Dental checks – how to check your guinea pig’s teeth

Dental problems often go undetected in the early stages, but as all the guinea pig's teeth grow continuously (approximately 2-3 mm per week), small problems can quickly become major problems. It is therefore important to check your guinea pig's teeth frequently – at least on a weekly basis and more often if they have previously had dental problems in the past.

Head and face

Have your guinea pig either sitting on your lap (whilst you sit on the floor) or restrained by another person on a table. Feel along each side of their face and under the jaw. The sides should feel equal with no bulges, lumps or swellings. If you apply slightly firmer pressure and your guinea pig flinches, there may be a painful area inside the mouth (although some guinea pigs may flinch simply due to the dislike of being handled).

Incisor teeth

With your guinea pig facing away from you, gently part the lips back into a smile. The four large teeth (two top and two bottom) are the incisor teeth. They should appear long in guinea pigs (longer than is normal in rabbits), and meet in a chisel shape. Check that they are not loose and that the gums are pink and healthy rather than red or purple. If the teeth don't meet properly, your guinea pig may suffer from malocclusion (where the teeth don't meet and wear properly). The teeth will overgrow and may stop your guinea pig eating, which is likely to require treatment from your veterinarian.

The teeth must NEVER be clipped with scissors, wire cutters, nail clippers, plyers etc, as this will place extreme force into the tooth, potentially shattering it and causing a serious, and potentially fatal bone infection (osteomyelitis). Your veterinarian will use a special drill and burr to slice off the extra tooth growth.

Overgrown teeth can grow upwards into the guinea pig's eye socket or nasal passage, causing severe pain and infection. Most cases of malocclusion are hereditary and are seen before six months of age but malocclusions starting later may be due to trauma, infection or tumors. Guinea pigs who tug on the bars of their cage or who are dropped or fall may pull or knock their front teeth out of alignment. Don't breed from guinea pigs with maloccluded teeth as the offspring are highly likely to be affected if the condition is hereditary.

Cheek teeth

The molars, or cheek teeth, are too far back in the mouth to be easily checked. Veterinarians usually give a general anesthetic or heavy sedation to be able to give a guinea pig a complete dental check. You can check for signs of cheek teeth-pain such as:

• Drooling or wetness around the mouth.
• Swelling, pain or inflammation around jaw and under chin.
• Changes in the type of food your guinea pig will eat, e.g. from hard to soft foods or vice versa.
• If you guinea pig stops eating, reduces their food intake or appears to lose weight
• Bad breath.
• Picking up food and appearing to want to eat, but dropping the food.
• Grinding teeth.
• Reclusive and hiding away.

Your veterinarian may use an otoscope for a routine health check. If your veterinarian suspects a dental problem, sedation or general anesthesia will be used to examine the teeth properly. After a thorough examination, your veterinarian will assess whether the problem is malocclusion of incisors, split or broken teeth, points or spurs on check teeth, foreign bodies, abscess, tooth root or bone infection, or a combination of any of these. Bacterial infection can be difficult to treat as guinea pigs cannot have many antibiotics due to their effects on their digestive system. Your veterinarian can burr and file the teeth if necessary. Your veterinarian may take some X-rays of the teeth and skull before deciding on the course of action.

Hay or grass should form the bulk of your guinea pig's diet. Always keep hay in your guinea pig's enclosure for your guinea pig to chew on. This will allow your guinea pig to wear its teeth down naturally. Natural wicker baskets, straw mats, seagrass mats etc, are good to allow your guinea pig to play with and chew on to help with dental wear. Don't allow your guinea pig to chew on electrical wires, rubber bands, paper clips or other small objects that could become stuck in your guinea pig's mouth.

You don't need to brush your guinea pig's teeth and problems generally arise from either genetic deformities or a bad diet.