Chance's teeth are VERY messed up

[MyBoyHarper]

I'll admit, I've looked at his teeth before, but never very well. I noticed earlier after playtime was over, that he wasn't shutting his mouth all the way, or shutting it properly. Mainly because he can't. Also, his teeth are misaligned, something I never noticed before. On top of that, his teeth are ground down very oddly.

The pictures will explain everything...

This is his mouth when he is relaxed. It never closes:

And here's some of his mouth up close. Notice the crookedness, and the way they are grinding down:

I'm assuming he'll eventually have to be seen for this, correct? He has his appointment with the ultrasound doc tomorrow, but he's not the person to really talk to about teeth.

*Mutters something about this one always having something wrong*

 

[slavetoabunny]

Poor Chance! I guess it's time for the orthodontist now.

 

[MyBoyHarper]

slavetoabunny wrote:

Poor Chance! I guess it's time for the orthodontist now.

LOL, probably so. And we actually have one here. A big animal dentist,he does root canals, fillings, even braces. And he's actually not TOO badly priced, like some would imagine. My mom brings her dog there for his annual visits (he does regular vet work too, like shots, exams,ect.)

Chance will probably be going to seem him in a few weeks, just for a consultation about this.

 

[Haley]

They shouldnt be a problem unless his molars arent grinding down because of it. He will probably need to have the front ones trimmed every now and then. Can your regular vet check his molars to be sure theyre not bad? Poor Chance!

 

[ec]

You really need to have x-rays done... there's no other way to get the scoop on all of his teeth. (Roots, cheek teeth, etc.)

That malocclusion doesn't surprise me, give the conditions he was living in prior to being rescued.

 

[binkies]

I'm sorry he has to go through yet another misfortune! I'm so happy he has an owner that loves him enough to go through all of it with him! He is a very lucky rabbit!

Having teeth trims isn't hard at all. At least it is an easy issue to diagnose and fix.

 

[MyBoyHarper]

I'll talk to the vet about having his teeth trimmed.

Like ec said, I think I may get an x-ray done at my vet on his teeth.I'm worried about them being out of alignement like that, and want to make sure his jaw is okay, and to see howdeep the problem goes.

 

[pamnock]

From the photos, it doesn't appear to be malocclusion, just uneven wear. Can you see the peg teeth behind the upper incisors?

Pam

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Poor you and Chance. Good Lord-help this rabbit out, please, he's been through enough for his lifetime. Poor baby.:shock:

 

[Haley]

I really dont think its much to worry about, it doesnt look too bad to me.

Is he still eating fine?

 

[ec]

I'm a bit confused, as I thought that uneven wear was one of the main causes of malocclusion.... Maybe this is more about how certain words are used than about the problem itself?

Just a thought - FWIW, I'm going on the definitions presented in articles from this site's link pageamnock wrote: [/b]

From the photos, itdoesn't appear to be malocclusion, just uneven wear. Can yousee the peg teeth behind the upper incisors?

Pam

 

[naturestee]

I like this article from the Morfz site:
http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/health/vet-talk/dental.html

[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Malocclusion as we usually think of it is mainly genetic, although the teeth could become misaligned due to an injury such as wire chewing or trauma.These teeth will always be crooked and will always require special care. Malocclusion due to uneven wear is more easily fixed. A simple trim with proper care afterwards (hay and chew toys) should make the teeth normal again.

That's probably why Pamnock was asking about the peg teeth behind the incisors. If the peg teeth are crooked too, then the crookedness is more likely to be a constant problem than if they are straight.

While Chance's teeth do look crooked, they aren't to bad and aren't overgrown. They might even fix themselves in time now that he's getting good care. I'd want to get the molars checked just in case, but the front teeth I think could be left alone until they start overgrowing.

MBH- all of my bunnies open their mouths like that when they are tranced. It's the easiest way for me to check their teeth. And they're all straight and the right length. So at least that part isn't unusual.
[/font]

 

[pamnock]

ec wrote:

I'm a bit confused, as I thought that uneven wear was one of the main causes of malocclusion.... Maybe this is more about how certain words are used than about the problem itself?

As Naturestee pointed out, malocclusion is generally due to a genetic misalignment of the teeth causing improper overgrowth or improper wear. It is any condition where the teeth are not properly aligned, which which also include simple malocclusion where the incisors "butt" together rather than overlap. These conditions can involve the development of the jaw bone as well. There are exceptions where malocclusion can be environmental in cause (pulling teeth out of alignment due to wire chewing).

Uneven wear can occur when the teeth are properly aligned, but are wearing unevenly (due to: molar spurs, pulling on wire, soft foods,chipping a tooth, etc.)

Misalignment in the peg teethcan cause uneven wear on the bottom incisors.



Pam

 

[TinysMom]

I was thinking maloclussion only showed up in the first four months of life (if it was genetic) and that otherwise it would come from a rabbit pulling on the cage or stuff like that..

 

[pamnock]

Malocclusion can also develop later in life. I've seen a number of occasions where normal teeth have shifted into butting teeth and butting teeth have shifted into wolf teeth. Also have seen cases of overgrown, curled peg teeth in later life.



Pam