If your pet suffers from a cat tooth disease of some kind, prompt treatment is necessary to ensure his immediate and long-term health. Periodontal conditions in pets are serious, as they directly affect your pet’s ability to eat food and sustain himself. Left untreated, these conditions often become worse and may progress to the point where eating is difficult or even impossible. In some cases, extraction of an infected tooth is helpful in treating the condition and restoring your pet’s health.
Reasons for Extracting Your Cat’s Tooth
There are a variety of types of periodontal disease in cats, and they range in scope from the mild to the severe. Extraction of a tooth is not a particularly invasive procedure in comparison with some surgeries, but it should nevertheless be avoided if possible. However, in some cases, tooth extraction is a sensible treatment to periodontal disease.
If your cat has retained one or more of his baby teeth, these might need to be surgically extracted. Infected adult teeth may require extraction, as do teeth that have grown incorrectly and can lead to tooth overcrowding or jaw conditions. Some periodontal diseases will result in loose or degraded teeth, and these are candidates for surgical extraction as well.
In each of these cases, it's best to consult with a veterinarian for further advice regarding the condition and potential treatment options before deciding on any surgery or extraction.
Procedures for Extracting Your Cat’s Tooth
Before removing a tooth, your vet will conduct a dental examination of your pet to determine the nature and severity of the problem. Periodontal disease is classified according to grade, with 1 being the mildest and 4 as the most severe. The treatment procedure will depend upon the grade of severity.
The most common extractions are surgical in nature. In these situations, your pet will be anesthetized for his own safety and to ease the procedure. A tooth extraction procedure takes a matter of a few hours and typically requires minimal rehabilitation. It will be necessary, however, to monitor your pet’s recovery and to ensure that he eats only specified foods during the recovery period. Surgical extraction is advisable in cases of broken roots, or even in removal of healthy teeth that can present a concern to future tooth or jaw health, such as overcrowding.
Non-surgical tooth extraction is also possible, depending upon the severity of the disease and the type of the tooth problem. These procedures are faster and often less costly than surgical extraction, but are typically only available in cases of gingivitis or particularly advanced periodontal disease.
Although feline tooth extraction procedures will vary in cost, they typically run between a few hundred dollars and well over a thousand. The cost is largely dependent upon the hospital costs, including anesthesia and other drugs, and surgery time. Your pet’s health is of vital importance, and in many cases a simple tooth extraction procedure can prolong his life and happiness by many years.