Broken Tooth!

[Saysie]

I noticed today that one of Teddy's front incisors has completely broken off! And the other one is chipped! 8... I phoned the vets as soon as I noticed and she told me to keep an eye as sometimes they can grow back at an awkward angle and may need cutting.
I feel really bad this has happend I thought their teeth were really strong! Do you think it would of hurt him? She said it was probably from either chewing the bars or on the wood. He doesn't seemed to be affected by it and appears to be eating normally.

As anyone else had this happen? is there anything I can do to help it grow back healthy? How long do you think it will take to grow back? Will it affect him at all? Sorry for all the questions, I was just so shocked and worried when i noticed and feel even worse that i have no idea when it could of happened 8...

 

[threelittlepigs]

At Christmas my sister pointed out that my older sow Treacle's incisors were growing at a very funny angle. I was horrified as I know that piggies can starve to death if tooth problems are undetected. I was away at my parents at the time and was unable to take her to the vet. One tooth seemed to have been chipped.

However, I checked her mouth again 48 hrs later and the problem had completely corrected itself.

If it was my piggy I would weigh it (noting down the weight every time) and check the teeth every 48hrs to make sure that the piggy did not starve if the teeth started to cause discomfort. There is a chance that the problem will right itself, but you need to vigilant and keep a close eye for any problems.

At the first sign of difficulties (significant weight loss, difficulty chewing or picking up food or uneven tooth growth pattern) I would be straight down the vets. The new tooth will grow back quicker than you think and everything could be back to normal in 7-10 days.

 

[Wiebke]

Don't panic - broken front teeth are not all that rare! Thankfully, they'll grow back very quickly.

You may want to chop his veg realy finely, so he can eat it better as he has lost his "knife" at the moment.

Here is more about broken teeth and how to feed:
http://www.guinealynx.info/teeth_broken.html

 

[Saysie]

Thank you! I will keep an eye on him and am off to weigh him now!
Thanks for the link Wiebke its really helpful! That guinea lynx site seems to have the answer for everything!
I'm hoping to move him in with the girls this week, the plastic for my grid should be arriving on thursday! and the bonding in the run is getting better. What worries me now though is he might not be quick enough to get the food if the girls are there, I think i'll have to put a separate bowl in for him?
Thanks again! x

 

[threelittlepigs]

If I was you I would take him out and feed him some yummies separately at each feeding time before you feed the herd as a whole. Pop him in a cozy with his favourites and give him up to 15 mins. That way you can be sure he is getting something and it will help you avoid an emergency down the line. Put him back with the herd and then feed them all together.

A stitch in time...

 

[Laura-CCC4]

It can be a bit of a shock to find one of their teeth broken. It's good that only one has broken, and the other is only chipped; the teeth should be able to wear down against the opposite incisors quite normally and hopefully the broken tooth will just grow right back in where it should.

Teeth do grow in very quickly, depending on how far down the tooth has broken they may be back to normal within the next 5 days or so.