"My beloved cat's tooth was getting 'caught on her lip'..." What I learned and realized about "post-tooth extraction precautions"

Just like for humans, teeth are important for cats. However, even if you try your best to care for them, it's quite difficult to preserve your beloved cat's teeth. My cat, Kotaro, is now 11 years old. Ever since he lost two of his canines, I’ve noticed some concerning changes, such as his lip getting caught on his teeth and his mouth taking on a downturned expression.

My beloved cat Kotaro, who lost two canines

Cats need to brush their teeth too. Even knowing that, it’s quite difficult to get your cat to brush their teeth.

It is particularly challenging if the cat hasn’t been accustomed to brushing since they were small. I feel that many cats, if asked to brush their teeth after reaching adulthood, will just act like, "No way!" and won't let you.

Kotaro had a mischievous personality since he was a kitten. Since the kitten I had before him had passed away, the animal shelter staff, out of concern for my heart, chose him for me, thinking, "I want to give you a kitten that is strong and healthy..."

He would go wild whenever I tried to brush his teeth. Even the method of wrapping gauze or something similar around my finger to perform oral care was difficult. It became a battle between "the me who wants to brush his teeth" and "the me who wonders if it's really okay to hold him down to do it."

In the end, I thought, "If this causes him stress, it's not good for his mental health," and gave up on brushing. As a compromise, I started giving him dental care treats.

However, I felt that there were limits to providing oral care just through treats, and like humans, I think there are individual differences in the natural strength of a cat's teeth. Kotaro is likely the type whose teeth are not very strong.

In the autumn of 2023, after eating, he started scratching his mouth with his paws and repeatedly chomping his jaws, which made me suspect something was wrong inside his mouth, so I took him to the vet. It turned out he had pain in his upper right canine and his gums were swollen.

I gave him an injection to reduce the inflammation and monitored him to see if the swelling would go down, but it didn't have a good result... Ultimately, I had his upper right canine extracted.

After that, there were no notable issues and he spent his days happily, but I think it was about 2 or 3 years later, one day, I happened to look into his mouth and realized his upper left canine was missing.

I knew that for seniors, teeth can sometimes fall out naturally, but I felt a deep sense of regret, thinking, "Was he in pain until it fell out? I'm sorry I didn't notice..."

The "abnormalities" that appeared after losing two canines

In fact, I realized the second canine had fallen out because I noticed "certain abnormalities" in Kotaro. At random times, his lower left canine would get caught on what we would call his lip.

When I first saw it, I just laughed it off, thinking, "Why is your lip getting stuck there! You clumsy boy!" but after that day, I witnessed his canine getting caught on his lip for a few seconds many more times. I started to think that something was wrong inside his mouth.

Also, around the same time, my sister who had come to visit asked, "Doesn't Kota look a bit under-biting...?" which was another trigger for me to recognize that something was off. It's true that when looking from the side, I feel like his jaw looks more prominent than before, and his mouth sometimes takes on a downturned shape...

Maybe I should consult with a vet. Finally, I felt a sense of urgency.

Consider treatment when "eating troubles" become prominent

When I consulted the vet, the first thing they asked about was his eating habits. Fortunately, Kotaro hadn't lost his appetite. Even when signs like his mouth turning downward appeared, he continued to munch away, so we decided not to perform any special treatment and just keep observing him.

However, they told me that if I notice a loss of appetite or if he stops eating, I should visit the clinic immediately. Kotaro has a thick frame, so his weight is a little on the higher side; it seems that when such a cat loses their appetite, they are more prone to developing "hepatic lipidosis" in a shorter period than the average cat.

Feline hepatic lipidosis is a liver disease caused by loss of appetite or fasting. It can be life-threatening.

In fact, when I asked a fellow cat owner, they told me of a case where their cat's tooth fell out → they lost their appetite, perhaps due to pain from misalignment → and even healthy teeth were extracted to account for the bite...

I learned that for cat teeth, it's not a case of "it fell out, so it's okay!" but rather that one must carefully observe appetite and other signs even after a tooth is lost, to be able to respond early to any abnormalities.

Incidentally, in cases of "malocclusion" due to congenital skeletal abnormalities, genetics, or baby teeth that didn't fall out, I recommend consulting with a vet immediately.

Malocclusion is a state where the upper and lower teeth, which should normally mesh correctly, are misaligned. It is said that if teeth dig into the gums or other tissue, it causes ulcers and inflammation.

It’s easy to think of baby teeth as something that "naturally falls out," but it might be a good idea to create opportunities to check the inside of their mouth during the teething period.

Just like for humans, teeth are important for cats. Thinking of ways to maintain them healthily is of course important, but perhaps gaining knowledge so that you can provide follow-up care after teeth are lost is just as important.

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