Rabbit dentistry - burr or rasp?

[joey&boo]

For those of you that have ever had a bunny receive dentistry for spurs - does your vet burr or rasp?

My vet rasps - essentially files down the teeth manually. I can't even remember the exact reason they opt for this (I shall ask next time I'm there)

Just posted out of curiosity really as I don't hear much about rasping, though I think Frances Harcourt-Brown did cover it on her dental lecture, either that or we discussed it at a consult decades ago. I'm sure Angel had an ulcer caused by burring (at different vet) & wonder if that is the concern. I checked on the RWA website & they are of the opinion that spurs should be burred by machine.

TBH I'd completely forgotten til a discussion a while back when I'd said to Crab Lane Vet receptionist "..... in case she needs her teeth burred". The reply "We don't burr here Ms XXXXX, we rasp"

Ps no poll option on new forum?

 

[InspectorMorse]

Burr

 

[Shimmer]

Burr, but have had one incident where the tool slipped and there was a bit of a bleed (not serious). It's never going to be an easy job in such a tight space.
Rasp implies a traditional filing technique, which could cause tooth root damage.
Clipping (used to be done on incisors using pliers type hand clippers) also can cause root damage due to the forces applied to the tooth.

 

[bunny momma]

Burr. Though the high speed of the machine can heat up the burr. Some machines are water cooled. It may depend on the problem. Rasping may be ok if the teeth need shortening; unlike spurs that grow toward the cheeks or tongue.
My Raven has his spurs at gum line gowing toward his cheek and once burr caught his gum, though it healed quickly.

 

[a reader of books]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think they burr. Tom once had a wound in his mouth from the burr, though, so it sounds like that's not uncommon... I do wonder with rasping, wouldn't that kind of put a side-to-side pressure on the tooth, that would kind of almost push the tooth to move in its socket? I'm not sure if I'm explaining that right. It just seems like it would cause more pressure on the tooth than a burr? They must have good reasons for doing it, though. I know your vets are really good with bunnies, j&b.

 

[joey&boo]

Thank You for your replies, I thought I'd be in the minority

Reader, thank you for the vote of confidence in my vets. I'd like to know the downside (if there are any) of rasping other than it being more time consuming. I'm not sure about potential impact on tooth roots & pressure. I do recall FHB saying tooth root elongation can be exacerbated / brought on? by taking the molars down too low. I do thinking burring sounds potentially risky too (like your experience BM) with the risk of gums being nicked & hot spurs being burred off. The cooling water thing sounds a good idea (although it wouldn't surprise me if it carried an aspiration risk or limited visability).

Gonna try & find my FHB dental lecture notes

 

[bunny momma]

Thank You for your replies, I thought I'd be in the minority

Reader, thank you for the vote of confidence in my vets. I'd like to know the downside (if there are any) of rasping other than it being more time consuming. I'm not sure about potential impact on tooth roots & pressure. I do recall FHB saying tooth root elongation can be exacerbated / brought on? by taking the molars down too low. I do thinking burring sounds potentially risky too (like your experience BM) with the risk of gums being nicked & hot spurs being burred off. The cooling water thing sounds a good idea (although it wouldn't surprise me if it carried an aspiration risk or limited visability).

Gonna try & find my FHB dental lecture notes

I hope you find the notes and can share.

 

[a reader of books]

Thank You for your replies, I thought I'd be in the minority

Reader, thank you for the vote of confidence in my vets. I'd like to know the downside (if there are any) of rasping other than it being more time consuming. I'm not sure about potential impact on tooth roots & pressure. I do recall FHB saying tooth root elongation can be exacerbated / brought on? by taking the molars down too low. I do thinking burring sounds potentially risky too (like your experience BM) with the risk of gums being nicked & hot spurs being burred off. The cooling water thing sounds a good idea (although it wouldn't surprise me if it carried an aspiration risk or limited visability).

Gonna try & find my FHB dental lecture notes

That's interesting that tooth root elongation can be exacerbated/brought on by taking the molars down too low. I remember that years and years ago, when Tom was getting dentals, it was considered to be best to burr the molars quite short so there'd be more time between dentals and more of a chance for the molars to correct themselves instead of growing new spurs. I'm not sure what the current thoughts on that are... I do think burring has more of a chance to cause injury, compared to rasping, like in the way you said. With Tom they nicked his tongue and it took quite a while to heal. It was very painful, poor boy.

I'd be interested in the notes, too, if you can find them.

