Is it reasonable;e for a vet to want to pull these teeth?

Hello.  My 4-year old FIV+ cat has an appointment for a dental this upcoming week.  The vet has said she thinks she will have to pull these canine teeth.  I don't want to object if this is a reasonable course of treatment, but I don't want to do it if it isn't necessary.  Can anyone give me an opinion from looking at these pictures?  Thank you.

Hello and thankyou for this fascinating question.  Your cat demonstrably appears to have severe gingivitis; there are other potential causes for this as well as a primary problem of the teeth. I wonder whether autoimmune problems, FIV and FeLV have been investigated and whether your cats' kidneys are fully functioning?  It may be that resources can be better used and is definitely worth researching with your vet.

I'm sorry, on rereading you have already told me about the FIV.  At this rate, there may be a delicate decision to be made as to the best step forwards; removal of so many teeth in a cat with pre-existing problems may be radical, especially if the gingivitis is connected more closely with a virus than anything being wrong with the teeth.  This is certainly worth investigating; perhaps your vet could contact a medical (for the FIV) and / or dental expert as part of their decision making process.   Please will you let me know what they decide?

Again, I do not know enough about your particular cat or circumstances to comment on the individual case, but I do know not all gingivitis is caused by dental disease and that removing so many teeth would be a long and difficult treatment, so if medical solutions can be satisfactory in this case then they may turn out to be worth pursuing.