lapis - Articles
Dentistry (clipping / filing)
Introduction
- Overgrown incisors and/or cheek teeth need to be kept at the correct length to allow the mouth to close, to attempt to restore a functional occlusion, to prevent soft tissue trauma and to prevent teeth from being caught on external objects, eg water bottle, wire netting.
- Must identify cause of dental overgrowth (hereditary or acquired) as this affects prognosis and therefore treatment.
Uses
- Reduction of overgrown incisors and/or cheek teeth Dental malocclusion/overgrowth.
Advantages
- As long as diet rectified simultaneously Nutrition: correcting the diet, may be able to restore normal occlusion.
- Prevents soft tissue trauma.
- Many rabbits will tolerate incisor trimming with a dental burr without sedation.
Disadvantages
- May require sedation/anesthesia to perform humanely and accurately.
- Cost.
- Needs to be repeated every 4-6 weeks if teeth continue to grow and fail to occlude.
- Rabbit often in poor bodily condition exacerbating danger of procedure.
- May carry poor prognosis resulting in euthanasia Euthanasia even after many dental procedures.
Alternative techniques
- Extraction of overgrown, maloccluding teeth Molar teeth: extraction Incisor teeth: extraction.
- Euthanasia Euthanasia.
Time required
Preparation
- Associated with anesthesia, supportive therapy, eg subcutaneous fluids, warmth (heated pad, hot water bottle, bubble wrap), analgesia.
Procedure
- Depends on competence and experience of technicians and vets, availability of proper equipment to facilitate the task.
Decision taking
Criteria for choosing test
- Should be attempted in all cases with elongated teeth unless:
- Rabbit is moribund.
- Owners are unwilling to have procedure repeated.
- Teeth are loose.
- Dental disease so advanced that teeth have stopped growing.
Requirements
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Preparation
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Technique
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Aftercare
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Outcomes
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Further Reading
Publications
Refereed papers
- Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
- Capello V (2016) Intraoral treatment of dental disease in pet rabbits. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract 19 (3), 783-798 PubMed.
- Meredith A (2007) Rabbit dentistry. Euro J Comp Anim Pract 17 (1), 55-62 MediRabbit.
- Harcourt-Brown F M (1998) Pet rabbits. Part 4. Looking after their teeth. Vet Pract Nurse Winter, 4-8.
- Crossley D A (1997) Clinical aspects of lagomorph dental anatomy - the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). J Vet Dent 12 (4), 137-140 PubMed.
- Harcourt-Brown F M (1997) Diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of dental disease in pet rabbits. In Pract 19 (8), 407-421 VetMedResource.
- Gorrel C (1996) Teeth trimming in rabbits and rodents. Vet Rec 139 (21), 528 PubMed.
- Harcourt-Brown F M (1996) Calcium deficiency, diet and dental disease in pet rabbits. Vet Rec 139 (23), 567-571 PubMed.
- Crossley D A (1995) Dental disease in rabbits. Vet Rec 137 (15), 384 PubMed.
- Harcourt-Brown F M (1995) A review of clinical conditions in pet rabbits associated with their teeth. Vet Rec 137 (14), 341-346 PubMed.
- Brown S A (1992) Surgical removal of incisors in the rabbit. J Small Anim Exotic Med 1, 150-153.
- Lobprise H B, Wiggs R B (1991) Dental and oral disease in Lagomorphs. J Vet Dent 8 (2), 11-17 PubMed.
Other sources of information
- Harcourt-Brown F (2013) Treatment of dental problems: principles and options. In: BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Surgery, Dentistry and Imaging. Eds: Harcourt-Brown F & Chitty J. BSAVA, UK. pp 349-369.
- Capello V & Lennox A M (2012) Small Mammal Dentistry. In: Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery. 3rd edn. Eds: Quesenberry K E & Carpenter J W. Elsevier, USA. pp 452-471.
- Crossley D A & Penman S (1995) Eds Manual of Small Animal Dentistry. 2nd edn. BSAVA, UK.