Dental Uneven Teeth

[currynugget]

Hi all,

My guinea pig has had a dental problem history and had her teeth trimmed by a vet before. A few days ago, I noticed that her teeth are growing out of proportion like the pic attached. She still has a very good appetite, she still eats and finishes her food and eats hay too, she also didn't lose any weight. The only thing I can think why this happened is she always bites her cage out of excitement when it's feeding time.

Should I concern about this?

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

Hello,

Sorry to hear your little one has had issues in the past. I would have her checked again by a piggy savvy vet as any uneven incisor growth can be an indicator of issues with the back teeth.
Are you also weighing her daily?

 

[currynugget]

Hello,

Sorry to hear your little one has had issues in the past. I would have her checked again by a piggy savvy vet as any uneven incisor growth can be an indicator of issues with the back teeth.
Are you also weighing her daily?

Hey there, thanks for replying.

Yes, I've been weighing her these past two days and she still weighs normally (750g-800g). Also, apparently she has had her back teeth trimmed/grinned before, not her front teeth. I know that the best way is to go to the vet but last time it costs quite a lot to go through that procedure, so just want to ask here first just in case anyone's guinea pigs have had same experience before.

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

Hey there, thanks for replying.

Yes, I've been weighing her these past two days and she still weighs normally (750g-800g). Also, apparently she has had her back teeth trimmed/grinned before, not her front teeth. I know that the best way is to go to the vet but last time it costs quite a lot to go through that procedure, so just want to ask here first just in case anyone's guinea pigs have had same experience before.

No problem at all.

It is unfortunately a sign of issues with the back teeth again. Better to be safe and get her checked out. There's been many dental piggy owners on the forum (myself included) who I'm sure will also be along to advise. Though in my experience, an unevenness with the incisors should be investigated.

@Bill & Ted may also be able to advise.

Hope you can get an appointment and get your girl's teeth sorted

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Because of the misaligned front teeth, it is more difficult to tell, but I would recommend to also have the back teeth checked by the vet. The unaligned incisor has been obviously cut very short so it cannot meet the top and get in the way of food intake.
Right now, the larger of the bottom incisors seems to still wear against the to the top ones. With just one incisor abrading against two teeth, you won't get an even edge. It also tends to look a bit longer than you expect.

I would also recommend to switch from weighing once weekly to weighing daily at the same time in order to monitor the food intake more closely and keep an eye on whether/how much it is impacting. A stable weight means that the dental system is still working.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely

 

[Bill & Ted]

My Bill had very uneven and dodging looking incisors due to one breaking. It unbalanced the other incisors which on occasion would wear very thin and then break off. Although they looked awful they had absolutely no impact on being able to eat. We used to take him for a dental burr tidy up every now and again to a very guinea pig savy vet. the vet told us that despite his front teeth being a mess his back teeth where actually perfect. this might be the case with your piggie too if she is having no problems.
I’m always a bit reluctant to advise people to have their piggies back teeth checked if they are having NO problems, eating well and not loosing weight because vets which have little experience dealing with guinea pigs teeth can make things a whole lot worse once the back teeth have been made unbalanced, so I would say keep monitoring, would from my own experience be recommend. In the meantime you could research a really good piggie savy vet who has proven skills with dentals, just in case. Good luck x
Before and after shots

 

[currynugget]

My Bill had very uneven and dodging looking incisors due to one breaking. It unbalanced the other incisors which on occasion would wear very thin and then break off. Although they looked awful they had absolutely no impact on being able to eat. We used to take him for a dental burr tidy up every now and again to a very guinea pig savy vet. the vet told us that despite his front teeth being a mess his back teeth where actually perfect. this might be the case with your piggie too if she is having no problems.
I’m always a bit reluctant to advise people to have their piggies back teeth checked if they are having NO problems, eating well and not loosing weight because vets which have little experience dealing with guinea pigs teeth can make things a whole lot worse once the back teeth have been made unbalanced, so I would say keep monitoring, would from my own experience be recommend. In the meantime you could research a really good piggie savy vet who has proven skills with dentals, just in case. Good luck x
Before and after shots
View attachment 175005
View attachment 175006

Hey Bill,

Thanks so much for replying. The only thing that makes me want to bring her to the vet asap is I don't really want to wait for her to get worse (not eating, losing weight) because that's gonna cost us even more, also because she has had history with her back teeth. But also on the other hand, like you said, I am a bit reluctant because she's still eating and acting normally plus the cost to just get the back teeth checked will cost quite a lot too.

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

Hey Bill,

Thanks so much for replying. The only thing that makes me want to bring her to the vet asap is I don't really want to wait for her to get worse (not eating, losing weight) because that's gonna cost us even more, also because she has had history with her back teeth. But also on the other hand, like you said, I am a bit reluctant because she's still eating and acting normally plus the cost to just get the back teeth checked will cost quite a lot too.

Going off the amazing advice above, could you monitor her eating habits and weight over the next week or so? Piggies very quickly lose weight, so you will soon know if there is something more going on.
We are keeping everything crossed for you and hope all will be ok!

 

[currynugget]

Going off the amazing advice above, could you monitor her eating habits and weight over the next week or so? Piggies very quickly lose weight, so you will soon know if there is something more going on.
We are keeping everything crossed for you and hope all will be ok!

Yes! Definitely will weigh her daily and give a lil bit extra hay so at least her teeth are not growing too long.

And thank you for the well wishes!

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

Yes! Definitely will weigh her daily and give a lil bit extra hay so at least her teeth are not growing too long.

And thank you for the well wishes!

No problem. Oh, and hay should always be ad-lib. They should never run out of good quality hay I end up throwing a lot away that they pee on or don't eat, but better to have huge hay piles and some waste than dental issues to have to correct.

All the best to you and your piggy, do keep us posted!

 

[Bill & Ted]

Best wishes for your piggie, hope she continues to have no problems eating x

 

[currynugget]

Hi all,

Just an update, the vet said her back teeth are okay and she just pulled one of her teeth out. She said everything else is perfect and I should come back if that tooth is crooked again when it grows. Thanks everyone!

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

Pulled it out?

I’m sure our experts will be able to better advise, but I wouldn’t have thought a missing tooth will grow back?

Hope your girl is doing better now!

 

[currynugget]

Pulled it out?

I’m sure our experts will be able to better advise, but I wouldn’t have thought a missing tooth will grow back?

Hope your girl is doing better now!

Yeah, the vet pulled a tooth out and she said it's gonna grow back.. I guess we just need to see.

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say to that. Pulling a tooth out is not the way forward and a missing tooth will certainly not grow back.

Is there any way you can get a follow up with another vet? For a second opinion?

 

[Little Ones]

Did she remove an incisor or a back tooth? From the tooth root, too? Or just filed it down to the base?
If piggy was eating hay well and maintaining her weight, her teeth probably should’ve been left alone. Sometimes teeth can look dodgy, but only need interference if the ability to eat hay is affected.

 

[Bill & Ted]

If the incisor was broken below the gum line and so bling then that’s the best you can do, otherwise you would have the wait for the growth to push it out. If that is the case then it should grow back within about 3 weeks. If the loose tooth was caused by infection then that’s a different story and it may well not grown back? Did the vet suspect any infection or think it was just a break?