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Teeth trouble ...any thoughts please???

B

bunnymadhouse

Wise Old Thumper
i ve had a call from a distraught lady today this is the story.

She has a bun of just under 1 yr old.
he had been to the vets because of runny eyes etc . the lady had x rays done which showed molar tooth roots growing into the tear ducts.

The vet now wants to have him in every 3 weeks to flush out tear ducts and clip his front teeth .
he says clipping the front teeth will help his molar root problem:? :? :?
this will cost £35 every 3 weeks minimum.

Now i may be wrong and i apologise if i am ....but surely clipping front teeth (no problem with these teeth up to date:? ) wont help his root problem ....or will it ...is there something here i dont know about :? :?

The vet also suggested PTS.

I have advised that she gets a second opinion ...hope ive done right :? :? :?
 
The pressure of trimming front teeth can cause the tooth roots to move - but in contrast it can also cause malloclusion so not something I'd advise. If she does want to go down that path they're very easy to learn to clip yourself without GA - if moneys the problem then she could learn how to clip them herself.

Other issue is that repeated tear duct flushing stretches the tear duct - which just aggravates the problem.

I would definately get a second opinion, and if another vet comes up with the same conclusion then (and I'll probably get shot for this) i would PTS. For me putting a rabbit through teeth trimming and tear duct flushing every 3 weeks is not fair. Could she cope with just bathing bunny's eyes twice a day? Do his weepy eyes bother him?
 
Repeatedly clipping the teeth (which ones is it?) will only serve to shorten them, possibly weaken them and the root too.

Repeatedly flushing the tear ducts would not offer any relief if its a root problem...there would be nothing to wash out. It would also widen the ducts and leave them more prone to infection and blockage.

Has the diet been reviewed?

I would certainly seek another opinion....do you know the vets concerned?

EDIT just seen its molar, so self clipping is not an option.....how about removal of the affected teeth & roots?
 
Doh sorry just read that its molar tooth roots, obviously you can't clip those yourself. Sorry!

Is it possible to have the offending teeth removed??
 
Im even more confused now....Just re-read AGAIN and he wants to clip the incisors when its molar roots causing the problem??

What the hell??? :? :? :?
 
I'd get a 2nd opinion.

I have a bunny with chronic weepy eyes. An x-ray showed osteoporosis of the jaw and long tooth roots starting to grow into the ducts. My vet warned that the problem would rapidly get worse and she'd probably need to be PTS soon...that was about 3 years ago :roll: :lol:

From my experience (and other people I've spoken to) osteoporosis of the jaw can just stop advancing with no explanation.

Yes, she has weepy eyes which can't really be helped because the tear duct is blocked over with scar tissue, but TBH it's not a big issue for her or me :D

Of course this bun maight not be so lucky, but might be worth waiting for a while?

Amy
 
Sooz22 said:
Im even more confused now....Just re-read AGAIN and he wants to clip the incisors when its molar roots causing the problem??

What the hell??? :? :? :?
Click to expand...


MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY :? :? :?

i do know which vets but dont want to make the name public:?
 
bunnymadhouse said:
The vet now wants to have him in every 3 weeks to flush out tear ducts and clip his front teeth .
he says clipping the front teeth will help his molar root problem:? :? :?
this will cost £35 every 3 weeks minimum.

I have advised that she gets a second opinion ...hope ive done right :? :? :?
Click to expand...


Unless theres something I dont know about, I'd say that sounds like a load of old nonsense!!!

I completely agree about getting a second opinion.... could she also get the xray to show to a different vet rather, than the bun going under again.
 
If she transferes vets and they request his medical files they should send the X-Ray through.
 
oooh yes - new vets needed - preferably one that's experienced in rabbit dentistry as the molars maybe could be taken out?
 
Does all sound a bit confused to me - I'd be surprised if the vets were confused with incisors and molars but I agree with the tear duct flushing theory. I think it would be better to sort the actual problem than to be both treating the outcome every three weeks and also potentially adding to the problem. I would also add a vote to getting a second opinion.
 
elve said:
oooh yes - new vets needed - preferably one that's experienced in rabbit dentistry as the molars maybe could be taken out?
Click to expand...

Is this an option?

I am taking mine for his molars to be checked again on Thursday, at the moment my vet is checking them every 4 weeks to see how we go. My bun has had Xrays too and I was told his molars are growing through his jaw. :( Shoudl I be asking my vet more questions and what should I ask him?
 
Yes, you can definitely ask the vet about possibly removing them. I do admit it can be quite costly but if done properly, it is a permanent solution to a problem that can worsen with time. I believe the molars can be removed just like the incisors. I hope someone can back me up on this.

However, I don't think trimming the front teeth is an ideal solution at all. I think it might only end up causing problems to perfectly healthy front teeth.

A tear duct problem might not go away but it is manageable. I don't think a bunny should be PTS for it. However, it does require more time and attention as you don't want an abcess to form. Trust me on that one. :|
 
Molars can be removed, more tricky than incisors as the roots are longer and it is often recommended that the tooth opposite the 'problem' tooth is removed too as it will no longer have anything to wear down against.

The only worry is that should any of the root be left behind it is not unheard of for the tooth to grow back :?
 
Last edited:
Thank you for your replies about tooth removal, I will ask the vet about it tomorrow but I think it does appear to be most of the teeth down the left hand side that are the problem - I will check again with him. Definately his lower jaw as it is so lumpy, I wish someone had told me what to look for when checking him over.:(

It won't harm in me asking.
 
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