Cat with broken canine tooth

[dmc123]

Spaz, was a neighbor's cat that they tossed out, now lives at my house. On his routine yearly vet visit today, the vet said he was quite healthy but had a broken canine tooth. He poked around it and said Spaz didn't seem to be hurting but we should keep a watch on it.

My question is, should I do more? Have it pulled? or just keep a watch on it?

I did a search on broken tooth here, but didn't find anything.

Thanks,
Diane

Here is spaz, he is a sweetie-pie

[Lucky Rescue]

My last cat got a broken canine when he was about 17, and I had it extracted since it was very red and puffy at the gumline and was hurting him.

If this cat's tooth seems to be not bothering him, I would probably just keep an eye on it, and if there is any redness, swelling, odour or if the cat is drooling or seems in discomfort when eating, then I would get it pulled.

He's a very handsome boy. Thanks for taking him in!!

[Prin]

If you can see the nerve, you should get it removed. (If you see a sort of hollow in the middle of the tooth, that is probably the nerve. And that HURTS.)

I don't know if it is the same as a dog, but my dad's Jack had to have 3 broken canines removed, and our vet wouldn't do it. He had to see an animal dentist because apparently the roots of the canines are incredibly deep, that it's best to have them done by a specialist. They cost $400 to be pulled, and if you wanted a root canal, which reduces the pain, it was $800 instead. It's expensive, yes, but if it really is necessary, it's worth every penny.

[chico2]

Spaz is a sweetie,thank's for caring :love:
I too had a cat(17yrs old)who had a canine removed,but it was abcessed and my then vet did it,with no problems.
I would keep an eye on the surrounding area and only have the tooth pulled if it causes Spaz any discomfort.Sometimes it's difficult to know if a cat is in pain...

[dmc123]

Thanks all, I will keep close watch on him.