Unerupted Teeth

[She's a witch]

Hello,
Seven weeks ago I have adopted a 6 months old cat (this is the age assesment as he was rescued). His front right canine tooth seemed to be growing, however since I got him it hasn't erupted at all, it seems stuck at 1 milimeter. I was than wondering if anyone could help me with some questions:
- how long does it take for a canine teeth to fully grow since it first appeared? Are breaks in eruption normal?
- I know that unerupted teeth can cause serious issues, and I am wondering if this tooth should be extracted now (as the cat is almost 8 months already) or is it safe to wait. But would it still erupt?Or only cause problems...

Vet has done X-ray and says it's ok to wait but she's not a cat dentist. Unfortunately I don't have an access to a cat dentist.

 

[mservant]

My understanding is that most cats' adult teeth fully develop by the time they are around 7 months old. The kitten teeth roots are usually re-absorbed and just the enamel cap left above the gum by the time the adult teeth puch through, so you rarely see both teeth there together and if you do it's for a very short time. The biggest worry is where the kitten teeth have not been fully reabsorbed and they stop the adult teeth coming through properly.
Hopefully what you are seeing is the result of your kitten's early tooth having fallen out quickly, and leaving a nice clear space for this new tooth to grow in to. If your vet has said things look OK recently then I would relax for now as long as you are not seeing any signs of severe infection (a little redness around gum edges is normal when teething), and give the tooth a couple of weeks to come in. If it doesn't look any different in 2 to 4 weeks then get back in touch with the vet to ask them to take another look.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

mservant took the words right off of my fingertips! Give him a bit longer, then decide on a plan of action!

 

[She's a witch]

Thank you for your responses, I will wait few weeks hoping it will erupt. It seems to me that he is still teething as he tries to bite boxes and puts anything into his mouth like children do when teething. But if anyone has similar experience or a cat with unerupted tooth, I would appreciate reading your story. My biggest worry (or paranoia) is that the vet did not notice anything blocking the eruption that could be removed.

 

[She's a witch]

I am going back to this thread as my cat has just been tested positively for Giardia; he may have had it for quite some time I guess. I was then wondering if parasites as giardia can cause problems in cat's teething, and therefore could this be a reason of my cat's unerupted tooth (lack of nutrients etc)? If anyone knows, please let me know. Thanks!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I can't find information that would indicate it would, but do ask your vet about it. And I did look. And LOOK, and LOOK some more!