Bad Vet Vs. Being Scammed? Dental Question!

[amandamariec]

Hello all!

A few weeks ago my amazing fur-baby, Fluffhead, had a tooth fell out. I felt so horrible! He showed no sign of obvious pain.

I took him to the vet right away and he suggested a dental cleaning. I figured he knew what he was talking about so I scheduled the cleaning for later that week. The vet said the cleaning went very well, but that they had to extract 2 more teeth. Other than that, they didn't tell me anything else about the procedure.

It's been 3 and a half weeks and my cat still seems in pain so I took him to a new vet for a second opinion. This vet says she thinks the cat needs three more teeth extracted and she thinks he has Tooth Resorption. 

Was my first vet just a terrible vet and missed the fact that my cat had tooth resorption? Wouldn't they have seen this while my cat was under anesthesia? OR is the new vet scamming me and just wanted to make more money on a dental cleaning?!

I suppose I should get a 3rd opinion but I just feel so awful torturing my Fluff at the vet. He is so scared of new people and traveling (he's an adult rescue). The first dental should have been all he needed!

If anyone has any experience with this I'd so appreciate your advice! Thanks SO much.

 

[LTS3]

Was the first vet a "regular" vet? "Regular" vets often miss signs of dental disease beause they simply aren't taught much about dentistry in vet school (currently only a third of US vet schools actually  have dentistry programs. Nearly 2 decades ago only three vet schools had such programs) and oral exams aren't really part of routine check ups.

I suggest taking your cat to a vet who specializes in dentistry. You can look for a board certified vet dentist here: http://www.avdc-dms.org/dms/list/diplomates-map.cfm Not all vet dentists are board certified but still have undergone specialized training in dentistry.

 

[amandamariec]

Thanks so much for the reply! 

Yup, the first vet was a "regular vet." I'm surprised they don't get more training! I feel like dental cleanings are probably a huge part of what they have to do. That's a shame.

The second vet was a "holistic vet." She seemed very nice and knowledgeable, I just don't trust anyone anymore so it's hard to tell!

Thanks for the website link! I live in NYC, so thankfully I know there is definitely at least one certified dentist in NYC.

I just feel bad bringing him to another vet... but I have to do what's best for him! I'm so frustrated! I just want my little guy feeling better with as little prodding as possible.