Cat Canine Tooth Extraction Post Op Complications

My cat had his canine tooth removed and canned wet food became lodged in the cavity and the wound didn't heal. There's also possibly some erosion happened including where there is now a sliver of bone showing (not sure if this is from gum erosion of where a post op flap has come off). It's 11 since his operation and vet has advised packing and a post op flap done in a new operation as soon as possible. Or he did mention we could wait and see if it still might heal on its own accord, which could take 4-6 weeks and might not happen. Says risks of infection and nasal fistula but I'm worried about my senor cat having a second aneasthia which makes it two long operations in two weeks and also the vet said he'd have to aggressively drill the jaw bone to alleviate pressure on the gums and said there's a chance the post op flap would fail. I'm worried about the procedure being too much and I'm also worried that if it fails my cat with have even more bone exposed. Any input please.

Hello - I'm sorry to hear that you're going through this; it sounds like a very stressful decision.  Of course an additional option may be to use a specialist dentist or hospital if there is one near you;  this is likely to be more expensive but may carry the best possible chance of a positive outcome, so your vet may be happy to give you a referral.  More to follow

Your cat currently sounds to have an uncomfortable mouth with a high risk that it will carry further consequences when they are even older.  Offering a GA to a cat at any age is a trade-off:  is the extra pressure on the body justified by the improvement that your vet could make?  What could go wrong?  What are the likelihoods?  What will the quality of life be like if this is not done?   It is actually very easy to ignore toothache in a cat, not least because they evolved many fewer of the behavioural signs of pain that humans show, so the level of discomfort can be hard to appreciate.  However, if that were my mouth, I would want it to receive some attention.  I think that my next step would be to quiz the vet about the surgery; do they feel confident?  Could they get a second opinion?  With your cats' wealfare at the forefront, who is the most skilled person locally with the best tools to assess the situation and to carry it out?  Can the cat stay on fluids for support while the operation is being done?  I hope that something here helps.