28 Aug Cat Tooth Extraction: When It’s Necessary and What to Expect
The two most common reasons why a cat might need to have a tooth extracted are periodontal disease and tooth resorption. Periodontal disease causes bone loss around a tooth, while tooth resorption causes the hard tissue of the tooth to break down.
Both conditions can cause pain and chronic inflammation that affect a cat’s overall health. When a tooth hurts, sometimes extraction is the quickest and least expensive way to resolve the pain.
Why Cat Tooth Extractions Require Specialized Care
Dental extractions in cats can be challenging due to their small size. The lower canine teeth of cats can be the most difficult.
Dental extractions that are not performed correctly can result in additional problems ranging from incomplete extraction to oronasal fistula (a hole between the nose and the mouth) or even jaw fracture. At Animal Dental Care & Oral Surgery in Fort Collins, we have the expertise, advanced imaging capabilities and specialized equipment to perform dental extractions efficiently and safely.
What to Expect During a Cat Tooth Extraction
All cats undergoing surgery need general anesthesia, and we use board-certified anesthesiologists to help guide anesthetic and pain management protocols.
Before starting surgery, cone beam CT and dental radiographs help us to plan the surgical approach while nerve blocks numb the area, allowing us to keep patients in a lighter plane of anesthesia.
A complete oral exam is performed with magnification, and any treatment plan is communicated with you before surgery begins. If there are multiple options for treating a tooth, we can review the options at that time.
How Is a Cat Tooth Extraction Performed?
Surgical extraction involves creating a flap in the soft tissue of the mouth to peel back and expose the bone over the tooth root. A thin portion of this bone is removed to expose the root and allow for its elevation.
Multi-rooted teeth are sectioned so that each root is removed separately. In certain types of tooth resorption, only the crown of the tooth may be removed, leaving the root to continue reabsorbing.
Diagnostic imaging determines if this is a treatment option. Post-op imaging is used to verify that the intended treatment was accomplished. A dissolvable suture is used to close the extraction site, replacing the soft tissue flap.
What Is Recovery Like?
After having any teeth extracted, the mouth needs to rest so it can heal. If all goes well, the healing takes about two weeks. During that time, your cat will need to be on a soft diet if possible.
At Animal Dental Care & Oral Surgery, we offer a free recheck exam two weeks after surgery to make sure that everything has healed properly before your cat returns to their normal diet and activities.
We also use this appointment to talk about home dental care and provide samples of products that can help keep your cat’s teeth healthy.
How to Care for Your Cat’s Teeth After Dental Treatment
It’s important to be sure that there are no painful areas in the mouth before starting any home dental care. An anesthetized exam, diagnostic imaging, and treatment of any painful areas should be completed first.
Daily toothbrushing to prevent periodontal disease is the best method to help your cat keep their teeth as long as possible, but for some cats there are other home dental care tools that may be more feasible.
Does Your Cat Need a Tooth Extraction in Fort Collins?
Even with these precautions, sometimes dental extractions are indicated. Whether you want to explore advanced therapy such as periodontal surgery or root canal treatment, or if extraction is the best choice for you and your cat, at Animal Dental Care & Oral Surgery in Fort Collins, you can be sure your cat is getting the highest level of care available.
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash used with permission under the Creative Commons license for commercial use 08/28/2026