Teeth Alfie's Dental Issues - Split and Discoloured Upper Incisor

[alfiepig]

Hi all,

My 6.5 yr old boar, Alfie, has been having some dental issues over the past month or so. It started when I noticed what I thought was a piece of hay caught between his upper incisors. Upon closer examination, I noticed this was a small sliver of tooth coming off his incisor, almost as if the tooth had split vertically. The sliver was loose, but not so loose that it could be removed.

I took him to the vet and she seemed pretty unfazed. She trimmed it since it had grown longer than the incisor it originated from and the neighbouring incisor, and was now hitting his lower lip/gums. She suggested that it might eventually come in as one healthy tooth, and just to keep an eye on it for now.

I've since gone for two trimmings because the sliver grows back quickly. Still, the issue is not resolving itself. Today, the vet decided to trim the "tooth sliver" closer to the gum line to give us more time before the next trimming (the last few have been every 2 weeks!!) When I brought Alfie home and examined his teeth myself, I noticed that there appears to be another (different!!) vertical split - this one down the middle! See image below.



Now I'm at a loss... Should I keep going in and hope that it eventually grows back normally? Alfie is eating normally, hasn't lost any weight, isn't behaving differently. Because the tooth is discoloured (and has been since I noticed the issue), I'm slightly worried that there may be a root infection. But the vet hasn't said anything about the colour and hasn't prescribed an antibiotic. Should I be concerned here?

Has anyone experienced this? Any advice?

 

[LittleSqueakers]

Is this vet cavy savvy? Very few small animal vets know how to treat guinea pigs. Most of them only treat dogs and cats, and a vet who doesn't know what they're doing can be dangerous to a pig. Guinea pigs require an exotic vet with knowledge and experience in treating rodents, particularly herbivorous rodents such as guinea pigs and/or rabbits.

Abnormalities with the front incisors are often an indicator that something may be going wrong with the back molars as well. The back molars usually require specialized equipment and sedation to be properly examined.

 

[alfiepig]

This clinic was recommended to me as cavy savvy and I have been going there for 4-5 yrs without issue. This tooth issue has been the first time I questioned them. I know they specialize more in rabbits, but I have seen lots of other guinea pigs there too.

 

[bpatters]

I don't think that's a molar issue. That usually is indicate by slanted front teeth.

I'm not sure anything can be done about the split teeth. They may fall out -- are the pieces loose? But you can learn to trim them yourself using bone rongeurs and buccal pad separators. That would save you the expense of going in to have the tooth trimmed.

 

[alfiepig]

I don't think that's a molar issue. That usually is indicate by slanted front teeth.

I'm not sure anything can be done about the split teeth. They may fall out -- are the pieces loose? But you can learn to trim them yourself using bone rongeurs and buccal pad separators. That would save you the expense of going in to have the tooth trimmed.

Great - I'll look into those for sure! Thank you

Any idea if I should worry about a root abscess or infection? I'm thinking he would be having trouble eating or would have inflammation or perhaps a smell??? None of that is true as of right now, but the yellow tooth is really strange to me..

 

[bpatters]

I don't think it's that unusual. I wouldn't worry too much about the color unless other problems develop.