What are Tooth Dislocation or Sudden Loss?
A dislocated tooth can be classified as either a luxation or avulsion. A tooth luxation is a tooth that has only been partially dislocated, moving vertically or laterally on the dental plane. Whereas, a tooth avulsion describes a tooth that has been completely dislocated from the dental socket. There are a number of subcategories for tooth luxation and avulsion, which must be properly diagnosed by a veterinary professional to deduce proper treatment.
If your cat has suffered trauma or injury to the mouth, she could experience tooth dislocation or sudden loss of a tooth. When a feline experiences head trauma, a tooth can easily be knocked out of place or removed completely upon impact. A dislocated tooth or sudden loss of a tooth is an urgent condition. Infection, nerve damage, and lesions can quickly arise from tooth related trauma, therefore, veterinary attention is a must.
Symptoms of Tooth Dislocation or Sudden Loss in Cats
Tooth dislocation or sudden loss of a tooth can be easily noted at times, especially if you are a present witness. However, some forms of tooth dislocation are difficult to spot and could go unnoticed until some of the following symptoms appear:
- Bleeding
- Facial swelling
- Swelling of the gums
- Tooth discoloration
- Excessive drooling
- Pain
- Inability to chew or eat properly, leading to anorexia
- A visibly altered tooth appearing abnormal in position or size
- The tooth appears mobile indicating damage to the root
- Malocclusion (misalignment of the teeth or jaw)
Types
- Concussion: A tooth that has undergone damage to the supporting structures including the roots, nerves and connective tissues, without visible displacement.
- Avulsion: A tooth that has been completely displaced from the dental socket.
- Extrusive luxation: A tooth that remains partially attached, but displaced outward from the dental socket.
- Intrusive luxation: A tooth that has been partially dislocated and pushed deep into the dental socket, appearing visually shorter.
- Lateral luxation: A tooth that is partially dislocated and easily moves from side to side on a lateral plane.
- Subluxation: A non-displaced tooth with damage to the underlying structures, causing it to be abnormally loose.
Causes of Tooth Dislocation or Sudden Loss in Cats
Tooth dislocation or sudden loss of a tooth is a rather common occurrence for felines. Rough play, biting down on a hard object, cat fights, falls, and hit-by-car incidences can all result in tooth damage. The most commonly dislocated or tooth to be lost in felines is the upper fourth premolar and the canine tooth, as these teeth are located in the front of the mouth. If your cat suffers from poor dental health, tooth dislocation or sudden loss can become a common occurrence as dental disease weakens the dental structure.
Diagnosis of Tooth Dislocation or Sudden Loss in Cats
Diagnosis of a tooth dislocation or sudden loss in cats can initially be done through a physical examination. A physical examination will indicate what type of tooth luxation your cat is experiencing and any evident of dental disease, such as gingivitis. The veterinarian will need to know when you first noticed the problem, what type of symptoms your cat has been experiencing and if you witnessed any recent injury your cat might have obtained to cause the dental trauma. The animal doctors will most likely backup his or her physical exam hypothesis with an x-ray examination. An x-ray will visualize which dental structures have been injured and any secondary injuries to the jaw that were not visible by the naked eye.
Treatment of Tooth Dislocation or Sudden Loss in Cats
If you witness the sudden loss of your cat’s tooth, locate the tooth and contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Your veterinarian may advise you to gently rinse the tooth in milk or a saline solution, placing said tooth back into the open socket quickly to protect the delicate fibers of the periodontal ligaments. From there, your veterinarian may ask you to come into his/her veterinary practice immediately or refer you to a veterinary dentist.
A veterinary dentist can surgically fixate the dislocated tooth back into place using splints. However, if the blood or nerve supply has been damaged, this tooth could become a continuous problem for your cat. Infection of a once dislocated tooth is not uncommon and you may expect your cat to undergo a root canal at a later date, which is why many veterinarians advise to remove the tooth completely.
Recovery of Tooth Dislocation or Sudden Loss in Cats
If your cat’s tooth was splinted, recovery time is about four to six weeks. At home, you will be advised to keep your cat on a soft food diet, rinsing the mouth with antiseptic solution after every meal to prevent infection. The mouth is full of bacteria, so the veterinarian will likely send you home with antibiotics to further prevent infection as well as pain medication. After the four to six weeks of recovery time, the splints will be removed and additional x-rays will be taken to ensure the tooth has, in fact, reattached.
