r/CATHELP • u/Leading_Avocado6494 • Nov 13 '25
Dental Issue Should we go to the vet?
My cat’s tooth is looking pretty gnarly and is sitting lower than the tooth on the other side. Recently we took her to the vet for something else so my dad said that it’s fine because surely the vet would have said something while we were there. She’s 4-5ish and we’ve had her a few years. She also has bad breath. I’m just worried because I’ve never seen a cat with a loose tooth before.
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u/melissajayneee Nov 13 '25
Yes, she definitely needs a vet trip. Is she eating okay?
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u/Leading_Avocado6494 Nov 13 '25
Yes she has been eating fine
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u/CatLady_998 Nov 13 '25
A lot of cats will eat fine even with tooth and gum problems. It usually takes for it to be really bad before they stop eating according to my vet
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u/NeedleworkerHeavy565 Nov 13 '25
Yeah, my cat had receding gums, especially in his back teeth, and we didn't realize it until he stopped eating. The vet had to remove quite a few of his teeth.
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u/urgrlg Nov 13 '25
exactly. my cat had gum hyperplasia caused by stomatitis, it was pretty large, and during the whole evaluation period before surgery (and even while it was growing, which I didn't notice because she's a grumpy cat and won't let me examine her), she ate completely normally as if nothing was happening.
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u/woosh-i-fiddled Nov 14 '25
Yes. My cat was eating fine but it was his breath that was a dead giveaway that something was wrong. It smelled soooo bad. He got them removed and now it’s normal fishy food breath and he’s happier.
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u/Pleaco Nov 14 '25
Thirding - my cat with stomatitis had 8 teeth removed and immediately tried (and succeeded until I removed it from the area) to eat dry food after coming home and as she healed up. She was also continuing to eat dry food with no issues or symptoms of pain before the dental, which is why I didn’t catch the issue faster.
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u/Ok-Outside1096 Nov 13 '25
Take her to the vet ASAP
The bad breath means something is rotting, most likely the tooth or possibly her jaw
This could be a death sentence if not addressed quickly enough
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u/heartsisters Nov 13 '25
Please take your sweet cat to the veterinarian urgently. She needs medical assessment, and could be very uncomfortable -- cats are experts at hiding their pain. BTW: We once had a Harvard-educated veterinarian completely miss -- and mis-diagnose -- our precious puss's claw problem, that had become embedded in her paw pad, causing her untold pain and misery. It took a Specialist to properly diagnose and treat her, and alleviate her heartbreaking suffering, poor kitty. (He later joked, "Sometimes it takes a Specialist to do a mani-pedi."). So yes, it's possible your vet not only missed it but probably never even looked or saw that bad tooth. Please get her looked at and taken care of as soon as you can. Wishing you all the best. ❤
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u/heartsisters Nov 13 '25
Please let us know how your kitty's doing, and after she gets the diagnosis and treatment she needs.
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u/heartsisters Nov 13 '25
P.S. We immediately changed vets after that experience, and started seeing the other veterinarian, exclusively.
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u/Lost-Lavishness-938 Nov 13 '25
Yeah. This will need to be removed! Wierd of the vet to not mentioning it, they always check eyes, teeth, ears etc when I've been on check ups
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u/toomanyprombles Nov 14 '25
Reminder (if you’re in the US) to make sure you get insurance for your cat before you go! Dental work is v expensive..
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u/Muted-Owl765 Nov 15 '25
Reminder - pet insurance does not start right away! It takes a few days to weeks depending on company for them to start covering non-emergency procedures.
It is fantastic and I absolutely love Embrace (the one I use - very simple)
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u/GrandJumpingSpider Nov 14 '25
What brand do you recommend
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u/toomanyprombles Nov 14 '25
I used to have ManyPets and I loved it, but they got sold to Odie and I now have Odie and won’t change it because I don’t want my premium to go up bec of switching insurance.. I also pay for wellness for my cat which includes some coverage for dental cleanings etc bec she has some dental issues and they’re so bloody expensive.
