Freaked Out About Dental Cleaning.

[Azazel]

So I have been quite lucky to have cats that had pretty good teeth and have never done a dental cleaning before. However, my Siamese mix has had bad teeth since I adopted her last year and it’s time for a cleaning..... IM TERRIFIED!

I have been putting it off because I’m scared of putting her under and something happening to her. What do I need to know about dental cleanings? What is the recovery? We don’t plan on extracting any teeth. How long does it usually take to do the cleaning and for her to wake up after?

Am I over-reacting or should I be worried? Need some guidance please... I’m really scared of something bad happening to her. I keep second guessing whether I should go through with the cleaning because she’s otherwise a healthy and happy cat. I will blame myself forever if something bad happens because I made her get a cleaning.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I can sympathize, I'm somewhat the same way. However, having the cleaning done is so very beneficial because dental health impacts other organs in the body including the heart.

I don't recall how long the cleaning itself takes, but my boy is fully back to himself again in about a day or so.

You can, and should, chat with your vet as well to discuss your concerns and questions so that they can address them with you.

 

[Azazel]

Thanks Furballsmom . I will talk to my vet about it at our appointment later this week.

It would also be very helpful if people could share their stories of dental cleanings! What can I expect?

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Evie had one (her first) done a few months ago after she started pawing at her mouth and gagging. She came home and was a little drunk (fell over when she tried to stand, was wobbly when she did get standing, etc.) but was totally fine by the next morning. She was kind of sleepy that night but tried to play a little bit with Dexter. In fact, she was most upset because we could only give her some sad amount of food (1/4 a 3oz can?) the night after the procedure after not having eaten since midnight the night before...poor thing!

We opted to have a few "extra" accommodations that weren't 100% necessary but suggested (one was an emergency port in case they had to pull her out from anesthesia quickly, another was basic blood testing before they put her under. Your vet will give you an itemized sheet with what they will do and what you can opt into).

It was relatively quick. Whole thing took maybe 30-45 minutes. The vet will call after the procedure and let you know that they're waking up, did well, etc. Your baby will do just fine.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thanks Furballsmom . I will talk to my vet about it at our appointment later this week.

It would also be very helpful if people could share their stories of dental cleanings! What can I expect?

I'm in the same boat as you, knocking them out always worries me. How old is your cat?
This wasn't funny but it might make you realize you're doing a good thing. We had one go for a cleaning with the possibility of a few extractions on some teeth that didn't look so hot. They weren't horrible but weren't great and the vet explained that they would only pull what needed pulling. We got a phone call 2 hours later or so to get permission to pull a fang/canine tooth because, even though the tooth looked somewhat OK the root was abscessed deep in the jawline We said of course, it was pulled and never affected him or his eating!
We just can't be sure what's going on in those mouths and most cats aren't happy to have someone poking around in there.

 

[Azazel]

Evie had one (her first) done a few months ago after she started pawing at her mouth and gagging. She came home and was a little drunk (fell over when she tried to stand, was wobbly when she did get standing, etc.) but was totally fine by the next morning. She was kind of sleepy that night but tried to play a little bit with Dexter. In fact, she was most upset because we could only give her some sad amount of food (1/4 a 3oz can?) the night after the procedure after not having eaten since midnight the night before...poor thing!

We opted to have a few "extra" accommodations that weren't 100% necessary but suggested (one was an emergency port in case they had to pull her out from anesthesia quickly, another was basic blood testing before they put her under. Your vet will give you an itemized sheet with what they will do and what you can opt into).

It was relatively quick. Whole thing took maybe 30-45 minutes. The vet will call after the procedure and let you know that they're waking up, did well, etc. Your baby will do just fine.

Thank you! Can I ask what an “emergency port” is? And when it would be used?

 

[Azazel]

I'm in the same boat as you, knocking them out always worries me. How old is your cat?
This wasn't funny but it might make you realize you're doing a good thing. We had one go for a cleaning with the possibility of a few extractions on some teeth that didn't look so hot. They weren't horrible but weren't great and the vet explained that they would only pull what needed pulling. We got a phone call 2 hours later or so to get permission to pull a fang/canine tooth because, even though the tooth looked somewhat OK the root was abscessed deep in the jawline We said of course, it was pulled and never affected him or his eating!
We just can't be sure what's going on in those mouths and most cats aren't happy to have someone poking around in there.

One of my fears is that they will get in there and have to pull some teeth. I really really don’t want that to happen. Especially not her canines because she just loves to carry her toys around the house and play with them.

 

[1 bruce 1]

One of my fears is that they will get in there and have to pull some teeth. I really really don’t want that to happen. Especially not her canines because she just loves to carry her toys around the house and play with them.

We've had some in the past get completely full mouth extractions, no teeth at all. The worst that they couldn't do was play tug of war (in the case of dogs) or chew big chunks of food, but they could eat kibble, wet food, or ground food just fine.
Even if she's missing a few teeth or a canine tooth, she should adjust. I think they adjust better than we do and she should still be very much able to carry toys around if that should happen

 

[neely]

One of my fears is that they will get in there and have to pull some teeth. I really really don’t want that to happen. Especially not her canines because she just loves to carry her toys around the house and play with them.

I completely sympathize and understand your apprehension but since I have had two cats with FORL I can assure you the benefit of a dental cleaning far outweighs the risk. Also ask your vet if they will take x-rays of any suspicious teeth. Hopefully you won't have to worry about extractions but both of my cats had extractions with no problems. Our present cat recently had a canine removed due to a chipped tooth and exposed pulp but he did perfectly fine.

