# Cat lost front canine tooth - 2022 update, 2 more gone!



## Ambera (Apr 24, 2015)

Hi all,

I have just noticed that my cat, Hazel, has lost her front right upper canine tooth. It seems to be sliced/broken off - the root and stub of the tooth is still there. She is an active outdoor cat, just coming up 7 years old, who hunts daily and often gets into scraps - she had her ear nicked just a month ago.

She doesn't seem to be showing any signs of pain and is eating normally (well as normal as this fussy-eater eats!).

I'm not sure when this tooth got broken off, I've been gone for the past month with my parents looking after her, and she may have lost it well before that as I can't say I've done any regular teeth checks. As far as I know she hasn't had any dental checks, though I can ask if she was checked last time she visited the vet.

Is this broken tooth of any concern? I'm worried about potential ulcering from the sharp stub left. I'm fairly certain she lost it in a fight or injury, but is there any chance it could be dental problems/infection? I'm thinking of booking her a vet appointment for this, should I?

Thank you,
Amber & Hazel


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## TriTri (Oct 31, 2017)

Ambera said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have just noticed that my cat, Hazel, has lost her front left upper canine tooth. It seems to be sliced/broken off - the root and stub of the tooth is still there. She is an active outdoor cat, just coming up 7 years old, who hunts daily and often gets into scraps - she had her ear nicked just a month ago.
> 
> ...


Hi @Ambera
I use to have a cat who had the same and I was shocked about two weeks ago to read or hear that it's painful for them, but they hide the pain well and treatment is necessary. I believe it was on a dental webinar with Feline Friends Academy but I am going to check now and get back to you.


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## TriTri (Oct 31, 2017)

Hi @Ambera again
I have just checked and there's a webinar you can listen to and see by Rachel Perry, through Feline Friends Academy and it's called A Glimpse At Feline Fangs, she mentioned something similar happening to her cat and how she had to operate on it, which surprised me so please see http://www.feline-friends-academy.com/june-webinar/


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

I would get her a vet appointment just in case it is painful for her.


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## SbanR (Jun 16, 2017)

I had a crown which snapped off, leaving a stub such as you describe. And yes, it hurt!!! As the nerves are left exposed. Your cat needs an op to get the stub removed.


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## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

Vet asap. you know how much it hurts when it happens to us.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Definitely needs vet attention asap that will be very painful .


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## Ambera (Apr 24, 2015)

Update ~

I've booked her an appointment for Thursday @ 11.15am, this was the earliest possible I can get. I did mention the lost tooth but they've booked us in for a general checkup. Hopefully she's not been in too much pain or for too long!
So they're likely to remove the stub, under general anaesthetic perhaps? My father is always reluctant to take her to the vet because of costs but I'm forcing him!
Hoping that having this tooth removed won't impact her eating in the long run, she usually prefers to eat hard biscuits. Hazel rarely eats much soft food but she will happily eat cooked chicken! Maybe it will also slow down her hunting, as she is quite the killing machine.


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## TriTri (Oct 31, 2017)

Hi @Ambera, that's good that you have her booked in. Well done! She's a beautiful cat .


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## moomoo10 (May 10, 2012)

That happened to my last cat about the same age. The vet removed it and that was that. He'd no probs after it was removed.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Fractured teeth require either a root canal (specialist procedure) or extraction.

Leaving them is a common approach, but endodontic disease and tooth root infection always occur eventually, and the teeth may well be very painful in the meantime.


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## TriTri (Oct 31, 2017)

Ambera said:


> Update ~
> 
> I've booked her an appointment for Thursday @ 11.15am, this was the earliest possible I can get. I did mention the lost tooth but they've booked us in for a general checkup. Hopefully she's not been in too much pain or for too long!
> So they're likely to remove the stub, under general anaesthetic perhaps? My father is always reluctant to take her to the vet because of costs but I'm forcing him!
> Hoping that having this tooth removed won't impact her eating in the long run, she usually prefers to eat hard biscuits. Hazel rarely eats much soft food but she will happily eat cooked chicken! Maybe it will also slow down her hunting, as she is quite the killing machine.