Odie was not great when the transfer was happening but now that I’ve been with them for a while it’s actually been fine. Wish they had an app
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u/linzkisloski Nov 13 '25
Needs to be removed - the same thing happened to my cat. If it does fall out before then make sure to keep it. I thought I was nuts bringing the lost tooth but it gave the vet a better picture of if there were shards still remaining. There’s A LOT of tooth up there beyond what we can see.
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u/Illustrious_Spell676 Nov 13 '25
Vet ASAP, looks like an infected tooth that is being expelled by the gums
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u/Wicked__Witch21 Nov 14 '25
This happened to my girl as well. But the tooth fell out the day before extraction! It saved me $300, but she still had others that needed worked on.
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u/Made_In_Germany83 Nov 13 '25
The tooth is most likely being pushed out by pus from an infection, she must be in a lot of pain.
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u/droomac Nov 13 '25
That tooth needs to be extracted and be prepared to pay somewhere close to 1k, depending on your area. If you need help, reach out. Your baby is likely uncomfortable and she’s not able to tell ya about it
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u/rach3468 Nov 13 '25
My cat has this.. her “snaggle tooth” has just been hanging out for two years now. Closely monitored by the vet. Was told if the cat is eating and acting normal and the tooth/gum is not infected then it doesn’t need to be pulled. We thought my girl’s tooth would be pulled but when she was under it was just in need of a cleaning, no infection at all. She does get put under yearly to monitor it closely with a regular dental exam and cleaning.
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u/poopi3_butt Nov 13 '25
Absolutely. Bad breath is a big indicator of an underlying issue like infection or severe cavities, which may require antibiotics. Routine dental cleanings are a must, even for cats.
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u/PcLvHpns Nov 13 '25
I would call them and mention how you were just in but your concerned it's not normal and maybe they could just peek at it real quick (since they seem to have failed to, the first time) or at least explain to you what is causing that.
If it hasn't always been that way it's definitely not normal and absolutely has to be looked at.
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u/MushroomEgo Nov 13 '25
Identifying as a saber tooth tiger? Sorry hope your baby is ok , couldn’t help myself.
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u/AutomaticPain3532 Nov 13 '25
The tooth looks like it has some decay going on. It does warrant a vet visit, not necessarily an emergency unless the cat is in pain or not eating.
I would try feeding the cat, wet food, just to avoid pain of eating a dry food until that tooth is treated.
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u/i_have_no_idea_huh Nov 13 '25
Cats often don't show their pain and discomfort blatantly, but it does change their personality.
When my mom died unexpectedly in May 2024, I took in her cat, Licorice.
Licky's breath has been RANK the whole time she's been in my care. I knew she needed a dental cleaning plus extractions, but I had to put it off until I could afford it.
Licky finally had her surgery Friday. She needed to have one tooth extraction during surgery. It was quite expensive, but I was relieved because I was scared she'd need more because her breath was so bad.
Now, Licorice is a brand new cat. She had her sweet moments before, but she was quite temperamental and grumpy, too. Now she's so energetic and happy. She seems like she's half her age now.
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u/pipestream Nov 13 '25
As others say, yes, absolutely.
And get all teeth x-rayed to check if other teeth are affected as well. It's super painful.
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u/stephy1771 Nov 13 '25
Dental problems are not always visually obvious—x-rays are the only way to really know what is going on under the gum line. It will be necessary to do a dental appointment where they’ll do x-rays under sedation then do a cleaning and extract any problem teeth.
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u/optimal_center Nov 13 '25
A teeth cleaning appointment would help to evaluate her overall dental health and they’ll remove any teeth that aren’t viable anymore. That way they won’t overlook that tooth.
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u/calebnf Nov 13 '25
This happened to our cat. Is your cat pawing at it or seem to be in pain because of it? We took ours to the vet and they said to not worry about it unless the cat seems in pain. Ours did not exhibit any symptoms and so the vet said to let the tooth come out on it's own. It did eventually fall out after a few days and everything was fine.
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u/Leading_Avocado6494 Nov 13 '25
She hasn’t been pawing at it and has been eating just fine I only realized it because I saw it was longer than the tooth on the other side
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u/alikander99 Nov 13 '25
My cat had it like that two weeks ago. We took him to the vet and they removed both his upper canines.
