Top inicisors curving into the mouth

[misicka]

Hello,

Just a quick question.. my guinea pig after apicoectomy hasn’t been eating for a long time and his top incisors started somehow curving inward? It almost looks like they are hugging the roof of his mouth when he yawns. I’m scheduled for a vet visit on friday but I was wondering if there is someone who has ever seen such a condition.

 

[Gem789]

I've never heard of this but I'll tag @furryfriends (TEAS)

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck at the vets. Sending healing vibes to your piggy

 

[misicka]

Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,

Just a quick question.. my guinea pig after apicoectomy hasn’t been eating for a long time and his top incisors started somehow curving inward? It almost looks like they are hugging the roof of his mouth when he yawns. I’m scheduled for a vet visit on friday but I was wondering if there is someone who has ever seen such a condition.

Hi

It sounds like they are badly overgrown and no long abrading against the lower set of incisors. How do the lower incisors look?

And overgrowth in both sets of incisors points to overgrowth in the premolars and molar teeth at the back. They are the grinding teeth whose fast growth rate has evolved against the very abrasive silica their main food hay/grass fibre, which should make over three quarters of what guinea pigs eat in a day.

If one set of either upper or lower incisors is missing or broken, then the other set will also overgrow and need regular burring back.

Long term syringe feed can unfortunately mean that the molars and pre-molars are not ground down enough. Management and treatment of dental problems in guinea pigs is unfortunately a very neglected area and experienced vets are rarer than gold dust. It is usually more complicated than any one-off measures, depending on what is at the bottom of the problem.

All the best!

@furryfriends (TEAS)

 

[misicka]

Hi, he has long term problems yeah, but we take him for the teeth trim as soon as we see the teeth are too long.. the top incisors are actually pretty short right now, he has been in for a trim last week. Lower incisors are fine and the vet said his molars only ever need a slight trim.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, he has long term problems yeah, but we take him for the teeth trim as soon as we see the teeth are too long.. the top incisors are actually pretty short right now, he has been in for a trim last week. Lower incisors are fine and the vet said his molars only ever need a slight trim.

Thank you for your clarification.

So it is basically an issue with the upper incisors sitting not quite right or growing more curved than they should be and therefore not abrading properly.

There is unfortunately nothing you can do about that other than manage the incisors the way your vet is doing for the rest of your piggy's life because you are dealing with something that is not correctable in guinea pigs. The incisors themselves are about 4 cm long and naturally curved.

But I am very glad for you that it is not a problem with the back teeth, which is much more difficult to manage in guinea pigs.

Here is a picture of a guinea pig skull to help you understand the issue better:

 

[misicka]

Thanks… the thing is they seem to curve so high up he’s not able to pick up any food at all

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks… the thing is they seem to curve so high up he’s not able to pick up any food at all

It does sound like it; but there is unfortunately no orthodontics for guinea pigs so there is no way of correcting the way they grow. It is simply something yours has been born with.

There are unfortunately shorts in the cosmic lottery when it comes to genetic inheritance, and your piggy has drawn one of the rarer and more unusual ones.

You are a very caring owner. Just concentrate on giving your piggy as happy and fulfilled a life for as long as you can; that is the part you have full control over. The rest you can unfortunately not anything about.

HUGS

 

[misicka]

Thank you I’m mentally preparing myself for the possibility of having to put him to sleep.. I don’t want to make him suffer any longer.

 

[Bill & Ted]

So sorry for you and your little piggie, dental issues are absolutely awful

 

[weepweeps]

Thank you I’m mentally preparing myself for the possibility of having to put him to sleep.. I don’t want to make him suffer any longer.

I’m so sorry. Sending you a hug and healing vibes to your piggy.

 

[misicka]

Hello so a little bit of a sad update.. I had a CAT scan done on both of my boys and they probably have some genetic predisposition to elongated tooth roots and all of their teeth are pretty much growing into the jaw.. added to that one of them has a infection eating into the jaw bone and the other has extremely weak bones and teeth overall… so we got a bunch of meds and antibiotics for two weeks and it will either help them and buy us a little bit more happy times with them or we will probably have to let them go on the next check up :/

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry the news wasn’t what you wanted. I hope you have many more happy days with them.