Hi! I did see stomatitis mentioned on a few of your pages and on here, but I'd really like to ask for advice on how to approach it. I'm autistic and have a hard time communicating, but I gotta advocate for my baby. My vet suspects my 4M cat has stomatitis. He was tested for FeLV and FIV 2 years ago and is strictly indoors. He is otherwise healthy as far as we know. He will be going in for bloodwork, dental cleaning, X-Rays, and possible extractions. (1/?)
My understanding from the vet was just extractions of the teeth that are inflamed if it is what he thinks it is (not full mouth extractions), but that may have been a misinterpretation. Further research into it, and I think I'm going to ask about full mouth extractions if it isn't ruled out as something else. From what I'm seeing, trying to manage it long-term without them can backfire at any time. But I am guessing I won't even know for sure until he has already been put under anesthesia. (2/?)
How do I politely go about ensuring that the person doing the procedure is experienced enough? I was seeing a lot about how you need to make sure they get the root. My clinic is great, & there is a vet there that has special interests in feline medicine & dentistry. Her credentials look good & it says she primarily does surgeries there. Should I ask about it before the cleaning/XRay/extraction appointment, or should I wait to ask about full mouth extractions? I'm lost on the logistics. (3/3)
gettingvetted here.
Every cat is an individual regarding stomatitis. Some cats only need the inflamed teeth removed and they never have another issue especially if strict medical management (immunosuppressants, superb at-home dental care) is used. Some cats will eventually need all of the teeth removed (although the canine teeth are typically left behind, since for some reason they don’t tend to be as problematic).
In general it is much more difficult to remove a healthy tooth than a diseased tooth, so it is debated whether removal of all the teeth, even if some of them are still healthy, is a good idea in stomatitis patients. I don’t think it’s wrong to do that, but it’s not my approach. Why would I lengthen the anesthesia time, cause more pain, and prolong the healing of my patient for a set of problems that may never happen?
If a clinic is offering the dental procedure, their staff is experienced enough to perform it. Why would we offer something we cannot do? It is important to remove the entire root during every extraction, not just full mouth extractions or extractions in stomatitis patients, so making sure to remove the entire root would not be something unusual surrounding stomatitis cases. It sounds like your vet knows what she’s doing. If you wanted to ask *something*, you could say that you were reading about full mouth extractions and wanted to know if it was a good idea for your cat. You could also ask how many stomatitis patients does your doctor see that end up needing full mouth extractions over time?
Hope this helps.
