Hi everyone,
My 11-year-old cat's vet believes that she needs to have at least one tooth extracted because it's loose and the gums around it are very swollen. I'm very paranoid about anesthesia since she had a hard time recovering from it last time she had a dental cleaning almost 4 years ago (they used Telazol but said they typically use isoflurane for older/sick cats), so I've been asking around to find out the anesthesia protocols for different vets.
So far I've spoken to her current vet and one other. Both vets have their benefits and drawbacks with their anesthesia protocols, but my main question is this: Is it necessary to complete dental x-rays to determine which teeth need to be extracted? Her current vet doesn't have the capability to do dental x-rays, but they said they have a method to determine which teeth need to be extracted. Does anyone have any ideas about whether or not it would be effective without x-rays? I just don't want to put her through the procedure only to find out that she needs to do it again in 6 months.
I would appreciate any input! Thanks!
My 11-year-old cat's vet believes that she needs to have at least one tooth extracted because it's loose and the gums around it are very swollen. I'm very paranoid about anesthesia since she had a hard time recovering from it last time she had a dental cleaning almost 4 years ago (they used Telazol but said they typically use isoflurane for older/sick cats), so I've been asking around to find out the anesthesia protocols for different vets.
So far I've spoken to her current vet and one other. Both vets have their benefits and drawbacks with their anesthesia protocols, but my main question is this: Is it necessary to complete dental x-rays to determine which teeth need to be extracted? Her current vet doesn't have the capability to do dental x-rays, but they said they have a method to determine which teeth need to be extracted. Does anyone have any ideas about whether or not it would be effective without x-rays? I just don't want to put her through the procedure only to find out that she needs to do it again in 6 months.
I would appreciate any input! Thanks!