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gingivitis question
I took my cat to the vet yesterday for his annual exam. Last year they
told me his teeth were good but that he had gingivitis. His gums looked quite red. He had no other symptoms - ate his dry food without a problem and didn't seem to have any discomfort. I started brushing his teeth every few days. This year the gingivitis is still the same and now they say he has tartar on his teeth. They still don't think it's an emergency issue but told me to try a dental food (Science Diet Prescription TD) and to brush daily. If that doesn't help to consider cleaning and/or extractions. I am leaning towards extractions and wanted some advice. He is 6 years old. If the gum problems didn't improve since last year when he had no tartar problems I don't see that a cleaning is going to cure the gingivitis now. I'm told a cat can do just fine without teeth. Is that true? Can I still feed him dry food? He loves Science Diet Nature's Best and as far as I can tell he does not chew it. This is a REALLY dumb question and won't affect my decision, but will he look different after his teeth are out? I just want to be prepared. About how long does it take them to recover? It breaks my heart when he doesn't feel well. So, I'm thinking of trying the food and brushing for a few months. If that doesn't help, and I doubt that it will, I plan to have them extract his teeth. What do you think? |
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gingivitis question
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gingivitis question
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gingivitis question
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#6
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gingivitis question
"Sherri" wrote in message oups.com... Anitbiotics?? For what??? The gums arent infected. Gum tissues have an extensive blood supply- and all the bacteria contained in the calculi can easily enter the blood stream and cause infections in other organ systems. Bacteria-laden calculi also serves as a direct reservoir for bacterial contamination of the lungs. One of the reasons why vets wear masks while cleaning a cat's teeth is so they don't inhale bacteria. Conscientious vets will never schedule surgeries in the same room on the same day after dental cleanings because the entire room is contaminated with bacteria. We dont give antibiotics for teeth cleaning That's scary! |
#7
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gingivitis question
writes:
I am leaning towards extractions and wanted some advice. ------ If your dentist said you had tartar on your teeth, would you have them removed? [...] If the gum problems didn't improve since last year when he had no tartar problems I don't see that a cleaning is going to cure the gingivitis now. ------- If your dentist said you had gingivitis despite brushing every day, wouldn't you get your teeth professionally cleaned? If the cat has healthy teeth underneath the tartar, have the TARTAR professionally removed. This should cure the gingivitis while leaving the teeth in tact. |
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gingivitis question
wrote in message oups.com... I am leaning towards extractions and wanted some advice. He is 6 years old. If the gum problems didn't improve since last year when he had no tartar problems I don't see that a cleaning is going to cure the gingivitis now. My cat had the same thing, but I put off the professional cleaning because he had other issues that had to be dealt with first. Well, eventually it got bad enough that when he did go in for the cleaning, they had to do three extractions. He's pulled through it fine. He was on wet food for the first time in his life for a few weeks, and when he started turning up his nose at it, I knew he was fine. So now it's back to eating dry food only. The BEST thing about having his teeth cleaned? No more stinky breath! Honestly, he used to yawn, and I could smell it across the room. I thought it was normal, but now? Sweet! Actually, the best thing about having his teeth cleaned is no more nasty bacteria going into his bloodstream and putting strain on his mildly CRF kidneys. So go for the cleaning, and listen to Phil, and go with the antibiotics. A cat is like a car...you have to invest in preventive maintenance to prolong your enjoyment! Good luck. Toni from T.O. |
#9
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gingivitis question
wrote in message oups.com... I took my cat to the vet yesterday for his annual exam. Last year they told me his teeth were good but that he had gingivitis. His gums looked quite red. He had no other symptoms - ate his dry food without a problem and didn't seem to have any discomfort. I started brushing his teeth every few days. This year the gingivitis is still the same and now they say he has tartar on his teeth. They still don't think it's an emergency issue but told me to try a dental food (Science Diet Prescription TD) and to brush daily. If that doesn't help to consider cleaning and/or extractions. I am leaning towards extractions and wanted some advice. He is 6 years old. If the gum problems didn't improve since last year when he had no tartar problems I don't see that a cleaning is going to cure the gingivitis now. I'm told a cat can do just fine without teeth. Is that true? Can I still feed him dry food? He loves Science Diet Nature's Best and as far as I can tell he does not chew it. This is a REALLY dumb question and won't affect my decision, but will he look different after his teeth are out? I just want to be prepared. About how long does it take them to recover? It breaks my heart when he doesn't feel well. So, I'm thinking of trying the food and brushing for a few months. If that doesn't help, and I doubt that it will, I plan to have them extract his teeth. What do you think? I think you should have your cat's teeth cleaned and forget about extractions unless your cat actually has stomatitis or a bad tooth. Gingivitis is reversible. If your vet recommended a full mouth extraction- you need to find a new vet. |
#10
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gingivitis question
This year the gingivitis is still the same and now they say he has
tartar on his teeth. They still don't think it's an emergency issue but told me to try a dental food (Science Diet Prescription TD) and to brush daily. If that doesn't help to consider cleaning and/or extractions. Why would they want to wait until it is am emergency issue? You should get the cleaning now since there is tarter and gingivitis. I am leaning towards extractions and wanted some advice. He is 6 years old. If the gum problems didn't improve since last year when he had no tartar problems I don't see that a cleaning is going to cure the gingivitis now. Does he have FORL's (cavities)? If not, why would you get extractions? I'm told a cat can do just fine without teeth. Is that true? Can I still feed him dry food? He loves Science Diet Nature's Best and as far as I can tell he does not chew it. First of all, I don't think a vet would pull all of a cat's teeth out. Second, your cat would be in a whole lot of pain if someone did. So, I'm thinking of trying the food and brushing for a few months. If that doesn't help, and I doubt that it will, I plan to have them extract his teeth. The food isn't going to get rid of the tarter. The food is usually given to patients AFTER they have a cleaning to try and prevent the build-up of tarter from happening again. Brushing can help with tarter and you should definitely start doing it after the cleaning. But it doesn't help with FORL's so he may still develop some in his lifetime even with brushing. I've brushed my cat's teeth her whole life and she has much less tarter than a cat with unbrushed teeth but she recently developed two cavities. FORL's are not caused by food sitting on teeth like human's cavities are. In fact, they're not sure why some cat's get them. -- Message posted via CatKB.com http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200604/1 |
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