Tooth Dislocation or Sudden Loss Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
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My cat, Lulu, a calico, aged 12, lost all of her teeth within a week. She saw a vet three weeks before this and was deemed in fine health. At first, the teeth fell out one by one, then 2 at a time, ending when the last 5 fell out. The groups of 3, 4 and 5 falling out all occurred on the same day. She sounded like she was sneezing through this entire process and seemed to facilitate each tooth or group fall. It sounded like sneezing but clearly was not.
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My cats tooth was hanging out
Of her mouth and still is. A cat lover/owner and long time friend of mine said it is common at her age and she is fine as long as she is eating but I don't know what to do about her tooth it's just hanging out of her mouth and she still eats and acts normal but I am sad and upset with myself because idk if she is ok and I can't afford the 800$$ it cost to take her to the hospital please someone help with a home remedy she is my baby! My kids are sad and crying
This is going on with my 15yr old male cat right now. I cannot afford to take him to the vet 😢
What was your outcome Esmerelda?
Am in thw samw boat. My male cats fang is hanging and he looks very uncomfortable. Taking him to vet on sat. I feel bad . Hope he is ok.
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I was playing with my 7 months old kitty last night, she has a lot of energy so she was running around like crazy and jumping on me to bite me (she does it all the time but doesn’t bite hard). So she ran and jumped on me to try to bite my hand and hit my knuckles with her front teeth. I knew she hit it pretty hard cause it hurt me. She stopped for a second and started moving her tongue like she was chewing something, then she kept playing like nothing happened and kept biting me. I didn’t see any blood and I think she swallowed her tooth. I checked and saw she is completely missing her top right fang. Her teeth are super tiny cause she’s just a kitten, but I know the one she lost was an adult tooth cause she lost her old ones a couple of months ago.
She doesn’t seem in pain, and she is eating normally both dry and wet food.
What should I do? I feel so bad 😢
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My cat’s tooth was red around it and began hanging from her mouth. Eventually the top of the tooth started turning black and I begged my mom to take her to the vet but we cannot afford the bill. Now the tooth is gone and a hole is left with a small/medium abscess or pus-like thing??? What can I do for her?? Can I do something from home? Am I able to post a picture anywhere for more help? Thanks.
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My cat is about two years old, adopted about six months ago. We found her outside and when we initially took her to the vet we were told that she had abscesses on her bottom teeth (not canines/fangs but the tiny ones in between). We have an extraction planned currently but today I noticed that one of her teeth seems to be dislocated, knocked to one side. We have switched her onto a soft/wet food diet for the time being and she has been eating and active but I am still worried that she may be in pain. Should I be concerned while we wait for her surgery in the next two weeks?
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So my big boy turbo that's 11 months old had a tooth knocked out from a fight between him and two other cats and it was one in the far back top of the mouth I want to know if he will be ok and if I have to take him to the vet bc I currently cant afford to take him to the vet to be looked at any answer will be appreciated one of the other cats was his twin sister gigi these cats are my ESA cats so I love them to death bc they do great with my family and they love on them
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My cats fang tooth was found on the bed with a small amount of blood a few days ago. She seems fine as far as she is still eating dry food and drinking. She doesn't seem uncomfortable. But I came home today and noticed she had diarrhea. I'm afraid she has an infection. We don't have a vet for our indoor cats.
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my persian cat penny lost her left top fang a couple of weeks ago shes 15 yo but what is puzzling is .. it looks like shes got a new one growing ive felt it and its pointy and deffo a tooth the other week there was just a hole nothing there ... can cats get new teeth at this age? it surely cant of been a baby tooth it was HUGE - im baffled 🤔.
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My cats canine tooth was bleeding yesterday but didn't seem to loose from what he allowed me to do. I have an appointment schedule for him but I have a question. I have a fear because it is the big tooth, if it gets knocked out or falls out, is there a possibility of him bleeding out if I'm not home?
