Have his teeth cleaned - it's a $200 expense but it is necessary - and
then use Science Diet Oral Care kibble plus a dose of placque-fighting
liquid (forgot the name) in his water bowl.  Also try to "brush" his
teeth wth kitty paste on your finger.  Good luck!

You have some options here -

1.  YOu can get a second opinion.

2.  YOu can follow your vet's advice.

I have a cat who had all her teeth removed and for her it was an
extremely positive thing as she was in a lot of pain with constantly
red and bleeding gums.  She had horrible breath and the pain was
evident - she was depressed and not grooming well, she also had some
upper respiratory symptoms which my Veterinarian thought were linked to
her poor gum condition.  So bad, that some teeth were even loose -

We had all teeth removed and it was perhaps the best thing we could
have done.  She was given some pain medication for days after the
procedure - Also she was on anti-biotics several days prior to dental
extractions and I think she got an anti-biotic shot at the dentist
along with pain meds.

Some things to think about!

- Kitty should stay inside permanently - without teeth - cat should
never go outside again because if she were in danger he could not
defend himself nor good he hunt if needed food (if he got separated
from you)

ON the plus side without teeth:

1. No more bad breath and horrendous gum pain.
2. Kitty has much happier disposition - purrs more, is happier - since
feels better.

NO, I do not have to feed the kitty a different diet - she still eats
hard food - though she has gained some weight and I presume this has
occured because she swallows food whole now...

I feed a blend of two foods - Nutro Natural Choice (use the senior
formula - with smaller size kibble) and Cat Chow indoor formula (very
small kibble)

Also a kitty without teeth needs help grooming and must have immaculate
flea prevention because kitty will no longer be able to bite itself
when groom.

One more good thing is that positive dental health has a correlation to
better long-term kidney function and for male cats can reduce urinary
issues....

Good luck - hope this helps - Cheers, jen

I would definitely have his teeth removed.  My kitty lived to 20 years
and 3 months and I wished that at age 16 I would have had his teeth
removed.  Nothing but trouble when they get older and after 16 forget
about anaestheics.  Do it now, if you are having trouble.
Sharon

I adopted a very old cat that had major dental problems, in fact the
vet specialist said that she was either allergic to her own teeth or
to the bacteria that couldn't be defeated because it was under the gum
line. She had infections and the saddest look on any cat that I've
ever seen.

At their recommendation I had all of her teeth pulled, including some
that were broken off below the gum line. After a few days she actually
looked almost happy. It didn't bother her eating; in fact she was
barely eating before the operation and she put on some weight after
it. I had to have her put to sleep a few months later because of a
tumor in her ear, but she was vastly improved during those months.

I think it might be premature in your case if he is eating fine but
that is up to the vets. Get a second opinion but the cat will get
along fine although he might drool a bit.

Here's a link to what Jackie was like after the operation (it is very
slow since it's running on my home computer and it's busy doing other
stuff).
http://sonicechoes.gotdns.org/jackie/