Dental Disease
Rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and other rodents are commonly afflicted with dental issues as they age. Preventing dental problems is much easier than treating them once they occur, especially since dental problems usually require life-long management.
How Teeth Grow
Rabbits and rodents, unlike dogs and cats and people, have continuously growing teeth. The part of the tooth we can see on physical exam (that part above the gum line) is called the crown, and the part of the tooth underneath the gum line is called the root. We can only see the root on an x-ray. In order for the teeth to wear normally, these animals need to have a proper diet with adequate roughage to prevent malocclusion (inappropriate alignment of the teeth) from happening. If a proper diet is not given, then the teeth begin to wear abnormally at the crown, causing points to form that cause oral ulcers, can entrap the tongue, and prevent the teeth from growing upwards at the roots. With advanced dental disease, the roots themselves, with no way to grow upward, begin to grow downward into the jaw. Clinical signs of dental disease can occur with points on the teeth, abscesses or jaw destruction from abnormally growing roots, and from pain associated with either of these conditions.
Causes of Dental Disease
Clinical Signs of Dental Disease
Diagnosing Dental Disease
We always check teeth during normal physical exams on healthy or sick pets. With rabbits and rodents, though, sometimes it is hard to see all the teeth because a) there is food still in the mouth which blocks our view or b) the pet feels good enough to be constantly grinding his/her teeth or trying to chew on the scope and obscures our view. If we suspect dental disease, often we will recommend an anesthetized exam to get a complete view of the teeth. Usually if dental disease is present we will treat your pet at that time so anesthesia does not have to be repeated. X-rays will also be commonly recommended to evaluate the roots of the teeth to make sure there are no abscesses or problems underneath the gum line. Early detection of dental disease is important for the overall health of your pet, which is why we recommend yearly physical exams on all rabbits and rodents!
Treating Dental Disease
The treatment for dental disease depends on the severity and type of problem your pet has.
The main lesson we can learn from rabbit and rodent dental disease is that prevention is best, and early intervention is important to prevent a life-long battle against dental problems. During our rabbit and rodent first exams, we go over a thorough husbandry talk that includes proper diet to help prevent your pet from developing dental problems. If you notice any symptoms of dental disease, do not delay bringing your pet in to see us - if we can diagnose and treat early dental disease, this alone may be curative!
How Teeth Grow
Rabbits and rodents, unlike dogs and cats and people, have continuously growing teeth. The part of the tooth we can see on physical exam (that part above the gum line) is called the crown, and the part of the tooth underneath the gum line is called the root. We can only see the root on an x-ray. In order for the teeth to wear normally, these animals need to have a proper diet with adequate roughage to prevent malocclusion (inappropriate alignment of the teeth) from happening. If a proper diet is not given, then the teeth begin to wear abnormally at the crown, causing points to form that cause oral ulcers, can entrap the tongue, and prevent the teeth from growing upwards at the roots. With advanced dental disease, the roots themselves, with no way to grow upward, begin to grow downward into the jaw. Clinical signs of dental disease can occur with points on the teeth, abscesses or jaw destruction from abnormally growing roots, and from pain associated with either of these conditions.
Causes of Dental Disease
- Genetics - Young animals on a proper diet that develop dental disease likely do so from a genetic problem with the growth of their teeth. These pets will need management for their dental problems throughout their life as there is no way to prevent a genetic dental malocclusion from happening.
- Improper diet - Pets that are 2 years of age and older with dental problems generally are being fed an improper diet, which leads to dental malocclusion and subsequent disease. Pets can be on an improper diet for years before developing dental problems.
- Trauma - Any trauma that occurs in or around the jaw can cause teeth to grow at an improper angle and result in malocclusion.
- Systemic disease - Teeth are made up of calcium, so any disease process that causes low calcium can affect the teeth. In addition, guinea pigs can suffer from Vitamin C Deficiency (Scurvy) if not properly supplemented and this can lead to dental problems as well.
Clinical Signs of Dental Disease
- Anorexia
- Picky eaters (often hard foods will be abandoned first and softer foods favored)
- Drooling excessively (also commonly called "slobbers")
- Dropping food out of the mouth
- Excessive tear production (problems with the front teeth can cause blockage of the tear ducts)
- Nasal discharge (occurs with infections)
- Bulging eyes (occurs with infections)
- Lump under the jaw (occurs with infection)
- Drainage from the lower jaw (occurs with infections)
Diagnosing Dental Disease
We always check teeth during normal physical exams on healthy or sick pets. With rabbits and rodents, though, sometimes it is hard to see all the teeth because a) there is food still in the mouth which blocks our view or b) the pet feels good enough to be constantly grinding his/her teeth or trying to chew on the scope and obscures our view. If we suspect dental disease, often we will recommend an anesthetized exam to get a complete view of the teeth. Usually if dental disease is present we will treat your pet at that time so anesthesia does not have to be repeated. X-rays will also be commonly recommended to evaluate the roots of the teeth to make sure there are no abscesses or problems underneath the gum line. Early detection of dental disease is important for the overall health of your pet, which is why we recommend yearly physical exams on all rabbits and rodents!
Treating Dental Disease
The treatment for dental disease depends on the severity and type of problem your pet has.
- Diet change - In addition to the medical treatments, if your pet is being fed an improper diet, we will make recommendations to help prevent further dental problems.
- Teeth grinding - If on physical exam we diagnose your pet with malocclusion or points on the teeth, we will anesthetize your pet and mechanically grind the points down until the teeth look and feel normal. Teeth should never be cut or ground at home without anesthesia - physically cutting the teeth inappropriately can lead to worse dental problems and can be very painful for your pet!
- Teeth extractions - We try to intervene before dental disease progresses to the point of abscesses or infection, or needing to extract teeth. Removing teeth that have abscessed, where roots have grown into the jawbone, or teeth that cannot be treated with grinding will improve the quality of your pet's life. Diet alterations may need to be made if multiple teeth are being removed.
The main lesson we can learn from rabbit and rodent dental disease is that prevention is best, and early intervention is important to prevent a life-long battle against dental problems. During our rabbit and rodent first exams, we go over a thorough husbandry talk that includes proper diet to help prevent your pet from developing dental problems. If you notice any symptoms of dental disease, do not delay bringing your pet in to see us - if we can diagnose and treat early dental disease, this alone may be curative!