 

[InspectorMorse]

Seems the gold standard is now considered to be burring not rasping. Rasping has been found to damage the tooth and tooth roots. Things in Rabbit medicine evolve over time and what was once thought to be best practice is now not the case

This is one of the best Rabbit Specialist Practices in the UK

https://www.facebook.com/profile/100063537045240/search/?q=Rasping

and from an article in ‘Today’s Veterinary Nurse’

‘’Crown height reduction can often be curative in the beginning stages of dental disease when accompanied by diet correction and other preventive measures.However, in cases of moderate to severe dental disease, crown height reduction procedures will need to be performed repeatedly.Overgrown incisors or cheek teeth should be trimmed using a dental bur or trimming forceps designed specifically for crown reduction.Nail trimmers, rongeurs, and other manual cutting tools should never be used to perform crown height reduction.Root damage, tooth fractures or splinters, and abnormal regrowth are likely to occur when using improper equipment.Crown reduction performed without sedation or anesthesia is difficult and often done blindly, resulting in missed sharp points or spurs and injury to the gums, cheeks, or tongue.Rabbits with moderate to severe dental disease should be anesthetized, allowing crown reduction and reshaping to be performed with a low-speed dental bur while protecting soft tissues with bur guards and dental spatulas.’’

Full article

Rabbit Dentistry

Dental disease is one of the most common reasons pet rabbits present to veterinary clinics. It can produce a wide variety of clinical signs.

todaysveterinarynurse.com

 

[Liz47]

Burr, although I never really thought or knew about the difference! Gordon, my second rabbit, also had an injury from the tool slipping and it did cause a serious bleed but thankfully it was able to be stopped and treated

 

[joey&boo]

That's interesting that tooth root elongation can be exacerbated/brought on by taking the molars down too low. I remember that years and years ago, when Tom was getting dentals, it was considered to be best to burr the molars quite short so there'd be more time between dentals and more of a chance for the molars to correct themselves instead of growing new spurs. I'm not sure what the current thoughts on that are... I do think burring has more of a chance to cause injury, compared to rasping, like in the way you said. With Tom they nicked his tongue and it took quite a while to heal. It was very painful, poor boy.

I'd be interested in the notes, too, if you can find them.

poor Tom
yeah i do recall taking molars down too low was common when FHB was talking about the risks

I will try & find those notes.

 

[dex179]

Dexter's vet burrs

 

[joey&boo]

Seems the gold standard is now considered to be burring not rasping. Rasping has been found to damage the tooth and tooth roots. Things in Rabbit medicine evolve over time and what was once thought to be best practice is now not the case

This is one of the best Rabbit Specialist Practices in the UK

https://www.facebook.com/profile/100063537045240/search/?q=Rasping

and from an article in ‘Today’s Veterinary Nurse’

‘’Crown height reduction can often be curative in the beginning stages of dental disease when accompanied by diet correction and other preventive measures.However, in cases of moderate to severe dental disease, crown height reduction procedures will need to be performed repeatedly.Overgrown incisors or cheek teeth should be trimmed using a dental bur or trimming forceps designed specifically for crown reduction.Nail trimmers, rongeurs, and other manual cutting tools should never be used to perform crown height reduction.Root damage, tooth fractures or splinters, and abnormal regrowth are likely to occur when using improper equipment.Crown reduction performed without sedation or anesthesia is difficult and often done blindly, resulting in missed sharp points or spurs and injury to the gums, cheeks, or tongue.Rabbits with moderate to severe dental disease should be anesthetized, allowing crown reduction and reshaping to be performed with a low-speed dental bur while protecting soft tissues with bur guards and dental spatulas.’’

Full article

Rabbit Dentistry

Dental disease is one of the most common reasons pet rabbits present to veterinary clinics. It can produce a wide variety of clinical signs.

todaysveterinarynurse.com

thanks for the article Jane. The FB says it no longer exists
the more I think / read about it, rasping sounds risky for teeth, burring for soft tissue. I shall explore further with my vet . I'm still thinking filing spurs manually (which is what most of my buns dentals were - always under GA) sounds preferable but if you were reducing crown length I can see that might destabilise the tooth, damage it.

Has rasping ever been thought to best practice?

 

[InspectorMorse]

Has rasping ever been thought to best practice?

I am not sure. Touch wood I haven’t had a Rabbit who needed a Dental for several years. (Bet I will now….) and I only ever recall being told about burring. I have only ever seen burring being used during Dentals I have watched x