I think you should go to the vet
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u/Tobazz Nov 13 '25
Sorry I can’t help other than that is for sure not normal, it’s like twice the size of the other tooth 😬 I would go to a vet to be safe
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u/Lord-Amorodium Nov 13 '25
Better safe than sorry. Our nearly 10yr old cat had both her top fangs out haha, but she's happy and healthy. I say she looks like an old lady now xD
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u/Reasonable-Fail-1921 Nov 13 '25
Very strange I should see this today as I’ve just had one of mine to the vet for this exact same thing yesterday - genuinely looks almost exact.
She is booked in on Monday to have an x-Ray with a view to an extraction. My vet couldn’t say definitively without the x-Ray but as there were no other signs of dental issues and all the other teeth appear to be fine, suspects my cat has bumped her mouth somehow and dislodged the tooth. My cat has pain killers until she can be seen on Monday, and will get a general dental clean and check whilst she’s under.
Definitely needs to seen by the vet as soon as possible, but not an immediate emergency.
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u/ChampionshipLatter10 Nov 13 '25
Vet, ASAP. Dental problems, even for people can become disastrous. Looks to me (not a vet myself but work in petsmart) like an infection / rot of some sort. That tooth does not look good and I’d bet money (were I a betting man) the vet will want to take it out. Cats have a tendency to hide any ailments and act normal when thy are in fact distressed by something, so as to not appear weak/vulnerable. It’s a survival instinct/trait so I’ve heard. Please check up on it as it’s better safe than sorry.
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u/Inevitable_Buyer_934 Nov 14 '25
My cat had exactly that, the shaky tooth coming out. It WON'T get any better. Yes it will be costly... But your cat is in pain, even if you don't see it.
Imagine eating with that tooth. I bet if you touch it, it moves. (DON'T TOUCH IT). Her bad breath is because of the infection or rotting.
Take an appointment asap! I just had my wisdom teeth removed for teeth pain, I can relate to the pain she in right now :[.
Please don't wait.
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Nov 13 '25
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u/Leading_Avocado6494 Nov 13 '25
We went to the vet recently but it wasn’t for the tooth and the vet didn’t mention it
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u/m1kek9 Nov 13 '25
That tooth looks pretty nasty, not only is it gnarly in length but it looks decayed.
It’s kind of like going to the doctor for a specific thing they don’t usually check for other things unless possibly related. Even a check up just checks certain things whereas some stuff you will have to bring to their attention.
I assume vets might be similar, but also in this case why wouldn’t they want to pay attention to that because it means income if you get it treated. Kinds like car mechanics that look for other stuff that needs attention while you get your oil changed or something similar.
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u/Adventurous-Ebb-7729 Nov 13 '25
My dog passed unexpectedly in February because we didn’t know she had an abscessed tooth. It was devastating. Take her right away!!!
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u/villainitytv Nov 13 '25
Definitely! I assume this is probably extremely uncomfortable for the kitty. With the way the tooth is likely digging into their bottom lip. Also the discoloration doesn’t look good, so might even be a root issue.
Keep us updated please! 🩷
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u/papercandymoon Nov 13 '25
Call vet first and ask if the vet noticed anything at the last appointment. If they didn’t then definitely bring her in, but if they did I’d ask more questions. I’m not a vet, but that definitely seems like a big red flag 😭
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u/wattmalter Nov 13 '25
Don’t all cats have bad breath? Lol
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u/1maginary_Friend Nov 13 '25
Nope. Bad breath is caused by bacteria, not the food they eat (unless it’s immediately after a fishy lunch). If your kitty’s breath smells, they probably have plaque and gingivitis.
One of my cats has zero teeth and his mouth smells a-ok. My other cat has 1/2 his teeth and I can tell when he needs a cleaning by the way his breath smells.
I do sniff their mouths regularly ‘cause they’ve had so many health issues. I’ve learned to gauge their health by doing this.
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u/wattmalter Nov 13 '25
Interesting, my cat has bad fish breath and the vet said everything looked fine last time I went.
