Removing complex teeth safely and with minimal impact.
Tooth resorption has gone by many names, including feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions (FORLs), neck lesions, cervical lesions, cervical line lesions, feline caries, dental resorptive lesions, external odontoclastic resorptions, cervical root resorptions, feline odontolysis and likely many more.
What is tooth resorption?
Regardless of the name, these lesions are not a new phenomenon; tooth resorption has been detected in feline skeletons hundreds of years old. Affecting up to two-thirds of cats, older and purebred cats may be more susceptible. While some cats may have a single tooth affected, others may develop multiple lesions over their lifetime.
Feline tooth resorption occurs when the body begins breaking down and resorbing the tooth’s structures. Odontoclasts, cells responsible for eroding dentin (the bulk of the tooth), cause irreversible damage, leading to the loss of the crown as the condition progresses. Normally, these cells remain dormant after destroying the roots of deciduous teeth, but for unknown reasons, they become reactivated later in life.
The exact cause of tooth resorption remains unclear, and currently, there is no known way to prevent it.
Clinical signs
Signs and symptoms of pain associated with tooth resorption may include:
- A shift in food preference from hard to soft foods or swallowing food without chewing
- Increased salivation
- Chattering or pawing at the mouth, especially after eating or drinking, indicating acute dental pain
- Pink or red granulation tissue growing around the crown of the tooth
- Pinkish discolouration of the tooth in advanced lesions due to granulation tissue within the structure
- Increased calculus (tartar) on one side of the mouth only
Tooth resorption can be extremely painful for cats, though they often mask signs of discomfort, making it easy to miss. Many owners only realise their pet is in pain after noticing behavioural changes, such as a brighter, happier demeanour following treatment.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Extraction is the only effective treatment for tooth resorption, as these lesions are progressive.
Tooth resorption is diagnosed through visual and tactile examination, but dental radiographs are crucial for accurate detection and treatment planning. Radiographs help identify two main types of tooth resorption in cats: Type I, which requires complete extraction, and Type II, where crown amputation with partial root retention may be necessary due to the tooth being replaced by bone.
Patients with tooth resorption or crown amputations should have follow-up radiographs every 6-12 months to monitor the condition and detect any new lesions.
