Food stuck in teeth

[mls18]

My guinea pig has alot of veggies stuck in between his top teeth, can i help him get it out somehow? could it cause a cavity in his teeth?

 

[Theremin]

Guinea pigs have open rooted teeth -- they grow continuously, so they don't form cavities like ours do. They need to chew hard things like twigs and hay to keep them short.
You might have the pig checked for overgrown teeth; Also, make sure he has plenty of hard material to chew on. It's kind of strange for him to have food stuck in his front teeth. The only time I've had food stuck between teeth come up is on back teeth (the ones you can't see without an instrument) when a guinea pig had to have his overgrown teeth trimmed.

 

[mls18]

Guinea pigs have open rooted teeth -- they grow continuously, so they don't form cavities like ours do. They need to chew hard things like twigs and hay to keep them short.
You might have the pig checked for overgrown teeth; Also, make sure he has plenty of hard material to chew on. It's kind of strange for him to have food stuck in his front teeth. The only time I've had food stuck between teeth come up is on back teeth (the ones you can't see without an instrument) when a guinea pig had to have his overgrown teeth trimmed.

Ohh, i knew they constanly grew their teeth but for some reason I didnt think about that.
Thank you! i checked his teeth and i think they do look a tiny bit overgrown(although they could be normal I'm not to sure). I'm switching to weighing daily and I'm going to keep a close eye on him. Thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Ohh, i knew they constanly grew their teeth but for some reason I didnt think about that.
Thank you! i checked his teeth and i think they do look a tiny bit overgrown(although they could be normal I'm not to sure). I'm switching to weighing daily and I'm going to keep a close eye on him. Thank you!

Chewing hay wears the molars which keeps the self sharpening incisors in check , so any problem with the molars and not chewing hay properly can cause the incisors to become overgrown, misaligned, uneven. Seeing any issue with the incisors then having a vet check done is important so the molars can be checked properly (it requires specialist equipment and usually sedation (we are lucky enough to have a vet in the Uk who can do conscious dentals, but most won’t)). The incisors are used to pick up food.
Can you get a picture of his teeth so we can see where the food is stuck?

 

[mls18]

Chewing hay wears the molars which keeps the self sharpening incisors in check , so any problem with the molars and not chewing hay properly can cause the incisors to become overgrown, misaligned, uneven. Seeing any issue with the incisors then having a vet check done is important so the molars can be checked properly (it requires specialist equipment and usually sedation (we are lucky enough to have a vet in the Uk who can do conscious dentals, but most won’t)). The incisors are used to pick up food.
Can you get a picture of his teeth so we can see where the food is stuck?

If they are slightly overgrown could chewing more hay wear them down? The vet here is really expensive so i don't want to go unless I'm sure i need to(of course ill bring him if he needs it but right now I have no idea if he needs it). I just had him out but he wasn't letting me look at his teeth. I'm going to try again in the morning and see if i can get a picture.

 

[Piggies&buns]

If they are slightly overgrown could chewing more hay wear them down? The vet here is really expensive so i don't want to go unless I'm sure i need to(of course ill bring him if he needs it but right now I have no idea if he needs it). I just had him out but he wasn't letting me look at his teeth. I'm going to try again in the morning and see if i can get a picture.

We cannot say whether what you are dealing with is actually dental issue - he may simply have just temporarily got a bit of food stuck between his teeth - a piece of lettuce for example, gone up the wrong way. It’s completely normal for them to always have food in their mouths when you look right inside, but we can’t know what you are seeing from a written description and our advice is always to see a vet if you have concerns.

Chewing hay will keep them wearing down, but if something goes wrong in the process, then it usually requires vet care to get them back right again. A piggy with problematic molars will usually reduce hay intake because they can’t chew properly, therefore making any molar issues worse. This may be getting way off base with what you are seeing though.

 

[mls18]

We cannot say whether what you are dealing with is actually dental issue - he may simply have just temporarily got a bit of food stuck between his teeth - a piece of lettuce for example, gone up the wrong way. It’s completely normal for them to always have food in their mouths when you look right inside, but we can’t know what you are seeing from a written description and our advice is always to see a vet if you have concerns.

Chewing hay will keep them wearing down, but if something goes wrong in the process, then it usually requires vet care to get them back right again. A piggy with problematic molars will usually reduce hay intake because they can’t chew properly, therefore making any molar issues worse. This may be getting way off base with what you are seeing though.

Thanks for answering my question. I will try to get a picture in the morning. Ill be weighing him daily to see if theirs something wrong with his molars that's causing him to eat less, but as of right now his weight seems to be normal. Thanks so much!

 

[mls18]

I'm trying to get a picture but he really doesn't want me opening his mouth, does anyone know any ways to get it open?

 

[Swissgreys]

I'm trying to get a picture but he really doesn't want me opening his mouth, does anyone know any ways to get it open?

This would usually require 2 people.
One to sit down (preferably on the floor) and hold the piggy securely and well supported on their lap and open the mouth gently.
This will leave you free to take the photo.
I don't know if it would be possible on your own.

 

[mls18]

This would usually require 2 people.
One to sit down (preferably on the floor) and hold the piggy securely and well supported on their lap and open the mouth gently.
This will leave you free to take the photo.
I don't know if it would be possible on your own.

Oh ok, Thanks ill try that.

 

[mls18]

I had someone else open his mouth and I finally got some pictures.

 

[mls18]

I saw online that temporary tooth discoloration is normal, but his tooth was yellow last night as well. Is the yellow tooth the problem?

 

[Swissgreys]

It is a little hard to tell but I must say that from the photos the front teeth look quite long.
Do the top and bottom teeth meet in the middle and look to be a similar length?
They shouldn't really overlap.

How is your piggies weight - is it stable and do you weigh weekly?
The problem is that issues with the front teeth often indicate issues with the back teeth, which isn't something you can check yourself at home, so would really require a vet visit.
I am sure someone with more experience will be along shortly.

 

[mls18]

It is a little hard to tell but I must say that from the photos the front teeth look quite long.
Do the top and bottom teeth meet in the middle and look to be a similar length?
They shouldn't really overlap.

How is your piggies weight - is it stable and do you weigh weekly?
The problem is that issues with the front teeth often indicate issues with the back teeth, which isn't something you can check yourself at home, so would really require a vet visit.
I am sure someone with more experience will be along shortly.

Its hard to tell but his teeth don't seem to be over lapping. I used to weigh him weekly but now I'm doing daily, his weight has remained stable.