Guinea Pig Dentistry

introduction
As a dental practitioner, i will give a practical presentation about the dental problems of guinea pigs based on my experience. i will discuss different types of patients and problems, to show you how to find the cause of the dental problem and how to treat it optimally.

guinea pig dentistry
The guinea pig is the second most seen “exotic” pet in our clinic, and dental problems are the most common problem seen in these animals. in this presentation, i will talk about the tools that can be used to diagnose dental problems in guinea pigs with ano- rexia. improper wearing of the teeth and different types of malocclusion can point to a specific cause. Visual inspection of the incisors will show whether there is a problem with the cheek teeth or the temporomandibular joints.

dentistry of the guinea pig
A guinea pig has 20 permanent teeth: 4 incisors and 16 cheek teeth. the anatomical dental formula of the permanent teeth is (2X) i 1/1 C 0/0 p 1/1 M 3/3. Guinea pig teeth are elodont hypsodont or aradicular hypsodont. Guinea pigs are true herbivores and their typical grass and hay diet has a high fibre but low calorie content, which means that guinea pigs have to eat and chew a lot of food. the continual growth (the incisors grow 2 mm/week) and wear of the teeth should be in balance. the crown visible above the mucosa is 1/3 of the total tooth and is termed the clinical crown. the largest part of the tooth is below the mucosa and is termed the reserve crown. the apex of the tooth is a relatively small part of the tooth with a germinal, growing, region at the apex. [...]