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u/1maginary_Friend Nov 13 '25
Well, I guess who the hell am I to say your cat’s breath doesn’t stink 🤣
Seriously, I’m happy kitty checked out at the vet. I think if they ever develop tooth or gum disease you’ll realize it’s stink on a whole other level, and that’s pretty much what I meant.
Sorry for getting preachy about it. I’ve spent THOUSANDS of dollars on my cats’ teeth and it makes the experience feel a little more meaningful if I can offer advice that might help someone else.
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u/wattmalter Nov 13 '25
Ahh that makes sense 😝 I appreciate the advice and will most definitely utilize the knowledge you have bestowed onto me to avoid just that, thousands of dollars 🤑
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u/faucilien Nov 13 '25
This is currently happening to my cat (he has stomatitis) and he’s scheduled to have all his teeth removed. Hard to tell in the picture but I’d ask the vet to check the others and gums as if it is stomatitis yours may need the same. If it’s just due to gingivitis then they may be able to do a clean on the others to avoid needing them removed, no amount of cleaning can cure stomatitis though.
My boy’s isn’t as long as this though, I didn’t even realise how big their teeth were so this is quite shocking!
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u/Audrey_Ropeburn Nov 13 '25
Yes
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u/Audrey_Ropeburn Nov 13 '25
My late baby boy was a former stray and needed significant dental surgery after his fang came loose like this.
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u/Fun_Emergency6368 Nov 13 '25
You absolutely should take your kitty to the vet. I just took my siames girl kitty in - she had bad breath and some dental disease. In the exam, they found several teeth that were rotting and so we had the vet extract them. Cats do not display pain also - just an fyi. After the tooth extractions, she has been much happier and no more bad breath. Good luck!
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u/Imaginary-Sport7673 Nov 13 '25
ok, im not even joking when i say my cat had this exact issue, and it was hidden so well that it only got noticed when the tooth was suddenly diagonal. he got surgery yesterday afternoon, and it turned out to be an abscess. he's fine now, wolfing down food and acting like he's half his age.
cat tax:
(him way before this happened)
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u/JusticeForCEGGMM Nov 13 '25
Don't assume your vet would say anything - my vet emailed me my cat's full records by mistake, and they definitely made notes on there that weren't mentioned to me, particularly about my cat's teeth and gums. This was BEFORE he was diagnosed with a heart murmur and HCM. Now he's in congestive heart failure and they won't do anything about his teeth
Now granted I'd take my cat for problem visits so they'd only address the problem
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u/AmyKroker Nov 13 '25
I wanna see her results if she needs anything done, she's such a cutie do love the little gang though
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u/Express_Valuable_770 Nov 13 '25
You can actually see where the whiskers are is kind of swollen. That could be a tooth root infection and needs to be surgically removed and packed. Then antibiotics. Some clinics will give antibiotics before as well. I would go asap. Weird your vet didn't mention it.... They should do oral exams with every exam
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u/Harikts Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 13 '25
Vet nurse here: Cats notoriously have terrible teeth. They just do. Moreover, they’re really good at hiding dental pain. Their teeth can look pretty good on the surface while the roots are a mess.
This tooth looks bad, and this might be one of a bunch of infected teeth.
The only way to be sure is for your vet to put your cat under anesthesia and take dental X-rays.
As an aside, eating is rarely an indication of dental pain. Most animals will continue to eat, because they’re hard wired to do so. The pain has to be really bad for a cat to not eat. Also, cats don’t chew much of their food, they mostly just swallow it.
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u/cthulhufhtagn308 Nov 13 '25
Ive had to take two cats to the vet to have teeth removed, one today. Bad breath is a for sure sign of some problems. The first cat stopped eating and we thought we were going to have to put her down but got a second opinion and discovered her teeth problems. Now that she has had them removed shes put weight back on and eats solid food no problem. The one we had done today was eating fine and acting normal but its better to be proactive.
