chipped tooth

Hi there,

I have a 13 year old indoor male kitty who I adore. He's in great
health. But at a routine annual physical today, my vet (who I also
adore) noticed that the very tip of one of his canine (fang) teeth has
been chipped off. I'm guessing that only about a 16th of an inch is
missing. Maybe only a 32nd of an inch.

She said that vets now know that even a small chip off a cat's tooth
can reach down into the pulp and that this can cause pain and cause
other serious problems. So she wants to put him under to get a good
X-ray to see if the chip is, in fact, down into the pulp and then
extract the tooth if it is. Yikes. It seems like such a tiny chip. My
vet is wonderful and she knows how much I love my cats, so she probably
sides on caution in situations like this. But maybe this is being too
cautious? I don't want to put Tiger through the stress of this (and
possibly unnecessarily remove a good tooth) just because one of his
teeth has a tiny chip off the top. But I also want to do what's best for
him!

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Brad

"Brad Stone" wrote in message
...
Hi there,

I have a 13 year old indoor male kitty who I adore. He's in great
health. But at a routine annual physical today, my vet (who I also
adore) noticed that the very tip of one of his canine (fang) teeth has
been chipped off. I'm guessing that only about a 16th of an inch is
missing. Maybe only a 32nd of an inch.

She said that vets now know that even a small chip off a cat's tooth
can reach down into the pulp and that this can cause pain and cause
other serious problems. So she wants to put him under to get a good
X-ray to see if the chip is, in fact, down into the pulp and then
extract the tooth if it is. Yikes. It seems like such a tiny chip. My
vet is wonderful and she knows how much I love my cats, so she probably
sides on caution in situations like this. But maybe this is being too
cautious? I don't want to put Tiger through the stress of this (and
possibly unnecessarily remove a good tooth) just because one of his
teeth has a tiny chip off the top. But I also want to do what's best for
him!

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Brad

I think your Vet's baby needs a new pair of shoes and business is slow. If
the chip is as small as you say, I wouldn't bother. Your cat has at most
only a few years left anyway.

"Brad Stone" wrote in message
...
Hi there,

I have a 13 year old indoor male kitty who I adore. He's in great
health. But at a routine annual physical today, my vet (who I also
adore) noticed that the very tip of one of his canine (fang) teeth has
been chipped off. I'm guessing that only about a 16th of an inch is
missing. Maybe only a 32nd of an inch.

She said that vets now know that even a small chip off a cat's tooth
can reach down into the pulp and that this can cause pain and cause
other serious problems. So she wants to put him under to get a good
X-ray to see if the chip is, in fact, down into the pulp and then
extract the tooth if it is. Yikes. It seems like such a tiny chip. My
vet is wonderful and she knows how much I love my cats, so she probably
sides on caution in situations like this. But maybe this is being too
cautious? I don't want to put Tiger through the stress of this (and
possibly unnecessarily remove a good tooth) just because one of his
teeth has a tiny chip off the top. But I also want to do what's best for
him!

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Brad

I think your Vet's baby needs a new pair of shoes and business is slow. If
the chip is as small as you say, I wouldn't bother. Your cat has at most
only a few years left anyway.

My
vet is wonderful and she knows how much I love my cats, so she probably
sides on caution in situations like this. But maybe this is being too
cautious?

I've had cats that cracked over half of their fangs off and the vet didn't
recommend anything. I of course kept an eye on it myself and the cat didn't
seem bothered at all. I'm not a vet.

My
vet is wonderful and she knows how much I love my cats, so she probably
sides on caution in situations like this. But maybe this is being too
cautious?

I've had cats that cracked over half of their fangs off and the vet didn't
recommend anything. I of course kept an eye on it myself and the cat didn't
seem bothered at all. I'm not a vet.

cautious? I don't want to put Tiger through the stress of this (and
possibly unnecessarily remove a good tooth) just because one of his
teeth has a tiny chip off the top. But I also want to do what's best for
him!

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Brad


My thought would be if the cat is eating fine, isn't acting as if there is a
problem, there is no swelling of fever, then I wouldn't worry about it. If
there are any additional signs of problems, then start looking into the
x-ray

cautious? I don't want to put Tiger through the stress of this (and
possibly unnecessarily remove a good tooth) just because one of his
teeth has a tiny chip off the top. But I also want to do what's best for
him!

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Brad


My thought would be if the cat is eating fine, isn't acting as if there is a
problem, there is no swelling of fever, then I wouldn't worry about it. If
there are any additional signs of problems, then start looking into the
x-ray

Could the chip cause infection though? If that is the case, I can see where
some dental work might be needed.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

"Professor" wrote in message
...
"Brad Stone" wrote in message
I think your Vet's baby needs a new pair of shoes and business is slow.
If
the chip is as small as you say, I wouldn't bother. Your cat has at most
only a few years left anyway.

Could the chip cause infection though? If that is the case, I can see where
some dental work might be needed.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

"Professor" wrote in message
...
"Brad Stone" wrote in message
I think your Vet's baby needs a new pair of shoes and business is slow.
If
the chip is as small as you say, I wouldn't bother. Your cat has at most
only a few years left anyway.

... I don't want to put Tiger through the stress of this (and
possibly unnecessarily remove a good tooth) just because one of his
teeth has a tiny chip off the top. But I also want to do what's best for
him!

One of my cats has a chipped tooth like that. I asked the vet if it
would be any problem and he said, "No, she has three other good ones".