Stomatitis vs just having Gingivitis

I'm curious as my vet automatically assumed that my cats upper front lips with red swollen bumpiness over top teeth was just an allergic reaction. Its not any worse since 2 weeks of solely Z/D but his bottom front lip now is also puffy and red too. Is stomatitis just in the back of the mouth and around molars? Pondering how they know the difference from just gingivitis, stomatitis and allergic reactions with a 20 sec look if anyone has been down this road with their cats.

Stomatitis is very severe, affecting the gums around the teeth, the back of the mouth, sometimes the roof of the mouth, and even the throat.
Gingivitis is not as severe, usually just around the gumline.
My cat has stomatitis and it is horribly painful when not treated. Not a pretty sight.
These pictures will give you an idea... You should take your cat to the dentist, they are better qualified to guide you through this.

You can see if it will respond to raw, unprocessed honey. It has to be unprocessed. It gets a bit sticky, but I spread it on a toothbrush and run it over the gums and teeth. It does help and at times it will clear up the infection.

I am an expert on very few cat related issues, but I can speak about stomatitis. My cat is just over two years old now, and she had to have ALL her teeth pulled back in February due to stomatitis. My first "sign" was when Holland lost a tooth. I just found it on the floor one day, long after she had been rid of all her baby teeth. Also, she always had stinky breath, but I never attributed it to a dental problem. For a couple months before she lost her tooth, she frequently "pawed" at her mouth, but she never seemed to be in pain to me (I have since learned how well cats hide their pain...).

She was due for a checkup right around the time I found her tooth, so I told her vet about it. When I took her in, she didn't want the vet to look at her mouth, she was obviously having a lot of discomfort. When the vet did manage to show me her mouth, I was stunned. Her gums were red, swollen and bleeding. I have no idea how I never noticed.

Holland was diagnosed with stomatitis, and the initial diagnosis was that she would likely have to have all her teeth pulled except her fangs. But when the day came for her dental procedure, they recommended pulling ALL of them, or I would likely have gingivitis and other dental problems in the near future.

I was skeptical about having all her teeth pulled, but she has had NO problem since. She has gained weight (as her vet wanted her to) and she has become much more playful.

Anyway, stomatitis can affect the WHOLE mouth, not just the back/molars. Check out the pictures that Carolina posted, and don't hesitate to get a second opinion. I'd hate for your cat to go through an unnecessary procedure due to an incorrect diagnosis, but if your cat is suffering from stomatitis, IMO it's best to get it fixed ASAP.

Good luck!!

Thanks all for sharing. Pulling all the teeth, wow. Is that usually some 1500 procedure? And they still function and have some quality of life after? Interesting subject. I would describe mine on the bottom and top lips vs gums but he could use a cleaning. He swallows alot the last month so I wonder if his throat or insides have the same thing. Was kinda hoping it would completely heal to avoid yet another summer steroid shot.

Yes, it was a $2000 procedure...

Holland's vet told me once her mouth healed she'd be able to groom, eat dry food, do everything just like a "normal" cat, and sure enough, she can. I still feed her wet food twice a day, but she gets dry food too every day and has no problem eating it.

In fact, her quality of life improved remarkably after she had all her teeth pulled. I adopted her at 5 months, but she never seemed to want to play, now she plays with me every day. She is still my good little groomer (she has the sleekest, most beautiful fur), and on the plus side, when she decides she's had enough petting, I get "gummed" instead of bitten.

Good luck with your little one, I hope you don't have to go to such drastic measures.

I'll just add that not all stomatitis's are the same. My 15 year old Stumpy has a version that is actually an auto immune disease - his mouth thought that his teeth were foreign invaders and the only relief I could give him was to have all of his teeth removed. He's 2 years without teeth and he's actually gained weight - he caught the disease 4 years ago and his teeth were gradually removed over a 2 year period. I've had other cats with lesser versions of stomatitis where we were able to control it through regular dental cleanings and medication. Don't assume full dental extractions just because it is stomatitis.

If you are at a point where your vet strongly recommends total extraction, ask for a referral to a dental vet or a specialist with a lot of experience in that area. Cat's teeth are very brittle and if they crack off below the gum line, you can have even more problems if those fragments don't absorb. These types of vets may be better qualified on how to work through the issue.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

I'll just add that not all stomatitis's are the same. My 15 year old Stumpy has a version that is actually an auto immune disease - his mouth thought that his teeth were foreign invaders and the only relief I could give him was to have all of his teeth removed. He's 2 years without teeth and he's actually gained weight - he caught the disease 4 years ago and his teeth were gradually removed over a 2 year period. I've had other cats with lesser versions of stomatitis where we were able to control it through regular dental cleanings and medication. Don't assume full dental extractions just because it is stomatitis.

If you are at a point where your vet strongly recommends total extraction, ask for a referral to a dental vet or a specialist with a lot of experience in that area. Cat's teeth are very brittle and if they crack off below the gum line, you can have even more problems if those fragments don't absorb. These types of vets may be better qualified on how to work through the issue.

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Stomatitis IS an auto-immune disease... what you have is different stages of Stomatitis.
Also, full mouth dental extractions work in about 75% of the cases, there is still a good 25% that it won't work and additional medication treatment is necessary.

I have Bugsy on a treatment without extractions - he is doing amazingly well, but this is pretty much the only clinic I know of that treat Stomatitis successfully in the country without full mouth extractions. I need to give him daily medication for life though. This clinic treats several cases that have been though full mouth extractions unsuccessfuly - one of them found them through my site and contacted me desperate about it...

As momofmany said, it is very important to go to a specilized dentist, as they need to get every little dust of teeth and sometimes even some bone mass on the extraction, nothing can be left behind, or else you will go through the whole thing and still have the same problems. This is not a regular extraction - it is done specifically for this problem... A vet most definitely IMO should not be doing this - my dentist is specialized in stomatitis, and that's what you should look for... Your vet should be able to refer you to someone.
Your dentist will be able to tell you if they need to remove the canines or if they can be lef behind - sometimes the kitty can have the canines left in place.

Good luck!