Dental Advice - Merlin's Dental Appt is this Monday

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Merlin

Merlin

Member Since 2014
Dental Question: At Merlin's vet visit a couple of days ago, they said that his teeth really need cleaning and he has very red gums. They didn't think he needed any teeth pulled but there is a possibility. On both sides of two molars, he has quite a bit of tartar build up, so much that it is sticking out a little. I think food gets caught near those molars, so he tries to get at it and does a little grinding. He is 16 1/2 years old and is doing a litte better since being diagnosed but still not good or regulated yet. He has bad neuropathy and possibly arthritis in the back and hind legs.

For those that have dentals procedures at an older age, have you seen if it is worth it to get dental work done at this point? I have read a lot of dental threads in the health forum and it appears that it could be worth it. I can't tell if he has any pain. I rub the outside of his mouth and he doesn't mind at all. I understand that we don't want to use metacam and the vet does not. The vet will do some pre-blood work to see if he will do well throughout the procedure and anesthetic. Just thought I check here to see other's experiences and whether at an older age, it helps.
 
Re: Dental Advice

Hi there :cool:

My Black Kitty is the poster child for the importance of dental hygiene. Without a doubt for BK bad teeth and gums turned out to be his Achilles heel.

Although he was not a 'senior' at the time he had his first dental, he was 'high mileage' ;-) (he spent his first 5 years as a stray on the streets and is FIV+)

The effect of even one bad tooth should not be underestimated. Have a look at BKs ss.
On 10/23/2008 BK had a lump removed and biopsied. While he was under his vet took a good look at his teeth and saw a fragment of a broken molar, which she removed. His teeth and gums were in such a bad state that she recommended a veterinary dental specialist.

He was at his highest doses when that tooth fragment was removed, some 45u daily (total Lantus and R) .
10/30/2008, one week later, I stopped using R.
11/03/2008 I gave my first BCS.
11/04/2008 BK got his first Lantus reduction.
11/23/2008 he had 2 cycles in a row with only blue and green.

12/08/2008 13u L, first major dental with the dental specialist. x-rays revealed further resorptive lesions under the gumline - he had about 8 teeth removed.
01/04/2009 he was down to 8u Lantus, no R and tasted HC for the first time :mrgreen:
04/12/2009 he was down to 3u Lantus.

04/20/2009 red crept back into his ss and back up in dose he went - :cry:
05/25/2009 back up to 5.25u Lantus . . .
05/29/2009 back to the dentist for further extractions
10/23/2009 OTJ :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
He had yearly cleanings with his regular vet after he went OTJ until eventually a couple years ago all his remaining teeth were removed.
 
Re: Dental Advice

6.5 yrs is not old...........Davidson had his teeth cleaned last Nov. and good thing as the blood work they did to see if he could make it through the sleep period proved relevant as they DX's him with diabetes. There is very little risk and it's better at the young age then when older (I don't think Davidson is old) and other things can come out of it. Davidson ended up having one tooth removed and two had to be scarped really well due to some damage. Red gums is a sign of other issues that should not be over looked. I also think it is easier for the cat at that age then when older and going under becomes riskier............
 
Re: Dental Advice

I think it is worth it. Hidey just had 2 teeth pulled last Thursday, and 3 pulled last year and he is 13. He always eats better afterwards and this time he's eating like crazy! I didnt even know he had any bad teeth the first time. He went in for a cleaning and they called and said they had to be pulled. Its nerve wrecking to take them in for the day and have them put under anesthesia but if bad teeth are left untreated, it will raise bg but also cause other health issues. Hidey never showed any signs of pain or discomfort prior to either dental. So your cat may be in pain and just hiding it. Also recovery is quick! At least in my experience right when I got Hidey home he was STARVING! He ate so much that first night after the dental, and it hasnt stopped.
 
Re: Dental Advice

Cindi.............Sorry, I have to apologize as I misread your post and didn't see the '1' in front and have been made aware that Merlin is 16.5 yrs old...............me error. :roll: .............still okay for dental as I know two cats near me that are both 23 and still going strong............hope WE ALL get to have out cats live for many years to come..........let us know how you make out, but IMO it's important to at least have the Vet take a look as you never know what they find.
 
Re: Dental Advice

J.D. had his first dental when he was 15 from our regular vet. He had a dental last year when he was 18 from a Dental Specialist. If you can afford it, I would go with the Dental Specialist for peace of mind.
 
Re: Dental Advice

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Definitely am going to proceed with the dental procedure. I can double check on the specialist but I think this vet office has one that does the teeth and one that does anesthetic, so hopefully I may already have one. I really appreciate learning about your experiences with older cats and dental cleaning. It was great to hear about the positive experiences of Davidson, Black Kitty and Hidey. I have been reading all the posts that have anything to do with dental and it all seems worth it. Thanks again for all your posts and will definitely let you know how it all goes.
 
Re: Dental Advice - Merlin's Dental Appt is this Monday

I called the vet today and they had an opening for this Monday. I had them put on his file no Metacam and no Convenia. They assured me that they don't use them anyway but to be safe, it is in his file. He will have his last shot on Sunday night (7pm) and after 8pm - no food. It is ok for him to have water though. Monday morning, he should not have a shot but I will still test him. Then, I will get him to the vet by 7:30am. The vet tech called me this afternoon and told me that it shouldn't take too long maybe 30 minutes or a little more if they run into a lot of extractions. Then I am to assume his shot Monday night at 7pm.

I guess they have a team of three that only does surgeries i.e. dentals every day; doctor, anesthesiologist and vet tech assistant. I asked the vet tech, who assists with the dentals; how often do they do senior cats and he said all the time. He said that they do just fine coming out of the anesthetic as they give just enough to put them under. I think they also use gas for part of it. He said they would call me during the procedure, if there are any questions or information they need to tell me. So I am feeling a little better after talking to the vet tech.

Thanks to all that provided me advice and their experiences.
 
Try not to worry. There is risk with any surgery/anaesthetic but they will keep good watch on him.

How often does he get fed? If he is a free feeder you might want to consider not giving the nighttime shot since he won't be able to munch all night.
 
Thanks for your encouragement. Merlin is not a free feeder. He typically will eat at 7pm (shot time) and then again around 10pm. I have also tried to feed him one more time in the middle of the night before his AMPS but have not been successful. I just bought the Safe Pet automatic feeder yesterday. So I am starting tonight to feed him around 3am. I wish I had at least till midnight to feed him but I don't want to risk any anesthesia problems so I will not feed him after 8pm. Will see what his PMPS numbers are and maybe I give him just a little less that I normally would.
 
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