Advice on a cracked/discolored front incisor

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awerbicki94

Post   » Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:12 am


Hello all,

I noticed a slight discoloration of a front incisor in my male guinea pig Dino about a month ago. The teeth were wearing properly and it was only a slight tint so I thought nothing of it. However, since about a four days ago the discoloration got worse and I noticed his tooth appears to have a crack in it all the way up to the gum. Over the next few days the incisor appeared to no longer be grinding down properly and it is a bit crooked. His weight is the same and he is still eating and drinking normally (hay, pellets, vitamin c biscuits, veggies). However, his tooth is clearly looking worse and the gum above his incisor looks white instead of pink now.

I made an appointment with my primary veterinarian for Thursday, November 2nd. In the meantime I was hoping people could read my post and look at the attached photograph to give any advice on what is going on/what I can expect. I have been reading a lot about broken teeth and how generally there is no cause for concern since the tooth will grow in healthy eventually. However, none of the breaks look like my Dino's and I am starting to become worried that there is damage to the root.




Thank you

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:21 am


The slant in all the front teeth indicates a problem with the molars. The crack and discoloration indicate a problem with that one incisor, possible from chewing on something like the cage bars. The tooth may fall out (you could wiggle it and see if it's loose), but teeth usually regrow pretty quickly.

awerbicki94

Post   » Mon Oct 30, 2017 11:42 am


Thank you for your quick reply, can you tell me of what may be causing molar issues? He eats an unlimited amount of hay each day and those hard Natural Science biscuits so I do not know how he could have got malocclusion. And oh Dino is a major offender of chewing his bars every morning for pellets so I am fairly certain that is how it happened. Will the bottom incisor be able to grow in properly if the top incisor falls out?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Oct 30, 2017 12:10 pm


I don't think anybody knows how malocclusion happens. Since he's a bar chewer, he may have slightly injured his jaw, and the resulting pain may have made him chew funny for a while. And some pigs just seem to be prone to it, even without an injury.

If the top incisor falls out, it will probably grow in again. Guinea pig teeth never stop growing unless the root is very badly damaged. It may require one trimming until the top one comes in again, but maybe not. And even if the top one doesn't come in, you can learn to trim the bottom one if it's necessary.

Phantomhorse

Post   » Mon Oct 30, 2017 1:34 pm


If I may add in with another idea here, one of mine had a tooth that started out like that, angled in farther and farther, the tooth got more and more discolored, and fell out three times before it broke off above the gum line and didn't grow back. Soon after her other upper incisor followed suit, never falling out but angling inward and discoloring. Molars were trimmed because spurs had formed, and the bottom incisors were trimmed because of length, but this didn't solve the problem, it was a side problem due to the original. A multiple view head x-ray showed that the bone density was bad, and all of the incisors were diseased. I have another girl with this problem and her teeth commonly fracture, but they are fine and she is doing well, we don't even have to consider surgery for her! This treatment is vitamin D, if you give it to them in extremely small doses (ONLY prescribed by a vet) then it will work against progression and do well!

However, absolutely go with bpatters idea first, as their idea is MUCH more common, and i followed that same problem first. My idea is only if theirs doesn't seem to work for this case.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Oct 30, 2017 9:14 pm


Read over https://www.guinealynx.info/chinsling.html

What you think is a crack, may also be two teeth together - a "peg" tooth growing along side of one of them.

There may be a weakness of the jaw and/or pain causing the guinea pig to eat to the side resulting in wear of the incisors that is slanted.

The discoloration can be the result of a tooth root infection. Xrays are extremely helpful in diagnosing dental issues.

Your picture is nice and clear. Let me know if you'd like me to add it permanently to this thread for future readers.

awerbicki94

Post   » Thu Nov 16, 2017 1:28 pm


Hello All,

I want to share an update and hopefully get some advice. It is definitely a cracked tooth which Dino experienced. The vet decided to sedate him so she could file the teeth down and check his molars to make sure there were no other teeth issues. The molars looked beautiful and she said to merely keep an eye on his broken tooth so hopefully it would heal on his own.

A week later the state of the tooth got worse and it became far more discolored. I brought Dino back to the vet and she decided to put him on 10 days of Baytril in case there was an infection of the root. She said it may need to be pulled but she could not herself pull it.

Jump ahead one more week and the tooth is now becoming overgrown and the discoloration has changed slightly. I called Tufts animal hospital and they want to charge me $1,500 to pull the tooth and $180 just to see the vet. So I called around and found another vet about an hour from me who can't see him until November 27th but who is willing to pull the tooth if she deems it necessary. (And assures me it won't be $1,500). In the meantime, my coworker (who is an ex guinea pig breeder) is going to show me how to file down his tooth with a dremel and I am going to keep on eye on the infection if it comes back.

I have a few questions for you all:
1. What sort of dremel should I buy? And is the dremel the correct way to do this (some say clip the tooth but I have heard that is far more dangerous)
2. Judging by the latest picture, is it just me or is his tooth beginning to grow in normal? There's a distinct line on his tooth where the color changes and the new portion of the tooth growing in does not look cracked
3. Do you know of anything I can do to naturally get him to grind that tooth down (aside from hay and hard natural science biscuits)?
4. When I file his teeth myself, is there anything natural I can give him for the pain? Because when the vet did it he seemed in a funk for a few days and breathed heavily as if in pain.

The first photo shows him one week after getting teeth filed and the second picture shows him at present





awerbicki94

Post   » Thu Nov 16, 2017 1:31 pm


And yes Lynx you may add the photo permanently!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:22 pm


I added your pics (thanks!). That last photo, it certainly does look like the one tooth is almost translucent.

I think the longer tooth is doing most of the wearing. It is the one you would focus on to file. You can also try a metal nail file with a rounded tip (the human nail files have a point to clean under the nail). I understand glass nail files can also work. If you use metal nail file and need to blunt the tip, a fine metal file can likely blunt it for you.

I do not recall anyone finding that pain meds were needed when slightly filing and trimming the incisors so you may be fine.

Keep in mind that the longer tooth with the discoloration in the middle may fall out altogether. Sometimes when there are irregularities, it can take one or two regrowths to get the tooth growing correctly.

awerbicki94

Post   » Fri Nov 17, 2017 7:03 pm


Thank you for your reply Lynx! I did not know I could use a regular metal file for this, that might be be a little less stressful than the dremel, I will try both. At least he is eating and mainting weight as normal. Just hoping this tooth does not need to be pulled and will grow in normal soon.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:17 pm


A metal fingernail file. A regular metal file to blunt the metal nail file.

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