Tooth loss

[Baggypants]

Bagheera's just lost a tooth! I was cleaning her bed and found a tooth - it looks like one of the canines at the front!

She seems fine, she was eating biscuits a few minutes later! I don't want to alarm her by grabbing her for an inspection but do people think this is normal? She's about 8 or 9 years old (but she's still my baby!).She's running her tongue around it - obviously it feels wierd but she doesn't seem in pain (the few times in the past she's been ill we've known as she'd hide under the bed or inside the wardrobe). Should we take her to the vet for a check-up?

[MarySkater]

I had a cat who lost a canine at 5 years old. She was healthy, and it wouldn't have occurred to me to take her to the vet about that. Gradually she kept losing teeth, until by the time she was 10 or 12, she had lost all of them except one small incisor at the front. Vets would remark, on her annual check-up, "Well, it saves her needing a dental." She could still eat wet or dry food perfectly well, and I never saw any ill-effects for her toothlessness. She was an indoor cat, so hunting/ fighting didn't come into consideration.

[Baggypants]

Thanks Mary!
Bagheera is also an indoor cat. The last time she was at the vet they said she had some signs of gingavitis but they didn't seem inclined to do anything. I have some toothpaste stuff but there's no way she'll let me near her mouth to clean them and unfortunately she's not the type to lick the paste from my finger (she thinks I'm trying to poison her!). I think I will take her for a check-up to make sure there's no sign of infection. She's going to love that...

[Kay]

from my experience, if she has any discomfort from the gap where the tooth was she's more likely to show it with wet food, when the jelly or gravy hits the hole

if it was me I'd wait a day or two before a vet visit, unless she shows discomfort, as any infection would take a while to develop, and I don't personally like dosing them with abs on a 'just in case' basis

[Baggypants]

Thanks Kay,

She just had a few biscuits and she's shaking her head a bit and pawing at the mouth a little - I assume crumbs might be a bit sensative? I'll have to grab her and try to look at it in a bit...

[Ruth B]

If it's slowly worked its way out the hole will probably have closed over as it was ejected and therefore won't give a problem. One of our cats had a canine that slowly became a 'snaggletooth', we took her to the vets and the they managed to get the tooth out without putting her under, it was already so loose. If however it has been knocked out somehow or broken off at gum level then it might need treatment to make sure it is all out and that the root isn't going to go bad in the mouth. There is also the chance if it has come out and left a void that it will need to be treated to make sure that nothing gets lodged in, as there is then the chance that the gum will heal over with whatever it is still in there. If it wasn't bothering her then I wouldn't be worried, as she has already started pawing her mouth and shaking her head, I would recommend a trip to the vets.

[MarySkater]

My cat Shadow who lost her teeth had mild gingevitis - really just a slight reddish edge to her gums, no bleeding or soreness - since she was a kitten. I got her from a lady who might be called a cat hoarder. I had the impression that her cats got lots of food and lots of love, but never saw a vet. I had to treat Shadow for fleas, worms and earmites when I brought her home. Later I had the gingevitis investigated, but nothing sinister showed up.

I always fed her on a veterinary "dental" dry food. I can't remember the name now, but it had big kibbles, so that biting into them would scrub the teeth clean, and vets always remarked that her teeth were very clean. She liked it, and could eat it even after she lost her teeth.

Ruth's description of a "snaggletooth" is absolutely right. Before Shadow's canine came out, it started sticking out over her lip - I remember I called her "Fang" for a while! But Ruth is right that if Bagheera's tooth came out more suddenly, or was broken, there's more possibility of trouble. I presume you still have the tooth you found. Does the root look complete, or can you see any sign of a break? In any case, take it with you if you go to the vet. Good luck.

[Janey]

Yep teeth can fall out especially as cats get older. Occasionally I sense some of the ferals have a bit of a tooth problem and I hope the teeth would fall out themselves, if not I would try to catch them and get it checked. If she’s pawing at it though I would get it checked in case it’s hurting her, and if it came loose because of an abscess she would need abs so it didn’t upset her system, but your vet would tell you. I’m sure it will be ok soon but I’d just get it checked if it’s bothering her a bit.

[Baggypants]

Thanks everyone!

Even though the tooth looks quite long and there's quite a bit that was below the gumline I'm not sure if the root is there or not... I've tried to have a look in her mouth but she's not very keen on my help so once OH gets home we'll take her to the vet. She's been eating and had a play with me, I haven't seen her shaking her head anymore, but I think I'd rather get her checked out.