387

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Felix is so lucky to have you! He's going to be much more comfortable now. Keep us updated. :)
 
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I''m sorry but it didn't happen. Dropped him off this morning and they tell me that they won't do it because "it's not an emergency". I have to wait 2.5 more months before they'll do anything which is ridiculous in my opinion. The pulp on his premolar has been exposed since December and he continues to show discomfort. The smell in his mouth is also getting much worse. They said they still won't as long as he is eating. The most they'll give him is pain medication for the tooth. I know they have a job to do and whatever but it's not like they didn't know about his i-131. They have it on record and I reminded them this morning. They said all was good. Then I get home and they call back saying they aren't going to do it. I asked if they checked the pulp and they said no. I told her that I was told that the earliest it could be done is a month after i-131 and she said that is false and told me that she mentioned in an email that it was 14 weeks which I obviously didn't remember. They should have canceled the appointment then but instead left it on file which made me think it was okay. God knows what is going to happen in 2.5 months. I can't even go pick him up because I don't have a car and he was shivering in the short space of time we were outside to drop him off. So I can't take him on the bus with me. And taking him there caused a lot of anxiety for him so I'm pretty upset. But whatever...
 
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kittyluv387

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Aw I'm sorry. Well if they think it's best for him to wait, I guess he should. Poor boy is going to have to be a bit uncomfortable a little longer.
 
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Graceful-Lily

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I'm 99% sure this is tooth resorption now.

First of all, what will this look like in 2.5 months? Will he need to have all teeth pulled or just the one? Because it'll most likely happen to the rest too, right?
 
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