Freaked Out About Dental Cleaning.

[daftcat75]

If your cat has serious dental issues like FORLs (tooth resorption), I highly recommend getting proactive and contacting a veterinary dental specialist. These are few and far between and have long wait times. But they have a lot more training than your general vets. General vets don’t get much training on dentistry at all and can sometimes cause problems while trying to fix them.

Push came to shove (and I don’t recommend you wait as long as I did) and Krista’s vets told me they no longer want to work on her mouth because she has so few teeth left that they don’t feel comfortable performing any more extractions.

We got so lucky that we found a dentist with cancellations that was able to get us in for a consultation in two weeks (instead of two to six months like the others) and a procedure the same day (which is often another two to six weeks out from the consultation.). He showed me her xrays and there were all kinds of mistakes from vets without adequate dental training. Some teeth were drilled out and the roots were retained. The roots are where the resorption starts so this would have been painful for her. There was some grinding between teeth and there was lip entrapment (an ulcer on her upper lip) because all but one canine were removed and I could never get them to proactively extract that last canine.

I told the dentist to make her toothless so she’ll never need another dental procedure and he agreed with me. We’re still working the recovery (a little more than a week out) but she already seems a much happier cat and eating better than before the procedure (when she was barely eating at all.)

Dental specialists are so worth it if your cat has more serious (or chronic) issues than simple extractions.

 

[ZepMom]

Thanks for the replies. My guy is 9 1/2 & this will be his first cleaning. We were told to expect some dental issues (stomatisis). The 8 yo had a cleaning several years ago. No extractions & DH can brush his teeth. So, his teeth & gums look better than his "brother". 9 1/2 yo freaks when we try to do anything to his face/mouth. We will try to brush his teeth again after he recovers from his dental. Wouldn't want to cause additional discomfort at this point.

I do trust my vet. She's not perfect, but has done a lot to help us care for our animals over the years. I feel she goes above & beyond for us.

 

[daftcat75]

Thanks for the replies. My guy is 9 1/2 & this will be his first cleaning. We were told to expect some dental issues (stomatisis). The 8 yo had a cleaning several years ago. No extractions & DH can brush his teeth. So, his teeth & gums look better than his "brother". 9 1/2 yo freaks when we try to do anything to his face/mouth. We will try to brush his teeth again after he recovers from his dental. Wouldn't want to cause additional discomfort at this point.

I do trust my vet. She's not perfect, but has done a lot to help us care for our animals over the years. I feel she goes above & beyond for us.

It’s not about whether you trust her. There’s a higher degree of learning, training, and experience between your vet and a dental specialist. If you have cats with stomatitis (or another chronic dental condition), get proactive and get on a dental specialist schedule for a consultation. You may learn that an FME is recommended sooner than later based on the condition of their mouths. It would be better if a specialist did that.

I like my general practitioner. I trust him. But if I need dental work, I go to a dentist.

 

[Azazel]

If my cat had chronic dental problems and needed something like a root canal I would go to a dental specialist, but most vets do dental cleanings almost every day, they are very common. The specialists are usually more expensive and for us it’s an hour drive away which would just put more stress on my cat than anything. So if it’s just a cleaning and possible extraction then I think it’s fine to stick with your regular vet if your confident about their skills and honesty. Ask your vet about the kinds of tools and machines they use at their practice. What do they use for anaesthesia? Do they have a second person always there during the surgery monitoring the cat’s blood pressure and breathing?

Here’s a good list of questions to ask:Ask These 13 Questions Before You Schedule Your Cat's Dental Procedure - The Conscious Cat

 

[daftcat75]

Your general vet can do cleanings and basic extractions.

But if you have a cat with chronic dental issues like stomatitis, I recommend getting proactive, aside from the basic cleanings, rather than waiting for the cat to stop eating. Vet dentists are few and far between. You want to get on their schedule before it becomes urgent. At that point, it's too late because the wait times are still the same: 2-6 months (!!) was my experience. Krista got so lucky that the large Northern California fire and the mandatory evacuations cleared calendar space for her. Otherwise, she may have had a feeding tube in her for 2-6 months. Some vet dentists won't even work on your cat if your cat isn't stable (e.g. not eating.)

 

[Azazel]

Your general vet can do cleanings and basic extractions.

But if you have a cat with chronic dental issues like stomatitis, I recommend getting proactive, aside from the basic cleanings, rather than waiting for the cat to stop eating. Vet dentists are few and far between. You want to get on their schedule before it becomes urgent. At that point, it's too late because the wait times are still the same: 2-6 months (!!) was my experience. Krista got so lucky that the large Northern California fire and the mandatory evacuations cleared calendar space for her. Otherwise, she may have had a feeding tube in her for 2-6 months. Some vet dentists won't even work on your cat if your cat isn't stable (e.g. not eating.)

Agree with you there!

I think Z ZepMom is just going in for a regular cleaning but her vet warned of *possible* stomatitis. I would go in for the cleaning with the regular vet and see what the outcome is after x-rays and then decide how to proceed from there and if a dental specialist is necessary.

 

[ZepMom]

Thanks for the information. Kitty is healthy & eating as normal. Specialists are not nearby & kitty does not ride well. We will see if additional care from a specialist is recommended after cleaning.

daftcat75 Sorry Krista has had such a difficult time. Glad you were able to get her the care needed.