How did she get on at the vet?


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## Ambera (Apr 24, 2015)

Ah sorry everyone, I forgot to post on here!

The vet visit went well, despite Hazel trying to escape out of every window! The vet says that the pulp is exposed so she is booked in for a dental tomorrow @8am. Theyre going to remove the tooth, since the gum is looking healthy they will cut into the gum above to remove the canine root. I'm keeping her in overnight, as I have to make sure she doesn't eat and I can't say that she's very pleased with me....

Overall it's looking like this will be costly >£300.... But if we left it then infection would just set in and I can't tell how much pain she is in!

The vet said that the tooth was just starting to round over so she must have broken it several weeks ago.


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## TriTri (Oct 31, 2017)

G


Ambera said:


> Ah sorry everyone, I forgot to post on here!
> 
> The vet visit went well, despite Hazel trying to escape out of every window! The vet says that the pulp is exposed so she is booked in for a dental tomorrow @8am. Theyre going to remove the tooth, since the gum is looking healthy they will cut into the gum above to remove the canine root. I'm keeping her in overnight, as I have to make sure she doesn't eat and I can't say that she's very pleased with me....
> 
> ...


Good luck tomorrow with Hazel. I hope all goes well and any pain disappears. I'll be thinking of her, bless her. Well done you and your dad!

My Tessy is booked in for a dental next week, which is £250, and not sure if the consultation beforehand is included or not. The vet did say it costs the same whether it's just for a clean, or a clean and a tooth or teeth removed etc; it basically covers anything that will need doing.

My cat with the missing front fang (as I call it ) had lost it before I took him on. I hope he was treated for it by his original owner. My vets never mentioned it and he was treated at least weekly for various other things in his old age, so doesn't bare thinking about now.


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## Ambera (Apr 24, 2015)

Bumping this up as I've just seen Hazel has completly lost 2 more canines, sometime in the last 2 weeks.
I first noticed as she has a bit of a red sore on her upper lip (so a sore above her 1 remaining canine, which is her lower left).

How well do cats adapt to just having 1 canine? She was a ferocious hunter so I guess her hunting days are over now? She is 11.
I'm going to get her booked in for a vet trip tomorow morning anyway as I want to know if they fell out naturally, or if they're infected. Also to check if she's lost any weight as she feels a bit thin...I guess it could have also been from brute trauma as we haven't been locking her in at night so often recently, so she may have got in a scrap with another cat.

Wish me luck!


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## TriTri (Oct 31, 2017)

Ambera said:


> Bumping this up as I've just seen Hazel has completly lost 2 more canines, sometime in the last 2 weeks.
> I first noticed as she has a bit of a red sore on her upper lip (so a sore above her 1 remaining canine, which is her lower left).
> 
> How well do cats adapt to just having 1 canine? She was a ferocious hunter so I guess her hunting days are over now? She is 11.
> ...


Oh no, poor Hazel! Belated Good Luck… sorry I’m late, I have only just found your post. How did it go? Two canines in one go sounds awful, was is brute force? My Max (also 11 years old) lost one in a fight with a fox, so goodness knows what happened to poor Hazel? What did the vet say? It has been difficult keeping some cats in overnight this last month with this lovely weather. They must get so hot in those beautiful fur coats. It wasn’t a car incident was it? Was she checked for internal injuries too? I hope all is good now with poor Hazel, and you too?

Edit: did the vets check for frayed claws? Were they? Looking forward to your update and sending lots of healing vibes to dear Hazel. If it’s tooth loss only and it is treated, she should be fine and she may hunt less for a while and then her hunting instincts will probably get the better of her and she’ll bring you more gifts. What other teeth has she left? She may do better on soft pate type foods, at least initially anyway. I hope she’s been given painkillers? You will have to keep her indoors for a few days, to keep an eye on her, I suspect. Any photo’s of the little rascal?


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