Help! Hexi's teeth are broken and jagged.

[h.h.lovecraft]

Hi everyone,

I am so upset with myself right now. My mom always sends me these garden mixes for my piggies. I usually never use them because I am often suspicious of the ingredients, but one of them seemed safe and I felt bad letting them go to waste so I let them try some. My Hexi ended up chipping her teeth on some hard piece of something, I am not sure exactly what vegetable it is, but it's hard as a rock. I noticed her eating a bit strange so I quickly checked and the ends of her top teeth are both broken and jagged. Her bottom teeth might also be broken, but she got scared from me looking once so I haven't been able to check the bottom yet. She is eating vegetables, pellets, and hay just fine as of right now. I haven't noticed any blood either. I know piggy teeth grow back, but her teeth are pretty sharp and pointed right now since it just happened. I am also worried about her other teeth.

My vet is a guinea pig dentistry expert, but it is just our luck that we would not be able to get to the vet until next week due to opening hours/work schedules. Like I said she is eating just fine right now and I know their teeth grow back, so is a vet visit a must? I am so worried and feel so bad about it. I will probably take her eventually, I guess the only thing I can do is keep a close eye on her eating habits as of right now. I am definitely never feeding these garden mixes again, at least not without meticulously going through it. Advice would be greatly appreciated! I feel so horrible, I hope it just looks worse than it is

 

[Siikibam]

I would try and get her seen. I don’t know how well they would wear down if they’re uneven. I’d also start weighing her once daily at the same time to make sure that she is eating enough.

Hopefully someone with more experience will be along soon.

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

I would personally get her checked by the vet, one of my past girls did something similar to this, she broke one of her bottom incisors and it was really sharp, I didn't think it was too serious and that it would just grow back and level itself out. It ended up causing a lot of problems such as the other bottom incisor breaking off too and her molars began to overgrow. It wasn't until we got her xrayed that we found she had a hair line fracture down to the root in that original broken tooth, we had to do surgery to remove the whole tooth and fix the rest of her teeth. Hopefully yours will be fine but just to be on the safe side I'd have it checked.

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

I would personally get her checked by the vet, one of my past girls did something similar to this, she broke one of her bottom incisors and it was really sharp, I didn't think it was too serious and that it would just grow back and level itself out. It ended up causing a lot of problems such as the other bottom incisor breaking off too and her molars began to overgrow. It wasn't until we got her xrayed that we found she had a hair line fracture down to the root in that original broken tooth, we had to do surgery to remove the whole tooth and fix the rest of her teeth. Hopefully yours will be fine but just to be on the safe side I'd have it checked.

Wow I'm sorry you and your piggy had to go through all that, I really hope that's not the case with Hexi. I will try my best to get her to the vet as soon as possible. I really hope she just chipped her teeth!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone,

I am so upset with myself right now. My mom always sends me these garden mixes for my piggies. I usually never use them because I am often suspicious of the ingredients, but one of them seemed safe and I felt bad letting them go to waste so I let them try some. My Hexi ended up chipping her teeth on some hard piece of something, I am not sure exactly what vegetable it is, but it's hard as a rock. I noticed her eating a bit strange so I quickly checked and the ends of her top teeth are both broken and jagged. Her bottom teeth might also be broken, but she got scared from me looking once so I haven't been able to check the bottom yet. She is eating vegetables, pellets, and hay just fine as of right now. I haven't noticed any blood either. I know piggy teeth grow back, but her teeth are pretty sharp and pointed right now since it just happened. I am also worried about her other teeth.

My vet is a guinea pig dentistry expert, but it is just our luck that we would not be able to get to the vet until next week due to opening hours/work schedules. Like I said she is eating just fine right now and I know their teeth grow back, so is a vet visit a must? I am so worried and feel so bad about it. I will probably take her eventually, I guess the only thing I can do is keep a close eye on her eating habits as of right now. I am definitely never feeding these garden mixes again, at least not without meticulously going through it. Advice would be greatly appreciated! I feel so horrible, I hope it just looks worse than it is

Hi!

If it is just the incisors affected and they are not sitting loose in the gum (which means that they are broken further back along the jaw), then they will self-sharpen against each others are they meet again and sort themselves out. If your girl is still able to eat and pick up food, then I would not panic too much about not seeing a vet immediately.

I would however try and see to have her teeth assessed ideally in this week.

Keep an eye out on her weight (weigh daily at the same time; we speak of weight loss from 50g onwards) in case she cuts her tongue - this is a just precautionary measure which I am giving because I cannot assess the damage just from your description and have to guess so I want build in an extra margin.

Very sorry

 

[Dilly's Piggies]

Wow I'm sorry you and your piggy had to go through all that, I really hope that's not the case with Hexi. I will try my best to get her to the vet as soon as possible. I really hope she just chipped her teeth!

