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Feline Gum Disease

QUESTION:

My Persian can was seen by a vet. He said my cat has feline gum disease and possible cavities. He wants to remove some of his teeth. My cat seems ok. He is eating and pooping just fine. What happens if I do nothing with his teeth?

Joyce

Hi, Joyce,

Dental care is as important for cats as it is for people. It is well-known now that bacteria from the mouth travels through the bloodstream and can infect and cause serious disease in many organs in the body including the kidneys, liver and heart.

Cats with teeth problems will often appear to be eating well and to have no problems with pain or discomfort. It seems that cats are just more stoic than we are. They absolutely have pain from cavities and feline gum disease.

If nothing is done when a cat has gum disease and possible cavities, the condition will just worsen. The gingivitis will become more severe, the cavities will deepen, the risk of infection spreading throughout the body becomes greater, teeth will become loose, pain will increase, absesses may develop requiring emergency care, teeth may fall out eventually and somewhere amidst all that your cat may stop eating and become very ill. Heart disease and kidney disease may be the result also.

The only thing I question is that you said your vet said there are "possible" cavities, and yet you said he/she wants to pull teeth. The decision to pull one or more teeth is a decision that is best made under sedation during the process of examining and cleaning the teeth. Unless, of course, under regular exam, loose teeth with severe gingival recession that are quite obviously in need of removal are seen.

If you trust your vet, have been seeing him/her for some time, know others who have had good experiences there, etc. then you should follow the vet's advice. Otherwise, get a second opinion. However, doing nothing is absolutely not the thing to do.

Thank you for writing. You have brought up a very important topic.

Best, Dr. Neely

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