Dental diseases are highly prevalent in mid-aged cats. Still, the young kittens or senior cats are no exception to suffering from a dental complaint. Under routine examination, your kitty’s teeth may not be visible entirely, which is why they may require full oral investigation by your vet. Regular teeth and oral cavity checks enable you to detect potential dental issues early.
Remember that pre-existing medical conditions are not covered by cat insurance NZ. Also, you need to know that dental insurance for cats can cover your munchkin for specific dental troubles like Gingivitis, cavities, tooth fractures, and more. Check the benefits of a policy to know what your fur baby will be covered for once the policy is active. Don’t miss reading the fine print, though.
You may need to shell out only a little of your savings to get your fur baby treated with comprehensive pet health cover. While you get yourself sorted on the pet medical care front, learn about the feline oral examination and some tips on caring for your furry pet if they underwent a dental extraction surgery.
How will a full-scale dental examination unfold?
- Overall dental examination in fur babies can be carried out under general anesthesia.
- It usually begins with physically examining your kitty’s teeth and gum lines. After which, your vet may measure the pockets’ depth.
- Some diagnostic tests are run, like taking teeth/soft-tissue/bone X-rays to see the teeth, roots, and ligaments in the oral cavity.
- Any diseased teeth found during the examination may need extraction. Once the diseased teeth are removed, the rest of the teeth are scaled and polished.
- The vet then surveys the oral cavity for any potential abnormalities or tumors.
What are the steps to take after dental extraction?
After the septic tooth is removed, your vet may either leave the wounded gum tissue open so they heal on their own or stitch up the open gum tissue with dissolvable sutures so your furry friend need not go through a suture removal process under anesthesia later.
Regularly check for any telling signs of mouth tissue infections in your kitty cat. Some of the most common symptoms include –
- Any foul smell emanating from your feline pet’s mouth most likely points to oral infections, so don’t ignore the condition.
- Any abnormal inflammation on the lower/upper jawlines.
- Swelling under the eyes or your fur baby’s eyes may seem to pop out from the sockets.
- Losing appetite, refusing to eat/finish meals, or dropping food while eating point to troubles in the oral cavity. Your kitty cat can become fragile with little food intake or starvation. It is best to consult the vet asap if your furry pet is having eating issues.
- Rubbing its face on the floor or pawing at the mouth tells you about something bothering your kitty in the mouth.
- Drooling and drainage from the mouth/nose are other signs of potential infections.
Even when your kitty cat is on antibiotics to combat infections, at the vet’s advice, if you notice any of the above signs, please take your cat to the vet immediately.
Ensure your fur baby is fed only what your vet has recommended, and never let your dear cat miss out on her medicines. It would be best if you didn’t skip taking your kitty to the follow-up vet visits after dental extraction surgery. If you follow the right treatment plan, healing can be only a few steps away.
You can claim much of your kitty’s dental extraction bills through dental insurance for pets. Purchase cat insurance in NZ that offers your pet a broader health cover while saving a few thousands on non-routine vet visits, illnesses, injuries, pet health emergencies, and more.
