Dental molar extraction versus meloxicam

[Kikko]

My 20 month-old male guinea pig had his lower left second molar filed down in mid-August. He was put on 0.35ml dog meloxicam for 10 days, but after stopping the medication, he stopped eating hay. I had his teeth rechecked, and the vet found nothing abnormal. As I saw the issue persisting after a month, I went to see another vet who is specialized in rodents. He checks his teeth visually but found nothing abnormal, so he performed a scanner, which showed that the filed molar had a kind of cavity inside, likely indicating an infection. Since my guinea pig is in pain without meloxicam, he suggested the molar should be extracted. The scan also revealed that the last molar, next to the problematic one, was higher than the first three molars.

I wonder if this elevated last molar could be contributing to some of the pain (he grinds his teeth).

I read on the forum that the tooth opposite to an extracted one continues to grow and needs regular filing. I'm concerned about such an extraction and would like to avoid it if possible, but I'm not sure if it would be worse to leave the tooth as is. I also read on the forum that some guinea pigs have been on meloxicam for years. Could that be an option to avoid extraction?

I wonder if the vet is telling me everything I should be aware of regarding the tooth extraction and its potential consequences.

 

[VickiA]

I’m so sorry but I’ve no experience of this sort of dental issue. I’ll tag @furryfriends (TEAS) s she runs a dental sanctuary in the UK. Hopefully other members may also have experience of this.
I know some of my own pigs have been on long term metacam with no ill effect, so that’s not a major worry. But I don’t know about molars with cavities.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I've run a sanctuary for guinea pigs with dental issues for 12 years and have never come across anything like this. We have had guinea pigs with tooth root infections and abscesses that have been dealt with by antibiotics, but I would be very wary about having the tooth extracted, as you will then be left with a guinea pig needing ongoing dental work, as the opposing tooth will have nothing to wear against.

 

[Kikko]

The vet said there was an issue inside the root possibly due to bacteria. So, at the time, I didn't think about it, but indeed, why did not prescribe an antibiotic? I plan to call him on Monday to get more information and to get some of the scanner images.

 

[Kikko]

I spoke to the vet on Monday, who told me that the tooth has an abnormal appearance, rather than being uniform and consistent like its neighbors. It has a completely black center, reduced density, and is hollow for part of its height.He thinks it's either a problem with the tooth tissues like necrosis or an infected tooth or at risk of becoming infected . He also mentioned that there might not necessarily be an abscess if it's an early-stage infection (there's no suspicious lump upon palpation of the jaw that could suggest an abscess). Regarding antibiotics, he mentioned that these areas are very dense due to bone and poorly vascularized, so antibiotic concentration is often low and ineffective. Therefore, he believes antibiotic treatment may not be helpful.