One thing I would ask your vet is what type of anesthesia they use and if there is a dental specialist at your vet's office who does the procedure. If you have been going to your vet for a long time and have trust in them then this probably is not necessary to ask. I thought I would add this Article about dental health care that you may be interested in reading: What Tcs Members Use: Cat Dental Health Care

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Thank you! Can I ask what an “emergency port” is? And when it would be used?

It was an extra IV that they put in that delivered the antagonist drug quicker than a drip, I believe. It was put in place in the (God forbid) event that she crashed so they could pull her out sooner.

 

[Azazel]

We've had some in the past get completely full mouth extractions, no teeth at all. The worst that they couldn't do was play tug of war (in the case of dogs) or chew big chunks of food, but they could eat kibble, wet food, or ground food just fine.
Even if she's missing a few teeth or a canine tooth, she should adjust. I think they adjust better than we do and she should still be very much able to carry toys around if that should happen

I completely sympathize and understand your apprehension but since I have had two cats with FORL I can assure you the benefit of a dental cleaning far outweighs the risk. Also ask your vet if they will take x-rays of any suspicious teeth. Hopefully you won't have to worry about extractions but both of my cats had extractions with no problems. Our present cat recently had a canine removed due to a chipped tooth and exposed pulp but he did perfectly fine.

One thing I would ask your vet is what type of anesthesia they use and if there is a dental specialist at your vet's office who does the procedure. If you have been going to your vet for a long time and have trust in them then this probably is not necessary to ask. I thought I would add this Article about dental health care that you may be interested in reading: What Tcs Members Use: Cat Dental Health Care

Thanks to you both for sharing your stories! It’s good to know that she will still be able to carry her toys even if a canine is removed. She also has a chipped canine. The vet has said that it doesn’t look like it needs to be removed but that she will have to do an X-ray to be sure.

I do trust my vet, she is usually really cautious and doesn’t recommend unnecessary procedures but there’s also always that voice in the back of my head telling me that she still needs to make money.

Can I ask how long it took your pets to recover from teeth extraction? Should I take extra time off work?

 

[Azazel]

It was an extra IV that they put in that delivered the antagonist drug quicker than a drip, I believe. It was put in place in the (God forbid) event that she crashed so they could pull her out sooner.

Thanks, I’m going to ask about it!

 

[Azazel]

I'm in the same boat as you, knocking them out always worries me. How old is your cat?
This wasn't funny but it might make you realize you're doing a good thing. We had one go for a cleaning with the possibility of a few extractions on some teeth that didn't look so hot. They weren't horrible but weren't great and the vet explained that they would only pull what needed pulling. We got a phone call 2 hours later or so to get permission to pull a fang/canine tooth because, even though the tooth looked somewhat OK the root was abscessed deep in the jawline We said of course, it was pulled and never affected him or his eating!
We just can't be sure what's going on in those mouths and most cats aren't happy to have someone poking around in there.

Sorry, completely missed your question about her age. We aren’t exactly sure but I would guess 2 and a half, maybe 3 years.

 

[Furballsmom]

It sounds like at least for two of us, it took about a day or so.

If you have stairs that you can't block off, for example, you might want to be home for your baby. They can be wobbly until the stuff wears off.
Also just to mention, they should be drawing blood to test that he's ok for anesthesia and that often will mean two trips in to the clinic, one for the draw and a wait until the test results come back.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ I had an older cat - about 17 y/o - needed a few extractions & cleaning. Best thing I ever did for her. I was worried too about the anesthesia on an older cat but it's actually very safe.
You will worry but that's what we all do with our cat family.

 

[Azazel]

It sounds like at least for two of us, it took about a day or so.

If you have stairs that you can't block off, for example, you might want to be home for your baby. They can be wobbly until the stuff wears off.
Also just to mention, they should be drawing blood to test that he's ok for anesthesia and that often will mean two trips in to the clinic, one for the draw and a wait until the test results come back.

Thanks. I’m taking her in for a visit on Saturday and will draw the blood then. We’ll schedule the actual cleaning a couple weeks after cause I’ll have some time off work.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[ZepMom]

I found your thread researching. One of my cats needs a dental & pretty sure one extraction. It will be January before we can schedule. Our vet is booked pretty much through the holidays.

Anyway, I wasn't sure how to find your post updating how your cat's procedure went. Appreciate any advise or insight you could share.

 

[Furballsmom]

Z ZepMom the update by A Azazel that you're looking for is here

I’m A Mess!!

She just ate a full meal!!! :bliss: Maybe her mama is just too quick to freak out. You're in good company ;) I've had teeth pulled, and it usually hurts the worst for me on the 2nd and third day. It's like getting a minor injury or a bad bruise, it doesn't usually hurt that bad that day but a...

thecatsite.com

And this has a few posts that discuss meds

Oral Clindamycin

So my vet put my kitten on oral clindamycin once a day for ten days for infection. They gave the first dose in the office. They said it's bitter and cats don't like the taste. She has been heaving off and on since then like she wants to vomit. I gave her some chicken when we got home and...

thecatsite.com

 

[Azazel]

The dental went well! Make sure you pick a vet that you trust and who will explain everything to you and won’t do any unnecessary extractions. Our girl ended up needing 2 molars extracted and she recovered quickly.