“>A FORL disease causes the body’s own cells (so-called odontoclasts) to attack the tooth substance. Over time, the degradation of the tooth bone (dentin) leads to the exposure of the dental nerve, which is accompanied by massive pain for the cat.Because the damaged hard tooth substance does not have its protective function can exercise more, there is a secondary migration of bacteria. This affects both the teeth themselves and the periodontium. Severe inflammation of the roots and gums (stomatitis) and exposed tooth necks are the result.
At the beginning of the dental disease, changes mainly occur at the necks of the teeth in the transition area between enamel and cementum, i.e. where the tooth crown merges with the tooth root.FORL is most common the following teeth: third premolar in the lower jaw first molar (back molar) in the lower jaw fourth premolar in upper jaw “>The cause of the development of FORL in cats has not been scientifically clarified. Disorders in the calcium metabolism, hormonal imbalances and previous severe inflammation of the periodontium are under discussion.
Do you want your cat to stay healthy for a long time? Bad cat food makes cats sick – give your cat something better – our test winner:
Species-appropriate cat food from ANIfit – 123% meat in Swedish food quality, without harmful additives. Try the feed change package now! Exclusive 10% discount voucher for new customers: 10cat stuff Code Copied!
What types of FORL are there in cats? “>FORL can be divided into different types in the cat: FORL Type 1: The disease usually occurs as a result of inflammation of the periodontium and gums. The reason for this is often plaque and tartar in cats. The crowns of the teeth are not affected and there is no indication of repair processes. FORL type 2: This disease initially has no inflammatory component and is associated with repair processes. It comes to the formation of denture substance and thus ossification between jaw and tooth root. Affected tooth crowns tend to break off under load. FORL Type 3: Here type 1 and type 2 occur simultaneously on the same tooth.
What are the symptoms of FORL in cats? “>FORL is a dental disease that leads to severe chronic pain in affected cats. However, most velvet paws are masters at hiding pain. Therefore, every cat owner should always take small abnormalities and changes in their cat’s personality seriously. Symptoms include: Head area touch sensitivity Increased withdrawal or aggressive behavior Bad breath Salivate Teeth chattering Visible plaque or tartar Increased chipping of teeth Abnormalities when eating: tilting the head, discomfort when chewing, slowed feed intake, selecting from Lining Visibly exposed tooth necks Red, swollen gums “>Ideally, cat owners should teach their pets from an early age to have their mouths checked regularly. In this way, you can prevent diseases such as gingivitis, Detect tartar and FORL early.The same applies to symptoms such as bad breath and sensitivity to pain in the head area.What and how many symptoms does a FORL cat have shows is individually different. If in doubt, you should always present your velvet paw to a veterinarian. Regular routine examinations, for example in the course of the annual vaccination, are for health prophylaxis is of great importance. Older cats should be checked more frequently by the vet in order to be able to detect age-related diseases at an early stage.
Diagnostics: recognize FORL in cats
“>FORL is a dental disease that (initially) often only affects the root of the teeth. So resorptive lesions can also be present there if the crowns of the teeth still appear healthy. In this case, only X-rays of the teeth will reveal the dental disease. This will require the cat to be anesthetized.
The anamnesis (medical history) and the general examination of the cat play an important role in starting the right diagnostic path, so that you think of everything , you should take some notes before you visit the vet. “>You suspect your cat has a toothache? Never s you should give her painkillers without consulting the vet! Anti-inflammatory pain medications in particular can have serious side effects if the cause is something else. Painkillers for humans such as paracetamol are even toxic for cats! Treatment of FORL in cats “>The disease is usually treated surgically. A filling therapy can only be attempted for teeth that are only affected by type 2 FORL Otherwise, teeth that show holes caused by FORL must be extracted by a veterinarian, ideally by a dentist specializing in small animals .Tooth extraction is also necessary if the crown still appears inconspicuous and only the root of the tooth is affected Have absorptive lesions If the tooth substance is already severely damaged, the tooth can break off during the operation.In FORL type 1, it is very important that the root is nevertheless completely removed – otherwise the tooth disease cannot heal. In FORL type 2, on the other hand, it is possible that only the crown of the tooth can be removed without much effort, since the roots of the tooth are ossified with the surrounding tissue.Since type 2 FORL does not cause any inflammatory processes, there are the chances of healing are also good if a root residue should remain during the treatment.The cat gets one for the tooth cleaning General anesthetic. In addition, she may Do not eat anything hours before the treatment. The veterinarian will take several X-rays to assess the tooth substance in both the crown and root area. Diseased teeth are then extracted; the remaining ones are freed from tartar and plaque using ultrasound.After the surgical dental treatment, the cat still needs painkillers for a few days as well as an antibiotic. “>The cost of treating the teeth varies depending on the veterinarian, the extent of the procedure and anesthetic management. With FORL they can rise into the four-digit range We therefore recommend every cat owner to take out cat insurance. What is FORL in cats? “>The abbreviation FORL stands for the widespread dental disease “Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions” in cats. The disease is regularly confused with caries.
Is FORL curable? “>FORL cannot be cured; diseased teeth must be extracted. This is the only way the cat can be relieved of its massive toothache and the inflammatory processes can come to rest. How do I know that my cat has FORL? “>Possible symptoms of FORL include bad breath, visibly exposed tooth necks, stomatitis, tenderness of the head, discomfort when eating, and increased aggression or withdrawal behavior. However, many cats do an excellent job of hiding their toothache for a long time.
534313 Does FORL need to be treated? “>For animal welfare reasons, treating FORL as quickly as possible is essential! Furthermore, if there is no treatment, the inflammatory processes continue to spread and the bacteria involved can spread through the bloodstream to various organs, such as the lungs, heart and liver.
132568 Featured Image (top): Nils Jacobi / Shutterstock.com
