"Crunching" in the mouth???

HI all; My 7 year old Himalayan was making a crunching sound in her mouth one morning and I freaked and brought her directly to the vet. They found a very irritated gum. she had some gum surgery done 2 weeks ago.They removed a little polyp from the area and cleaned the gum. Said the tooth was healthy and all her other teeth too. She had a shot of antibiotic that is supposed to last 2 weeks instead of having to give her oral meds. She healed well and started to eat the day after.
I just brought her back for her 2 week post op check up. Seems like all is well they said even though the gum area looks a tiny bit pink still. I brought her home and she ate and then suddenly she is now making that same "crunching" sound again. She has done it three times in 3 hours and was pawing at her face but ate some soft food and now seems to be resting . What the heck is going on? I sure do not want to have to put her under another general anesthetic anytime soon for so many reasons, not to mention I just spent over $400 on her for the surgery. Has anyone experienced this before? Any suggestions would be welcome.
thanks.

My Scarlett crunches when she eats. I've had her checked out by a vet who recommended a dental and we had that done. She still crunches, and she has been back to a vet for her annual exams and they have found nothing wrong with her mouth. So my guess is that some cats will do that, but until you've had a vet look at her mouth again and proclaim her healed, I would still worry. The 2 week antibiotic shot is great, but my vet warned me that it doesn't work on everything.

Rosie's done it for about 4 years now and the vet said her teeth are fine. It's as it she's grinding her teeth?. I wondered if she had food stuck because it only lasts a few seconds. She turns her head to the side as well when she does it

My cat makes a crunching sound when he grinds his teeth. He does it mostly when eating (or thinking about eating) wet food, and he hesitates before eating as if it's uncomfortable. The vet said his teeth aren't in great condition and suggested he get a dental cleaning...which I will do within the next few months. The cat still eats fine in spite of the teeth grinding.

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

She turns her head to the side as well when she does it

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That is exactly what Scarlett does. She mostly does it when eating wet.

My BooBoo does this when he tries to eat a piece of grass. There's also a clicking sound and it drives me up a wall. He's had a dental and all is well, though I keep a check on his teeth and gums weekly to make sure nothing pops up.

HI and thanks for the idea. She did not have food stuck in her mouth and all seems to be well again. I think she may be using manipulative behaviour on me. For what reason I do not know. Believe me when I say, my cats are not lacking in love or attention. that is just the nature of a feline I think not to mention the breed. So far, so good , although, she is still acting very fussy about her food and not eating that much. She only weighs about 6 lbs. ever anyway, but she is not eating alot now and seems to want something. ???????? ciao for now.

My cat did theses . we thought he was hinting for food.. But it turned out it can be a sign of pain... Please if your cat grinds their teeth or crutches get them checked by a vet ASAP.. I'm writing this as I would like others to learn this.. Unfortunately for us it was too late.. We took our cat to the vet when he started to have a minor limp... Turned out he had a very aggressive cancer tumour in his hip which terminal.. I wish we had known about the grinding teeth symptom as we may have been able to catch the cancer early.. Good luck and love to all u cat owners xx