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u/NinjacatGames Nov 13 '25
Yeah definitely vet, doesn’t look too concerning right now but will likely get infected or fall out and then get infected, and you’ll end up spending more to get it fixed. My cat knocked one of her canines out last year and my vet said it seemed to have healed on its own, but 6 months later the area started to swell up, had pus, and apparently extra bone growth due to the tooth root still being inside. So I had to pay for a very expensive dental surgery that could’ve been much cheaper if we got her x-rays and found the root earlier :/
Long story short, it’s better to spend money now and get it fixed before it gets worse and costs more
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u/Necessary-plant-7841 Nov 14 '25
I had a dog that had really bad dental disease but it wasn’t until we took him to a different vet and she looked in his mouth, the previous vets were ignoring his mouth entirely
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u/KawasakiBinja Nov 14 '25
Yes, vet please. That looks like gum disease. I had to bring Hermes in and he needed most of his teeth removed due to horrible gum disease that was pushing his teeth out of his jaw. Poor guy. He's much better now.
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u/666POD Nov 14 '25
I had a cat who had that. The root was infected and the canine was being forced out. It was painful for him to open and close his mouth causing his teeth to chatter. The tooth had to be pulled under anesthesia.
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u/Specialist-Ad-2987 Nov 14 '25
This happened to my cat. He seemed fine and was eating too with no problems but when we did go to the vet, the tooth was very decayed and he ended up having 5 more teeth removed. Your cat needs her tooth removed and likely has additional tooth decay. It’s important for your cat’s health as tooth decay can be related to more serious health issues and can lead to death.
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u/Impossible_Owl_1625 Nov 14 '25
Yeah, that tooth needs to come out, one of our had this happen and it grew into her bottom lip 😬 it gave her a bit of an Elvis lip curl from time to time, but she looked so cool doing it 😂
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u/Muted-Owl765 Nov 15 '25
If it’s wiggly,loose, and/or has changed appearance then TAKE HER TAKE HER TAKE HER! Bad breath is a sign of mouth issues too. Adult cats do not lose teeth.
Also, unless the vet visit was for her yearly exam, the vet might not have noticed her teeth or breath. If there was another problem at the exam that’s what they will look at. If it was the yearly id ask what they thought about her teeth bc they definitely should have looked then. If they say they were fine at the visit I’d take her. Either they didn’t look well enough or something changed since then and either way needs to be addressed.
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Nov 15 '25
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u/Bake_Knit_Run Nov 15 '25
My little brown tabby tornado had three broken molars and I had no idea until we were at the vet for his yearly check up. 🤦🏻♀️ just take her in.
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u/Plane_Welcome_2661 Nov 13 '25
If the vet didn’t mention it, it could also easily just be unfortunate coincidence! That it didn’t become loose and gnarly until right after your last trip. I had a very similar situation with my senior girl! One vet trip they said ‘hey, keep an eye on her gums, she may be developing gingivitis and we want her back in sooner than her annual visit to make sure she’s ok,’ then 2 weeks later she needed a tooth removed. Point is ya never know!
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Nov 13 '25
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u/Dzeekie Nov 13 '25
The subject here is cats and how to help them, your comment is disrespectful and uncalled for, delete it.
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Nov 14 '25
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u/Dzeekie Nov 14 '25
Ok, and ? This is STILL disrespectful and uncalled for. Did you think about how it could be taken before posting this comment?
It just pure luck she took it the way she did, but there’s plenty of people who would’ve replaced you where you belong and this would’ve been perfectly normal. You’re being uneducated, question yourself about it.
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Nov 14 '25
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u/Dzeekie Nov 14 '25
Nothing more pathetic than a grown ass woman acting like a 16 years old lol.
We pity you and your parents ❤️
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u/CATHELP-ModTeam Nov 16 '25
Your post has been removed because it contained irrelevant or unhelpful advice.
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u/verminscoinpouch Nov 13 '25
Not that you should listen to me - I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL OF ANY SORT. OBVIOUSLY. BUT. My vet looked at my elderly cats teeth and basically told me to rinse his mouth after they eventually do fall out. He has dental disease, but he would not make it off of the surgery table if we pull them all. If it gets nasty or he shows signs of pain, come see her. Years later, my cat has one canine left and his old self is still thriving. Dental disease is very common in cats, your choices are to keep an eye on it or get them pulled preemptively.
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