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I just noticed my 12yr old cat lost his top right canine tooth. What should I do? I wanted to make an appointment with a vet, but what will they say to do? I'm concerned about him. I looked at his gums, but I can't tell anything because his gum line has always been black. Please help. I'm not sure of the severity. Are there any cat beverages like protein shakes that I can give him? I'm giving him wet and dry food. I will stop the dry.
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Ruby is 15 yrs old,minimum. I adopted 6 months ago. Had extremely bad breath. Last month had trouble eating so switched to soft food as she was losing weight. Looked at teeth and upper rt canine seemed loose. Unemployed so can't take to vet. Found tooth on chair last night,still damp so recent loss, no blood anywhere. Seems to be the entire thing including root, very discolored and smelled rotten. No bleeding, no mouth smell anymore, no drooling, or even licking of lips. Can the hole in her gum heal on its own? I am beyond broke and she doesn't seem to be in pain.
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Hi my cat, 8? y.o.fighting with my other cat, began making weird motions at her mouth with paw, like something was caught. Examined best I could and left incissor missing with visible blood wound from where tooth was. My concern is,(really poor) on ssi, how much care, meds r needed? Also if swallowed is xray needed and could it puncture organ or small bowel? Worried in Riverside, Ca.
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Just happened Hershey has a loose fang tooth he can not close mouth, no smell not showing problem until now.what can I do for him? I tried to look he was not nice.. now a bit of blood.
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I just came home from college for the summer and noticed that my cat has completely lost her upper right canine. She seems fine, however--no bleeding, no swelling, no bad smell, no gum discoloration, etc. Shes acting fine and is still eating normally. I wouldn't even have noticed she was missing it had I not seen her yawn. Should I be worried? I don't know what caused this (or even when it happened because I haven't been home) but what can I do to prevent more of her teeth from falling out?
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My car just lost her front / top row big sharp tooth by injury. I was giving her a bath and she tried to jump out the tub and slipped, afterwards I automatically saw her opening and closing her mouth as if she had something in it. 10 minutes later I looked in her mouth and saw she lost her tooth. I’m really scared and just want to make sure she won’t have an infection. What should I do and is there any urgent issues with her tooth being lost.
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My cat has an avulsion in his tooth but still has the tooth in. I was wondering if this can become worse, we will be getting the tooth removed but not suddenly because of cost. I also would like to know what to do to help with the pain and any home remedies that could briefly help and what to avoid
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I just noticed that my cats cheek was sitting a bit weird on her face. I opened her mouth and her large fang is gone. She has been acting fine and eating her dry food regularly. Do I need to worry? She is 9 years old.
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My cat had a fight with a fox that comes into our garden and the neighbors quite often. I scared it away but she put up a fight. The cat had blood on her paws but it seemed it was off the Fox not her. I looked at her jaw as she was chattering and her tooth seems slightly moved on it’s side, she has been drooling for about a hour and she tried leaving the house but I was too worried for her safety and kept her in. She’s now curled up in a ball asleep, it’d be too expensive for us to take her to a vet as it’s bank holiday but we are really worried. She’s about 12 years old but very healthy and we’ve never had to take her to the vets apart from when she had to stop having babies. We have switched her dry food to wet as she won’t be able to chew anything, she took interest but then went and sat back down. Please help :(
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I think I accidentally jarred my cat’s fang loose. She bit me and startled me and I pulled my hand away suddenly and the tooth felt a little loose. Her gums are a little swollen and bleeding a little. The tooth looks to be in it’s normal place.its not protruding or sideways.
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My cat came home last night with a tooth protruding out farther than normal. I checked inside his mouth and it just looked like the base of the tooth was dislocated. According to the article I just read, I would call it an extrusive luxation. From afar it looks like his right lip is really swollen but its actually just his tooth pushing his lip out. I didn't really see any swelling. He doesn't seem to be in too much pain because he'll still clean himself and let me pet his head. But he's not eating as much. So my question is, can I just sort of push his tooth back in? It's just like at a 45 degree angle outward(to the right) instead of pointing straight down. I heard this area heals quickly so I think he would be fine.
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I just noticed my cat, who is also 12 years old is missing her top 2 incisors and is having the same symptoms (drooling, sneezing, lethargy). What was the ultimate diagnosis and what helped?