Surgery for FORL's

[opus88]

my boy has 6 FORL's, all affecting his roots only, not the crowns, he has no gingivitis with a small amount of plaque.....these were found during a routine cleaning and xrays earlier this year. Another cleaning and more xrays were done yesterday to see if there was any progression in the absorption. My Vet thought yes there had been and recommended we see a dental surgeon in the city for extractions.

My Vet also told me there was a lot of controversy amongst Veterinarians about how these FORL's should be done, apparently some will say a full root extraction is needed while others say only the crown and allow the root to be absorbed naturally.  

I am looking for your opinion Dr. Redford before we see the dental surgeon..( I have NO idea what they will recommend) this upcoming appointment will be at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon
Sask....I want to gain as much knowledge as I can before this appointment, so I know I am doing the best I possibly can for him, I don't want the roots to be left and he experience pain and other problems down the road because of this.

thank you.

[opus88]

thank you so much for the reply Dr. Redford and yes fellow Canuck :)
I agree with you about the WCVM, I had dealings with them a few years ago with another kitty and heart issues, they were fantastic!!!
However I don't know anything about the dental surgeon, apparently she is new, I will know more after our referral appointment.

You gave me an excellent explanation. As far as I know his roots have only begun to absorb the x-rays I saw showed a fine white line around the root, but roots still intact.

Is there not also a danger of the jaw breaking while trying to remove a full root? And with so many teeth affected, this will be major surgery.
I just feel so bad putting through all this...:(((

[Cliff Redford, DVM]

Fantastic question...I expect nothing less from a fellow Canuck :)
In the past their has been different views on how to treat these dental lesions but for the last handful of years we have all been agreeing that extraction is necessary. The decision to remove the whole tooth or the crowns only depends upon the stage of the disease and the radiographs. If the roots have become absorbed and ankylosed (calcified) then they are dead roots and are now essentially a part of the jaw bone. There is no need to remove them and in fact it is near impossible. It is kind of like trying to dig out on type of mineral from the whole of the rock that contains it. If the radiographs show that the roots are essentially normal then extracting them will be necessary. If you leave a viable root in then it is extremely painful after the surgery and eventually can set the patient up for a dental infection.
WCVM is a great school...maybe not as great as OVC which is where I graduated from :) but I am sure your cat will be in great hands.
Please dont tell them I said this Ha!