Malocclusion

From WabbitWiki

Malocclusion in rabbits occurs when their teeth are misaligned and lead to overgrown teeth.

The exact cause of dental disease in rabbits is unclear, although it is likely to be multifactorial and involve the following:[1]

  • Inadequate teeth wear due to insufficient coarse fiber in the diet.
  • Nutritional deficiency, including calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A, magnesium and protein.
  • Genetic disposition - Netherland Dwarfs and lop-eared rabbits with flat faces seem to be especially susceptible.
Howcast. (2013). Do Rabbit Teeth Need to Be Trimmed?

Incisor malocclusion

A rabbit owned by a homeless woman in Sydney with severe neglected incisor malocclusion and in need of veterinary care. source

Rabbits have six incisor teeth - two on top, two on bottom, and two peg teeth located behind the top teeth. Normal incisor wear, growth, and eruption in healthy rabbits is balanced to a rate of about 3mm a week.[2]

Never attempt to trim your rabbit's incisors at home. This can seriously harm your rabbit and cause pain and irreversible damage.

Frequently observed dental problems from self-trimming with a cutter or nail clipper include the following:[3]

  • Sharp edges, that can hurt the rabbit when eating or grooming.
  • Stress fracture or longitudinal cracks in the tooth, either in the visible part or under the gum line.
  • Tooth growth stopping due to damage of the tooth root (endodontic diseases).
  • Exposure of the dental pulp resulting in pulpitis (inflammation of the most internal part of a tooth, the dental pulp).
  • Abscessation and changes of the surrounding tissues and the alveolar bone.
  • Fracture of the jaw bone.
  • Pain due to the sudden concussion of the dental pulp and nerves in the periodontal and periapical tissues surrounding the tooth root, due to the enormous amount of energy released into the tooth during the clipping.

The following are more articles about why not to trim incisors at home without professional medical tools:

Extra resources

Incisor removal

For rabbits that require regular incisor trims, removing the problematic incisors completely may be a good choice as a semi-permanent solution, although the upfront cost may be high. The surgery should be completed by a rabbit-savvy veterinarian experienced in the procedure to reduce the risk of missing teeth remnants in the gums - any teeth parts left can regrow into full teeth again and require trims and another extraction again.

Experiences

Extra resources

Molar spurs

"This is what every vet needs to show a rabbit owner instead of just saying 'there are a few tiny spurs.' I never knew exactly what was involved with spurs that couldn't be seen with a vet looking in the bunny's mouth." - Dental rabbits resources, on Facebook.
Some endoscopic images from a dental procedure - the top two are before, the bottom two are after. source

Experiences

Extra resources

Experiences

The following are stories of rabbits with severe malocclusion in both incisors and molars.

Online support communities

The following are some communities for owners with rabbits with dental problems:

Further reading

The following are some videos of teeth surgeries in rabbits:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Keeble, E & Meredith, A. (2006). Rabbit medicine & surgery: Self-assessment color review.
  2. ↑ A. Meredith. (n.d.). Rabbit Dentistry. Retrieved 29 Apr 2020 from http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/Rabbit_dentistry.pdf
  3. ↑ MediRabbit.com. (n.d.). Never trim the incisors of your rabbit yourself !!! Retrieved 29 Apr 2020 from http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Treatment/Clipping.htm
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