The only way to know what is happening beneath the gum line is to x-ray the tooth. With dental x-rays we have found such things as fractured or missing roots, extra roots, and misshapen roots. When extracting a tooth we must know for certain what is happening with the roots. To leave a tooth root in a cat’s mouth because it was assumed to be missing can cause tremendous problems in the future. We had a patient who was thought to have a jaw tumor, but with a dental x-ray we found a tooth root that had caused an area of chronic infection and swelling. Once the root was extracted the infection was successfully treated, the cat is now healthy, happy and pain free.
Cats can suffer from a dental disease called Feline Oral Resorptive Lesions. These lesions erode into the cat’s tooth and are very painful when touched. The only way to treat teeth with these lesions is to extract them. The detection of and the extraction of these teeth can be difficult for several reasons. Firstly, the lesion weakens the tooth and makes it likely to fracture during the normal stresses of extraction. Secondly, when these lesions are below the gum line they are not visible during an examination of the mouth. The only way to detect them is with a dental x-ray. Thirdly, when the lesions are below the gum line they can cause what is called root resorption. When this occurs, the root of the tooth is being broken down and replaced by bone. Teeth that have roots undergoing resorption must be treated differently than teeth with normal roots. The only way to determine if this is occurring is with a dental x-ray.
At the Calgary Cat Clinic, we take pride in offering the highest quality of care for your cat, and we feel that dental x-rays are an important component of that care.