Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Kitty goes for his first one since we have had him on this Wednesday. What should we look forward to happening, for those of you who have had this done, and around how much does it cost?
Cost will vary a lot from place to place. One thing I found important is making sure they get enough fluids before during and after procedure. That may involve some kind of IV drip or subcutaneous fluids. One of my cats once ended up at the vet because he was severely dehydrated. Turned out he wasn't getting enough fluids. When I took him in for teeth cleaning I made sure they were giving him fluids during the day.
Be prepared for possibility of one or more teeth getting extracted. Vet may recommend it and you may be surprised. It's up to you whether to let vet do that, but it may be necessary for the health of the cat.
In Fiona's case, she was to be fasting from midnight on. There was an inhalant anesthesia used, quickly followed by in insertion of an IV, which is how the ongoing anesthesia was given. To do this, of course, they had to shave fir off part of one leg to get to the vein. (I was sad about this, but it just can't be helped, and after all, the saving grace is . . . hair grows! )
In her case, two teeth needed to be extracted; the intended third one was so far gone that it fell out. So the needed teeth were extracted, and the remaining teeth were dentally cleaned. Procedure started about 9, I think and and she was beginning to wake up by 11:15. I'm not sure how long they left in the IV for fluid replacement, I was in Church at the time, and was getting phone updates.
I picked her up at 4 pm. She was still groggy and walked around looking a little drunk. But by the next morning she was wonderfully better.
She was on ClindDrops (clindamycin hydrochloride) for the next 10 days, and a probiotic, as well. The cost was about $400 and I consider it so very well spent! It's wonderful to know she isn't in pain any longer and she acts very much different than she did initially. It's probably the first time she's been pain free in years!
Oh, and whilst she was out, they drew blood for a chem panel and all her values looked good, with nothing to be concerned about. So the blood work was included in that $400.
Price varies hugely on dentals. My general hospital for Robin quoted over $600. Jonas will be approaching 1,500. Some places are as low as $150.
You should make sure they will have a catheter placed during the procedure. This allows quick access to give medication just in case something goes wrong. He should receive fluids before and after the procedure, as zitsky said. This will help him recover more quickly. Make sure he will be intubated. Ask about monitoring equipment...options include EKG, pulse ox, esophageal stethoscope, and blood pressure. Your hospital may use all of the above or any combination, but they should certainly be monitoring his vitals in some fashion throughout.
Optional things- depending on the last time he had blood work done, you may want to consider it. If it has been longer than 3 or 4 months, a prescreening will make sure his liver and kidneys are in good shape and can handle the anesthesia. Pain killers may be considered optional at your hospital, as well as an injection of antibiotic (other places just consider it part of the package.) Some places offer a sealant that can be applied to the teeth to help reduce tarter build-up so it takes longer before he needs another dental. Dental x-rays may be offered. These are expensive, but if you can afford it, I would do it. The vast majority of dental issues are under the gumline. A tooth can look perfectly healthy, yet have a damaged root and need to be pulled. Polishing should NOT be optional- the cleaning process leaving tiny scratches on the teeth and tarter will build up very quickly without polishing, so a dental isn't complete without it.
Be aware that dental cleanings are typically performed by a technician, not a vet. You may want to ask if they are a certified dental technician, which requires training above and beyond the standard vet tech courses. Many are not, though, and this doesn't mean they can't do a perfectly fine job, but you may want to inquire about their experience level in that case. You can also ask if the doctor will be nearby in case assistance is needed.
He'll come home groggy, but even with extractions you can expect him to recover pretty quick. The gums are very blood rich and heal quicker than other tissue.
For the procedure itself- (skip this part if you don't want a bunch of boring details.) He'll be given a shot of sedation. Once he is sleeping, they'll put a tube down his throat and administer gas to keep him sedated through the procedure. First each tooth will be probed to see if the gums have any deep pockets, which indicates the ligaments connecting the tooth to the gums have weakened. Likely a ultrasonic cleaner will be used, which scrapes away the plague build-up using a vibrating tip. The tip is cooled with a stream of water, which is why intubation is important (so the water doesn't go down the throat.) Some places still use hand tools, but that's a much slower, less efficient process. If extraction is needed, the tooth may need to be split into sections. Gum resection may be required, where the gum is cut into a flap to expose the root of the tooth. Once the dental is finished, polish will be applied- again with a high speed tip and a soft cup. He'll be put in a cage to wake up with some nice warm towels and monitored while he recovers. Dentals are actually a lot of fun to do (especially since you can see the results so clearly, so you feel very accomplished when you get all those grody teeth sparkling white!)