Obviously what happened with my girl is a worst case scenario kind of thing and it was complicated by the fracture, most of the time they do grow back and level out providing everything else is fine. You can just keep an eye on it and if you notice any issues then get her checked

 

[Bill & Ted]

There is an interesting page in guineapig Lynx website about broken incisors, it may put your mind at ease.
Guinea Lynx :: Broken Teeth you will see photos of what should happen

My Bill broke an incisor which similarly like @Dilly's Piggies created further problems with his other incisors getting very thin and then breaking. He had a regular tidy up of his incisors at the vets every 6-8 weeks. Depsite this problem he never stopped or had any problems eating his hay and veggies

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

There is an interesting page in guineapig Lynx website about broken incisors, it may put your mind at ease.
Guinea Lynx :: Broken Teeth you will see photos of what should happen

My Bill broke an incisor which similarly like @Dilly's Piggies created further problems with his other incisors getting very thin and then breaking. He had a regular tidy up of his incisors at the vets every 6-8 weeks. Depsite this problem he never stopped or had any problems eating his hay and veggies

Thank you for the link, that piggys bottom incisors at the second week of growth (May 19) look a little similar to what is going on with Hexi's top incisors. I checked again and her bottom teeth are just fine. I wish I could snap a pic, but I don't want to stress her any more than she was. I can't tell if it's lose, but as she is eating everything just fine so far, I am hopeful that is not the case. I am still going to get her to vet if I can, hopefully this is just a minor issue!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for the link, that piggys bottom incisors at the second week of growth (May 19) look a little similar to what is going on with Hexi's top incisors. I checked again and her bottom teeth are just fine. I wish I could snap a pic, but I don't want to stress her any more than she was. I can't tell if it's lose, but as she is eating everything just fine so far, I am hopeful that is not the case. I am still going to get her to vet if I can, hopefully this is just a minor issue!

Can I repeat that if the upper incisors are still firmly in the gum, you do not have to worry about breaks and they should grow back on their own in their own time. Broken teeth are not at all uncommon in guinea pigs.

The crucial point is whether they are sitting still firmly in the gum or not. Incisors are ca. 4 cm long and run along the upper and lower jaw to roots just in front of the premolar teeth at the back. That is why they can snap more easily further back and why checking whether they are still sitting firmly in the gum is the crucial bit. Complications can happen with teeth that are snapped in the gums. The rest usually sorts itself out in due time.

Please do not let yourself be panicked by a very unlucky case.

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

Can I repeat that if the upper incisors are still firmly in the gum, you do not have to worry about breaks and they should grow back on their own in their own time. Broken teeth are not at all uncommon in guinea pigs.

The crucial point is whether they are sitting still firmly in the gum or not. Incisors are ca. 4 cm long and run along the upper and lower jaw to roots just in front of the premolar teeth at the back. That is why they can snap more easily further back and why checking whether they are still sitting firmly in the gum is the crucial bit. Complications can happen with teeth that are snapped in the gums. The rest usually sorts itself out in due time.

Please do not let yourself be panicked by a very unlucky case.

I was able to feel her front teeth and they don't feel loose at all to me so that is a good sign. I think it may be better to wait a few days to see the vet as she is acting totally normal besides the broken teeth. I think if her chipped teeth are truly affecting her, it will become more obvious in the next few days in terms of behavior and weight. It will be good to have that info before going to the vet, rather than going now and having to go back again. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

Hi!

If it is just the incisors affected and they are not sitting loose in the gum (which means that they are broken further back along the jaw), then they will self-sharpen against each others are they meet again and sort themselves out. If your girl is still able to eat and pick up food, then I would not panic too much about not seeing a vet immediately.

I would however try and see to have her teeth assessed ideally in this week.

Keep an eye out on her weight (weigh daily at the same time; we speak of weight loss from 50g onwards) in case she cuts her tongue - this is a just precautionary measure which I am giving because I cannot assess the damage just from your description and have to guess so I want build in an extra margin.

Very sorry

I tried my best to snap a picture today. I think her teeth are already looking a smidge less pointed and jagged compared to when it originally happened. I am contemplating on whether I should still make the phone call to the vet or not because her one tooth is pretty pointy and both of her teeth are broken still. Her teeth are a little misaligned, but I think she has had that before anyway. It does look like they will most likely grind back down on their own however. Would probably get in the vet at earliest middle of next week if I call today because I know she can be busy, so that is why I am asking now. I'm not sure if I should just wait and ses if it returns to normal by itself or still take her to the vet to be double checked. Would you all still take her? Thanks!

