26 Nov Tooth Resorption in Cats – What is it and How is it treated?
Tooth resorption is a pathologic process that occurs in all species, humans, dogs, cats, etc. This disease causes the breakdown of a tooth and/or its roots. When looking at tooth resorption in humans and dogs, there is a large amount of overlap between variations and causes. However, tooth resorption in cats is a completely different pathologic process. In all honesty, tooth resorption in cats is not something we completely understand yet. Veterinarians have studied this pathologic process for years, and I jokingly love to say that cats are like aliens sometimes! We know that both domestic house cats and large, wild cats can develop tooth resorption. We know that it does increase in occurrence with age, and we also know that often if a cat develops one area of tooth resorption, it often will happen in multiple teeth.
Causes of Tooth Resorption in Felines
Tooth Resorption Affecting the Crown
So, let’s talk more about what we know about tooth resorption. Tooth resorption starts due to some degree of inflammation. This is true regardless of what type of tooth resorption we have. In cats, we have two types of tooth resorption. First, the type that affects the crown (visible portion of the tooth). And the second, the type that affects the roots without the crown being affected. It is possible to have both variations in tooth resorption in the same tooth or even on different teeth in the same cat.
When tooth resorption affects the crown in these cats, I often compare it to the “world’s worst cavity!” This is because, despite the degree of break down in the tooth and open access to the pulp cavity (where the nerves and vessels for the tooth live), these teeth stay alive. This means those nerves are still working and therefore extremely active and sensitive to anything that touches it – air, water, food, material, etc.
This is different that what happens with humans and many other species. If we lose too much crown structure and the pulp cavity is open, our teeth will die rather quickly. This sets us (and other species) up to develop tooth root abscesses. However, our sweet cats do not often have this as a sequela of tooth resorption. Tooth resorption in cats can progress to be so severe that the entire crown of the tooth often fractures off spontaneously. Sometimes, the only evidence that a cat has some degree of tooth resorption is a small, rounded mound of bone where teeth used to be. In fact, in some cases, the gum tissue even heals over these old and fractured teeth. The problem lies in how much pain and inflammation these cats experience from the start of tooth resorption until these teeth are no longer painful in any way.
Tooth Resorption Affecting the Roots
Tooth resorption that only affects the roots of teeth is slightly different. We have a consensus that it is due to some degree of underlying inflammation or pathologic entity, however we make the assumption (extrapolated from what we as humans experience), that if it is not at or almost at the crown of the tooth it is not overtly painful. This is why, once again, dental radiographs are imperative for every single patient. We would never be able to document any tooth resorption in cats that are affecting the roots alone in cats without them. And some of you may say, “well if it’s not painful, why would it matter?” While that’s a good question, the answer is it does matter as the degree of inflammation may be so profound that intervention is needed, despite it not being a severely painful disease process. Additionally, the degree of root change can still set up the tooth to spontaneously fracture. It is often that these teeth do not heal as well without intervention.
Treating Tooth Resorption in Cats and Dogs
Now that we have diagnosed tooth resorption, let’s talk about treatment. Over the years, veterinary dentists have attempted many therapies to try and halt the progression of these resorptive lesions. Unfortunately, all attempts have proven to be inadequate. The pain, inflammation, and infection associated with these resorptive lesions all continues to progress. The only therapy that is capable of truly removing all the pain, infection, and inflammation associated with these teeth is with surgical extractions. This may involve a single extraction or in the worst, most aggressive tooth resorption cases may necessitate full mouth extractions.
Contact Our Veterinary Dentistry Team for Treatment
If your regular veterinarian has diagnosed tooth resorption in your cat or you fear your cat may be developing painful oral lesions, we recommend reaching out to your primary care veterinarian or our team at Your Pet Dentist as soon as possible.
Image used under creative commons license (11/26/24) – Photo by Ilhan Erce Feyizoglu from Pexels.