4119. What to do if your rabbit has overgrown front teeth? Malocclusion

The lower front teeth had been worn down as the rabbit tried to eat. Due to the mis-alignment of the upper and lower jaws, the upper front teeth could not wear out when the rabbit ate. So the 4 upper teeth grew sideways. The 2 bottom teeth were worn out and hence they appeared very small or "fractured." The 4 upper front teeth are overgrown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMhvySuOils

TREATMENT. 1. SURGERY. The best solution is to extract all the six front incisors of this rabbit. In our experience at Toa Payoh Vets, extraction of the 6 front teeth enables the rabbit to eat properly. 2. TRIMMING OF THE OVERGROWN TEETH. The owner in Singapore sometimes forget to trim the overgrown front teeth regularly. Since the teeth become overgrown, the rabbit cannot grasp the food and soon becomes very thin. OTHER DENTAL PROBLEMS - MOLAR SPURS MOLAR SPURS are present when the rabbit cannot grind the food properly since the overgrown front teeth causes difficulty in chewing. The sides of the molars get worn out abnormally. In the rabbit, the upper molars with develop sharp edges called spurs. These cut into the inside of the cheeks causing cheek ulcerations. The lower molars will have the inner sides develop sharp edges. The left side and right side of the molars develop arching spurs. These entrapment of the tongue, making it difficult for the rabbit to move his or her tongue to eat properly. Molar spurs need to be trimmed by the vet as soon as possible. CONCLUSION As a consequence of not getting the vet to treat early, the rabbit cannot wear its cheek teeth properly. Molar spurs (sharp ends) develop, causing incorrect positioning of the molars. This lead to bacteria entering the roots of the molars causing dental or jaw abscess. The rabbit dies if he is not treated as he becomes malnourished and dehydrated over time. Extraction of the overgrown front teeth will have prevented the development of molar spurs and dental abscess which are expensive treatments. ANOTHER CASE STUDY IS AT: https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2018/05/3152-rabbit-has-malocclusion-and-broke.html