Adult Teeth Issue in 7 month old Need Advice on Surgery

I posted earlier about my 7 mo Siamese who had 2 kitten upper k9s that just fell out at 7 mo.

Well, since they fell out, the upper k9 one side is mal positioned and recently cause the lower k9 on that side to push outward from the jaw, piercing a hole into his upper lip. The vet had a name for it...spear tooth or something similar, I forget?

My personal vet will not touch it and sent me to a dental specialist who wants to do all kinds of fancy work including multiple surgeries, an extraction and braces that "he may or may not knock off" causing repeat visits and more being put under anesthesia to re glue them on. I should mention that I asked them 3 times for cost estimates and both the vet, tech and receptionists refused to even give me a remote idea of potential cost. I went ahead and scheduled an apt and they promised to send an estimate via email, but I have a feeling I will not get an estimate out of them,  which will cause me to cancel  his surgery.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I am a new cat owner. Is it possible for a vet to simply file down a tooth until it no longer pierces his lip? Should I call back my regular vet on Monday and see if she can do this? I wasn't sure how far down a cat's k9 you could file before hitting some sort of exposed root or nerve.

I searched Google and could only find pictures of this issue in a ferret, and vet filed down the tooth.

Here is a link to pictures that are pretty much the exact thing going on with my cat: http://holisticferret.proboards.com/thread/6601

My main priority is getting this done in the least invasive way, and least expensive way possible. I just hate having animals put under for surgeries - I worry so much that they wont come out of it, especially such a delicate little guy.

From looking at that picture of the Ferret, I would think you could simply get that K9 pulled and have them either pull the upper K9 as well, or file the upper one down so it doesn't create a hole in the lower lip since the lower K9 won't be there to stop the upper one from jabbing the lower lip and forgo the braces, etc.

Here's another thread about having one K9 removed:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264206/extracted-upper-canine-tooth-constant-sore-on-lip

Thank you for that link. I searched all over and couldn't find anything on the issue. the people on that thread had the exact same problem, so I read every post.

I see someone mentioned that the cat will require a root canal if the tooth is filed down, not sure why? I thought root canals were only done when a tooth was removed.

Only one person mentioned needing a root canal.  Maybe that tooth needing a LOT of filing down?  I guess each situation is different

I CAN tell you, though, that lots of cats have NO TEETH at all and do just fine, so if it came down to having both the upper and lower pulled, I don't see that as a huge problem.  especially since we're just talking about his K9s.  It's not like he's out in the jungle and will need them to "make a kill".

BTW, if they are pulling a tooth, they shouldn't need to do a root canal as the root should come out with the tooth (IMHO).  That's the way it should be. 

Braces for cats? That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard!  After going through braces myself, there is no way I would subject a cat to that. 

Find a vet who is wiling to just pull the tooth.

You have to be careful with having a healthy tooth extracted in a cat. There is a great chance of fracturing the jaw. Just something to think about. Talk to the dental specialist. Tell him you are not comfortable with the braces etc or the multiple visits. Just talk to them and tell them the truth. They will work with you or find someone else. Not getting an estimate after the exam is not professional. Get an estimate at your next visit. But really talk to them and tell them you want other options. He is also only 7 months. He isn't done growing yet.

Thanks all for the info and advice.

I am going to cancel his appointment and wait a month to see if the wound on his  lip heals - based on the other thread someone posted here who said theirs did heal.

I agree that the specialist is going overboard and I still have not received an estimate, so that makes me mad.

Quiet, you are right about the jaw, that's why my holistic vet wouldn't touch it. He is a delicate 5.5 lb boy and she said it is easy to fracture the lower jaw removing a young k9 tooth.

I just wanted to add that a root canal would need to be done on a K9 when it is filed down b/c the nerves in those particular teeth extend further down into the tooth than in other teeth.