Teeth Long, curved front incisors.

[RaginAzN]

I had made a post before when I first got my piggy and noticed her split incisor which is here

https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...p-between-top-front-teeth?p=831025#post831025

I took her to a qualified guinea pig vet according to Guinealnyx in my area and the vet could not see anything wrong with her back teeth to make her front teeth split like that and that some piggies just naturally have teeth issues. So the vet ended up trimming her teeth and hoping that this could possibly solve the problem. Fast forward to 2 month later and her teeth looks to be splitting even worse and is longer than before also curving inward and it's making it real hard for her to eat her veggies or pick up her food as I have to hand-feed it to her otherwise she can't eat as fast the others and the front teeth looks to be poking her tongue.. Picture below:

So honestly I'm not sure what's going on but I do have an appointment tomorrow with another vet that is 1.5 hours away as per suggestion from guinealynx review and she is a specialist with guinea pigs teeth issues.

Here are some background information:
She gets unlimited 2nd cut timothy hay (Small Pet Select)
1/8 cup of pellets (Smell Pet Select)
Fruits and veggies split into 2 servings (Breakfast and dinner)
1/8 of a bell pepper (for her vitamin-c needs)
Unlimited amount of water
She's not losing weight but actually have gained quite a bit.


Overall all of my other piggies are doing just fine with their teeth and I also felt around her mouth for abscess but she didn't flinch so she might be cleared there but who knows. So what do you think the issue may be and is there anything I should suggest to the vet tomorrow for her appointment?

 

[bpatters]

Some pigs just have wonky teeth. It looks like hers don't meet the lower incisors properly in the front, so the grinding motion of the molars doesn't keep them properly ground down. It could be due to an old injury that wasn't even apparent at the time, or she could be genetically disposed to that.

My guess is that the worst case will be that her incisors will need to be trimmed occasionally. Both sets will likely grow abnormally because they don't hit each each other well enough to stay worn down.

 

[RaginAzN]

Some pigs just have wonky teeth. It looks like hers don't meet the lower incisors properly in the front, so the grinding motion of the molars doesn't keep them properly ground down. It could be due to an old injury that wasn't even apparent at the time, or she could be genetically disposed to that.

My guess is that the worst case will be that her incisors will need to be trimmed occasionally. Both sets will likely grow abnormally because they don't hit each each other well enough to stay worn down.

Thank you for your opinion. Also if she needs to have this done for the rest of her life probably once every month is it something that I can do myself? Because otherwise I will get charged $42 (follow up checkup) plus the cost of teeth trimming every month if I take her in.

 

[bpatters]

Maybe. I've known of a couple of people who have learned to trim their pig's incisors. Both of them were lethals, and they tend to have somewhat softer teeth than normal guinea pigs, but the principles of doing it should be the same. You would need some specialized items -- a buccal pad separator to hold the mouth open, bone rongeurs to cut the teeth, and glass files to smooth the sharp edges. And you'd probably need to do it under the supervision of someone who knows how for a few times until you're comfortable with it.

NOTE TO EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S GOING TO ASK ABOUT TRIMMING THEIR PIG'S TEETH: It is not not NOT generally recommended. Most pigs never need to have their teeth trimmed, it's very easy to crack or break a tooth, and it's difficult to do. If you only need an occasional trim for some reason, see your vet and have it done properly. This may, repeat may be a case where lifelong trimmings are needed, which could amount to thousands of dollars.

The other thing to consider is that if you have to have it done regularly, the vet may give you a break on the cost. It would certainly be worth asking.

 

[RaginAzN]

Maybe. I've known of a couple of people who have learned to trim their pig's incisors. Both of them were lethals, and they tend to have somewhat softer teeth than normal guinea pigs, but the principles of doing it should be the same. You would need some specialized items -- a buccal pad separator to hold the mouth open, bone rongeurs to cut the teeth, and glass files to smooth the sharp edges. And you'd probably need to do it under the supervision of someone who knows how for a few times until you're comfortable with it.

NOTE TO EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S GOING TO ASK ABOUT TRIMMING THEIR PIG'S TEETH: It is not not NOT generally recommended. Most pigs never need to have their teeth trimmed, it's very easy to crack or break a tooth, and it's difficult to do. If you only need an occasional trim for some reason, see your vet and have it done properly. This may, repeat may be a case where lifelong trimmings are needed, which could amount to thousands of dollars.

The other thing to consider is that if you have to have it done regularly, the vet may give you a break on the cost. It would certainly be worth asking.

Thanks for the info and yea after going to the new vet tomorrow and if she doesn't find anything I'm just going to assume that she just naturally have bad teeth and will need them trimmed for the rest of her live. Will also then ask my old vet (which is closer to home) to help cut a deal if I bring her in every month.

 

[RaginAzN]

Update:

Back from vet visit and this vet also confirmed that nothing is wrong with her back teeth and that they are in perfect condition. She believes that my piggy probably could possibly have some genetic issues with her teeth. So in the end she trimmed it down to make the front teeth very even and I'm hoping it stays that way otherwise my usual vet will charge $60 each teeth trimming visit (per month) which I think is incredibly expensive.

 

[pigmommy89]

If her teeth aren't lined up correctly, they will probably have to be trimmed again. I don't think $60 a visit is too expensive, depending of course on how often you have to do it. It could add up over time.

 

[RaginAzN]

If her teeth aren't lined up correctly, they will probably have to be trimmed again. I don't think $60 a visit is too expensive, depending of course on how often you have to do it. It could add up over time.

Price of $60 is strictly teeth trimming only and does not include a check up. The checkup alone is $42 by itself.

 

[bpatters]

Are they willing to teach you to do it? And did you ask about a discount for repeated visits?