I everyone and thank you for all of your posts. Very helpful and more than the girl at the vet told me.
I just called and they told me he is not down to have iv fluids as of right now... I know it is important for his overall health but I swear I hate dropping him off like that and having him be afraid and thinking I just left him. =(
I reviewed his records that came along with him when I adopted him from the rescue and he has had teeth extracted in the past. Also, one of the vets there told me he may need one or two pulled while the vet who saw him after that told me he would not.
I guess they wont know truly until they get in there and look. There was a bunch of commotion with him last night. I had just gotten to sleep and I heard him in the living room screaming and going off. I found him in the bay window and he would not move so I loved him and hugged him and looked around to see what he may have seen and I didn't see anything. Then I looked on our front porch and there was a cat laying there just like she owned the place. She was not going anywhere!
This cat has done this to KK since he has been here. I have no idea who the cat belongs to but she is always on our porch harassing him. I went to open the door and she finally ran.
Today he has been a scaredy cat and just weird all day long... Poor kitty, then I am gonna just drop him off somewhere tomorrow... =(
Awwww....poor baby!!! I do hope his fang is healthy and he can keep it, but I would still love him if it had to go. We have had about 10 or 12 of our cats teeth cleaned and it truly varies from one office to another. Our current vet (whom I ADORE they are husband/wife and just great with the kids) insists that the vaccines be updated before they do any anesthesia - and also a blood panel checking thyroid, liver function, CBC, etc. before they do anything. I have no problem with that since most of our cats are seniors - and it can be expensive. Our last one done was BT and if I remember right, his ran in excess of $400 which included an overnight stay the night before, the testing I mentioned, cleaning/polishing, and a couple of extractions and a week of antibiotic pills for when he came home. I don't think I've ever paid less than $200 for any of them though. Regardless of the cost, it has to be done, and they feel so much better when they come home, especially if there is any gum disease or bad teeth you may not even be aware of at the time. Luckily it doesn't have to be done a LOT. I will be thinking about the boy, and you try not to worry about him and miss him too much! He'll be fine, I promise!!!!
Awwww....poor baby!!! I do hope his fang is healthy and he can keep it, but I would still love him if it had to go. We have had about 10 or 12 of our cats teeth cleaned and it truly varies from one office to another. Our current vet (whom I ADORE they are husband/wife and just great with the kids) insists that the vaccines be updated before they do any anesthesia - and also a blood panel checking thyroid, liver function, CBC, etc. before they do anything. I have no problem with that since most of our cats are seniors - and it can be expensive. Our last one done was BT and if I remember right, his ran in excess of $400 which included an overnight stay the night before, the testing I mentioned, cleaning/polishing, and a couple of extractions and a week of antibiotic pills for when he came home. I don't think I've ever paid less than $200 for any of them though. Regardless of the cost, it has to be done, and they feel so much better when they come home, especially if there is any gum disease or bad teeth you may not even be aware of at the time. Luckily it doesn't have to be done a LOT. I will be thinking about the boy, and you try not to worry about him and miss him too much! He'll be fine, I promise!!!!
Thanks CFoulke. In all truthfulness, I have never had any of my cats to have dental care. I had no idea it was to be done, and no vet I had ever been to has said anything about it until now.
I am looking at his old records and he had dental work done On February 14, 2012. I don't even know if he needs to have it that often.
Dentistry is very important, so don't feel too guilty. Bacteria in the mouth can actually migrate to the heart and cause serious health consequences (including death.)
I will be honest with you and say I would not allow them to use metacam if he were mine. Metacam is a pain killer and there is much debate over its safety in cats, especially in the injectable form (and I think it is likely that will be the form they use). Some cats have gone into renal failure after one injection. Some countries have no extra warnings on the metacam box, but in the US we have a black box warning that states it is unsafe for use in felines. Vets can see use it off-label, but with so much debate about it, I would avoid it. Buprenorphine is an alternative and safer overall.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
)
So the needed teeth were extracted, and the remaining teeth were dentally cleaned. Procedure started about 9, I think and and she was beginning to wake up by 11:15. I'm not sure how long they left in the IV for fluid replacement, I was in Church at the time, and was getting phone updates.
Bacteria in the mouth can actually migrate to the heart and cause serious health consequences (including death.) 