 

[Bill & Ted]

I tried my best to snap a picture today. I think her teeth are already looking a smidge less pointed and jagged compared to when it originally happened. I am contemplating on whether I should still make the phone call to the vet or not because her one tooth is pretty pointy and both of her teeth are broken still. Her teeth are a little misaligned, but I think she has had that before anyway. It does look like they will most likely grind back down on their own however. Would probably get in the vet at earliest middle of next week if I call today because I know she can be busy, so that is why I am asking now. I'm not sure if I should just wait and ses if it returns to normal by itself or still take her to the vet to be double checked. Would you all still take her? Thanks!

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Hexi’s incisor looks only chipped, I really would not worry too much about this. problems tend to happen when incisors are broken off at the base/gum line. I think It should grow back perfectly fine as the teeth grow and wear against the chipped bit of tooth, it will take a couple of weeks.
I you have any concerns please see a vet but otherwise if she is eating well then let nature take its course

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

Hexi’s incisor looks only chipped, I really would not worry too much about this. problems tend to happen when incisors are broken off at the base/gum line. I think It should grow back perfectly fine as the teeth grow and wear against the chipped bit of tooth, it will take a couple of weeks.
I you have any concerns please see a vet but otherwise if she is eating well then let nature take its course

Thank you for the response, I was thinking the same after seeing her teeth today and how they already looked better compared to yesterday. Hexi was chomping on hay all night so I am sure that helped! When your Bill broke his tooth, was it more extreme than in Hexi's case? I am not sure what to look out for if her teeth start to become a bigger issue besides the typical stuff like not eating and losing weight, especially in a case like @Dilly's Piggies where the breakage looks rather innocent. It is hard to tell from the photo, but her other incisor is also broken at the end so I am keeping an eye on that side as well despite it not looking very bad.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Her incisors should wear straight in a couple of weeks with no other issues
My Bill broke one incisor on the gumline. The tooth was still in situ but it was wobbling around which looked very strange, I had to do a double take. We took him straight to the exotic vets and the vet arranged for him to have a GA operation to remove it the following morning. On the way home from the vets the tooth dropped out and you could just see the tooth bed in the gumline. It grew back, but had obviously damaged the root as it was always brittle and it also unbalanced his other incisor too.
His back teeth where absolutely perfect but his incisor looked a mess, it never stopped him eating and we just took him for a regular tidy up with Simon Maddock who is a very experience and skilled general vet. here’s a thread about Bill’s incisors you may find interesting but don’t for one moment think this would happen to Hexi

Bill’s Problem Incisors - Dental results with Simon Maddock

 

[Wiebke]

I tried my best to snap a picture today. I think her teeth are already looking a smidge less pointed and jagged compared to when it originally happened. I am contemplating on whether I should still make the phone call to the vet or not because her one tooth is pretty pointy and both of her teeth are broken still. Her teeth are a little misaligned, but I think she has had that before anyway. It does look like they will most likely grind back down on their own however. Would probably get in the vet at earliest middle of next week if I call today because I know she can be busy, so that is why I am asking now. I'm not sure if I should just wait and ses if it returns to normal by itself or still take her to the vet to be double checked. Would you all still take her? Thanks!

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Hi!

Please take a deep breath; that looks only like a harmless minor chip that will sort itself out within a few days.

 

[Bill & Ted]

How are those incisors? Hope things are going along well x

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

How are those incisors? Hope things are going along well x

I am happy to say that they look just about perfect once again! All incisors look even and stable Her teeth were looking better and better everyday and she never acted off or anything after the initial break, so I think saving the stress of a vet visit was a good choice. I know a chipped piggy tooth isn't rare, but it was the first time I had experienced a larger chip like that and she was chewing a bit strange when it first happened, so I did freak out a bit initially. I think I panicked and wrote this post within 10 minutes of it happening I feel much more equipped to deal with a chip or even a break in the future thanks to this experience. Thank you @Bill & Ted for keeping us in your thoughts and helping us with this and thank you to everyone who commented! I appreciate it a lot

 

[Bill & Ted]

I am happy to say that they look just about perfect once again! All incisors look even and stable Her teeth were looking better and better everyday and she never acted off or anything after the initial break, so I think saving the stress of a vet visit was a good choice. I know a chipped piggy tooth isn't rare, but it was the first time I had experienced a larger chip like that and she was chewing a bit strange when it first happened, so I did freak out a bit initially. I think I panicked and wrote this post within 10 minutes of it happening I feel much more equipped to deal with a chip or even a break in the future thanks to this experience. Thank you @Bill & Ted for keeping us in your thoughts and helping us with this and thank you to everyone who commented! I appreciate it a lot

Aw so please Hexi’s incisors have grown back well, lovely news x

 

[VickiA]

What a relief!