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Bottom Teeth Wobbly

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Sian25

Sian25

Adult Guinea Pig
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I've just noticed that Milan is taking longer to eat his veg than usual so just checked his teeth and to my horror, both bottom teeth are very wobbly. He's a nightmare letting me check his teeth so I can't yet see whether they're wobbly due to a breakage or wobbly from the gum. I will have a closer look once he's finished his veg. Helpppp :(
 
Okay not AS bad as I thought. Only the one tooth it wobbly and it's due to a break. What should I do?
 
I forgot to add that he's not lost any weight and that he is eating and drinking. He seems normal with his hay and nuggets but just takes a bit longer to eat his veg so I've cut it into bite sized pieces.

I'm worried that once it snaps, he will swallow the tooth. The break is just below the gumline so it's a pretty big piece for him to swallow
 
Sian25 said:
I forgot to add that he's not lost any weight and that he is eating and drinking. He seems normal with his hay and nuggets but just takes a bit longer to eat his veg so I've cut it into bite sized pieces.

I'm worried that once it snaps, he will swallow the tooth. The break is just below the gumline so it's a pretty big piece for him to swallow
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The missing tooth will hopefully regrow over the next couple of weeks and sort itself out as soon it is worn again against the upper incisors; the front teeth are self-sharpening. As he still has got the other lower incisor, there should be no problems with picking up food or eating. At the moment, it is most likely a bit painful.

If you are very worried, see a vet tomorrow to have the broken tooth clipped (but none of the others!).
 
Thanks @Wiebke. As the break seems very low down and below the gum line (although I don't know the full extent of this yet as the tooth hasn't actually broken off yet, still wobbling) how common is an infection if it leaves a whole in the gum? I'm going away on holiday in 3 weeks and my nan and grandad are looking after the pigs but they are not experienced and I don't think they will actually be able to catch him and look at his teeth to be honest
 
As you can see, the tooth on the right is very wobbly and still hasn't snapped completely :(

The tooth looks longer on that pic but it's actually the same length as his other tooth. Just the angle makes it look long

image.webp
 
Right I've just got home from work and the tooth is out. Luckily I've just found it amongst his hay so he's not swallowed it. But the area looks really sore :( Can I bathe it with salt water to help prevent infection? If so, how dilute should I do it?

He's eating and drinking as normal so far.

image.webp
 
Poor little pig!
Unfortunately i am quite new here so I can't really give much advice, but if you are worried I would definitely so a be as soon as possible!
 
Eilidh said:
Poor little pig!
Unfortunately i am quite new here so I can't really give much advice, but if you are worried I would definitely so a be as soon as possible!
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I'm not sure that a vet can do much now that it's fallen out except for prescribing antibiotics as a precaution but not sure I think that would be the best idea?
 
Have found this on Google, not sure if it helps?

Google

I would speak to your vet in the morning just to be sure. I will tag @furryfriends (TEAS) but not sure if she is around as she is very busy at the mo. I am not great with teeth.
 
helen105281 said:
Have found this on Google, not sure if it helps?

Google

I would speak to your vet in the morning just to be sure. I will tag @furryfriends (TEAS) but not sure if she is around as she is very busy at the mo. I am not great with teeth.
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Thanks Helen. I hope his tooth will grow back with no problems. I go away on holiday in 3 weeks time and going to be so worried about infection. The pigs are staying with my grandparents that aren't experienced and although can meet all their basic requirements eg feeding, watering and cleaning out, they're not as able bodied as me so unsure about how they could give health checks. Initially I thought this would be fine for 2 weeks but beginning to worry now
 
For humans the salt water dilution is half to one teaspoon salt mixed with one cup (250ml) warm water.

I saw a thread on here a while back showing a top tooth regrowing and it literally grew back to full length in 7 days. Some hopefully your boy will be fine in three weeks' time.
 
GPcrazy said:
For humans the salt water dilution is half to one teaspoon salt mixed with one cup (250ml) warm water.

I saw a thread on here a while back showing a top tooth regrowing and it literally grew back to full length in 7 days. Some hopefully your boy will be fine in three weeks' time.
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Thank you. I have no idea how he's done it though. The tooth should hopefully grow fine, it's more infection that I'm worried about
 
I think just keep a close eye on it? Maybe rinsing with salt water is a good idea but I don't know enough to say for sure. I would suspect any open bits where infection could enter would naturally close within a day or two. Maybe just keep an eye in his eating etc and maybe also give a little extra vit C veg to keep his immune system up?
 
Its probably best just left alone Sian, keep checking it and if you have any concerns pop Milan to the vet. When my piggies have broken teeth they have never needed antibiotics and it should have more or less regrown by the time you go away.
 
pig in the city said:
Its probably best just left alone Sian, keep checking it and if you have any concerns pop Milan to the vet. When my piggies have broken teeth they have never needed antibiotics and it should have more or less regrown by the time you go away.
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Thank you. Have your pigs ever snapped a tooth that short though where there has been a hole in the gum? Milan snapped his tooth once before but not right to the gum. I was doing the daily clean of his water bottle and found a piece of tooth stuck in the end so he must have broken it on his water bottle the first time but no idea how he has managed it this time. He is his normal self with eating and drinking, just takes a bit longer with his veg unless it's cut up very small so hopefully it's not too painful for him
 
Sian25 said:
Thank you. Have your pigs ever snapped a tooth that short though where there has been a hole in the gum? Milan snapped his tooth once before but not right to the gum. I was doing the daily clean of his water bottle and found a piece of tooth stuck in the end so he must have broken it on his water bottle the first time but no idea how he has managed it this time. He is his normal self with eating and drinking, just takes a bit longer with his veg unless it's cut up very small so hopefully it's not too painful for him
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Yes l have had piggies that have broken a tooth below the gum Sian. As l said they have never got infected (unless there was a problem already with the tooth being infected and thus it broke) but the tooth usually looks discoloured then. You will probably see the tooth starting to poke through soon. That was a freak accident breaking his tooth on a water bottle spout! Poor lad
 
Right, Milans bottom tooth is growing pretty quickly which is good. However, his unbroken top tooth is also growing as the bottom tooth is not there to keep it worn down. I'm getting concerned that it's going to overgrow. Is there anything I can do to keep it short?

20160823_225540.webp
 
Sian25 said:
Right, Milans bottom tooth is growing pretty quickly which is good. However, his unbroken top tooth is also growing as the bottom tooth is not there to keep it worn down. I'm getting concerned that it's going to overgrow. Is there anything I can do to keep it short?

View attachment 51348
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Things should sort themselves out again; they did that when Nerys broke her front tooth - at some stage, things were looking very wonky. it is great that the tooth is growing back well.

My hywel's front teeth are a bit longer and uneven because he has got only one lower incisor left since last November, but it is not impinging on his back teeth.
 
Albie has broken his top tooth a few times in the last few months. Vet says there's nothing wrong, and the tooth in question grows back after around a week. I never realised just how fast their teeth grew! I haven't changed anything when he's had a break, just weighed him daily to monitor his eating. He's never had a problem!
 
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