Could his issues be dental?

Hi again!

I wanted to make this a separate thread so I won't repeat Bandit's background, other than he's almost 17.  

I have noticed recently, that as Bandit eats, he is eating differently. He will tilt his head and on some occasions, he sounds as if he is grinding his teeth. (horrid noise).

The vets have checked his teeth MULTIPLE times--in fact, every time he goes in for a check up and b-12, they check his teeth. He has gingivitis, and tartar, but they have looked to make sure he has no abscess or reabsorption lesion (he had a tooth removed due to one when he was about 7).

Is there something we all might be missing that is so simple? That could cause him to have the runs, lethargy and nausea? Could it be dental based? Anything I can think of would have obvious signs like fever, loss of appetite, and the vets said cats rarely have dental issues that slow them down other than an abscess or reabsorption lesion--both which have been ruled out (and an abscess would show up on blood work would it not with an elevated WBC?) 

In fact, Bandit's blood work was excellent, for the exception of elevated pancreatic levels. (his last one done end of July).  The only condition we have not ruled out was cancer of the small intestine, which requires ultrasound and needle biopsy but he's not a good candidate for that due to his megacolon (ultrasound would not work well as it would have too much poop in the way). I am also not subjecting him to that given he HATES needles.

And my gut is telling me strongly it is NOT cancer--just like with his leg.

Bandit's body is losing muscle due to prednisone and fatigue, but his coat looks good and is soft, he's going to the bathroom fine--he is very wobbly and slow and sometimes stares off into space. 

Has anyone here had a cat with an odd dental issue that presented with similar symptoms? I'm not even sure what they could do other than xray his mouth/head to rule out anything.

Thanks in advance!

Teeth grinding is often a sign of abdominal pain and nausea...classic pancreatitis symptoms

Weird! He only does this when he eats, and only during certain times. I still think he has dental discomfort but I have no idea where. He's seeing the vet Saturday for his b-12 so I will have them check him and run blood work to check his pancreas. He likely has chronic pancreatitis now, so it's good to montior things---but overall he's doing well.

Honestly? I really think he had a mini stroke. He's very slow lately---like his thought process is slow and he stares out to space as if to try and remember what to do and he has a limp on one side now. I also think his vision was affected. Doesn't matter--he's still happy and he is athletic---can still jump up onto the back of my chair and jump down--he just chooses to use the step to get onto my bed, which is very high because it's orthopedic and I have an old fashioned wooden bed frame.

One note: When Bandit was a kitten, he used to 'chew' his water. He'd lay with his head over the water bowl and chew for quite a while. It was so cute!! But it's like he never figured out how to actually drink water! Shortly after that, he stopped all together and I had to change his diet to wet food because he didn't drink water.