Research overview: tooth extraction as treatment for feline stomatitis

For cats with chronic gingivostomatitis refractory to medical management, full-mouth or partial-mouth tooth extraction has emerged as the most effective treatment, with many cats showing substantial or complete resolution of oral inflammation after removal of the teeth that anchor plaque and provoke the immune response. This overview compiles the surgical and dental literature rather than one source, describing why extraction addresses the underlying plaque-driven immune reaction, what proportion of cats improve, and how cats adapt to eating after losing teeth. It matters because, despite seeming drastic, extraction relieves severe chronic pain and is frequently the definitive solution for a frustrating disease, illustrating how a surgical approach can resolve an immune-mediated condition by removing the antigenic stimulus that perpetuates the inflammation.