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Loose teeth

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Leilalouise

Leilalouise

Junior Guinea Pig
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Blackwood, South Wales, UK
Hi,
One of my pigs has had trouble with her teeth since I got her from the rescue centre last year. This was attributed to the poor care/diet she had likely received as a baby (she was found living loose in earth tunnels in a greenhouse with a number of rabbits!) She also has stunted growth and is probably in-bred. On rescue centre/vet advice she's on vitamin/mineral supplements along with a high quality diet. I've taken her back to the rescue for regular teeth trimming every few weeks and the last few times I've managed to trim her front teeth myself with her wrapped in a towel & all has been going OK. Initial problem was that her teeth were crumbling but they have been getting stronger of late. She only has three front teeth now as the upper incisor crumbled into the gum and has never re-grown. I'm getting concerned now as when I went to trim her teeth earlier I found that the bottom two incisors had actually overlapped but what is more worrying is that when I cut the longer bottom tooth, it actually wobbled in the gum, bled and the bottom two teeth slightly separated! The vet did suggest that the front teeth might need to be removed and I am now wondering if this would be a better solution, as loose teeth and bleeding gums long-term is terrible. Could anyone offer any advice on this - I'd be really grateful. Thanks
 
I would recommend that you contact CCT in Cambridge, as you need professional advice.

http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/cct.html

It was great of you taking on your girl and caring for her so well! I wish you the best of luck with sorting out her tooth trouble.
 
agree with wiebke, they do do phone consultations, but if you can definitely worth a visit!
 
It would be quite a trip from South Wales to Huntingdon, and unfortunately I believe there are no rodentologists local to you, but I do feel it would be worthwhile contacting Vedra at the CCT to ask her advice. There's additional info on the CCT on their website:

www.britishassociationofrodentologists.co.uk

Her teeth do sound in a bit of a state, some pigs do have chronic dental trouble which needs managing to varying levels, and it souns like you've done very well thus far. I am unsure of how you would treat such weak and unstable teeth.
The only experience I've had of pigs with loose teeth resulted in extraction; her tooth had weakened at gum level due to the pressure of a different incisor problem.
 
This is a fairly common problem in pigs. If the tooth has fractured just below gum level then the part of the tooth in the mouth will move. The fragment will either drop out without assistance or it may need some "help"".
Please be aware that even healthy teeth can move under slight pressure.
No general anaesthetic would be needed. Be very wary of what your vet may suggest as treatment.
Why do you need to keep trimming her front teeth, is she having problems with her back teeth?
 
Thanks to everyone for their advice & kind comments. I'll be looking at all the links now. Cheers.
To alcesterpigs - I am trimming Dinky's front teeth as she has only three and the one incisor on the bottom has nothing to wear against so I just trim this one to keep it from growing into her upper gum. The single upper incisor is banana-shaped, very thin and discoloured and splinters regularly so unfortunately doesn't do a very good job of wearing against the opposing tooth. Her back teeth seem to be OK so far. With regard the movement of the teeth & the possible fracturing, her teeth are really unstable & like a child's tooth you can wobble the bottom teeth separately back & fore with one finger & the gums bleed so easily. Wouldn't this be painful for her? My fear is that if I try to cut them again and she wriggles would I be likely to pull them out? I've booked an appointment at the vet to get his opinion also.
 
Only by experience can you tell when a tooth is so mobile that it needs removing.
How much do the teeth move?
A tooth which is very unstable is easily removed, provided you know what to do.
Details not available in this post.
At the risk of repeating myself, as usual, do not be persuaded into unnecessary treatment.
 
Hm, none of my pigs has ever had a tooth problem this bad so I'm afraid my specific experience is limited. One of my past pigs had a slightly loose tooth but the tooth itself was strong and so not a problem. Dinky's teeth can be moved independently left-right and back-fore and you can actually see the tooth move up from the gum slightly. I'm really squeamish at the thought of pulling her tooth out myself so am afraid this isn't an option. Thanks very much for your advice with regards the vet. I've also contacted Vedra as suggested so hopefully she will have some words of wisdom for me. Will let you know what happens. Cheers.
 
I'll send you a message with details of a rodentologist not too far from you (I used to live just down the valley from you in Rogerstone!) Best of luck with your wee one.
 
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