Why is he still salivating?

Taro has been getting periodic molar trim every 3 months. He usually recovers quickly and eats on his own.

However, this last trim, he never fully recovered. He still has trouble eating/paws at his mouth/has saliva in his mouth (not drooling to the chin). I took him in to see Dr. Tom Greek in Yorba Linda and he checked his teeth. Everything looks good (no spurs, abscess or spikes). I insisted on full body x-rays. Nothing is abnormal. No root elongation. Everything looks good. I tested for Giardia. Negative.

He definitely has trouble eating. He paws at his mouth. It sounds like there is saliva in his mouth. He has been losing a lot of weight (420 from 460) although I've been handfeeding him 60cc a day and metacam for pain. I'm just so lost.

What are other causes of trouble eating/excess saliva in the mouth and trouble eating/no appetite?

Edit: Upon close inspection, he is starting to drool. He also has a lot of saliva in the mouth and has difficult eating shredded wheat.

Do you have copies of the dental X-rays?

Dr. Greek said that he will email them to me and I will post them as soon as I get it.

He had x-rays done 6 months and 9 months ago and today. His x-rays look identical to what it was before and all 3 vets interpret it as normal. All 3 vet are very knowledgeable about chinchillas and dental issues. So I won't question their interpretation.

Which is why I'm so frustrated. x-rays aren't telling me anything.

Could he have something stuck in his mouth? A piece of hay maybe, that's poked into his gums and causing him to drool and salivate?

I would post the x-rays if you can get them. I've run into several vets that say the chins' x-rays are normal, but if you know what you're looking for, you can tell they're not. Not knocking your vets or anything, but I always trust people on here for another opinion, and I would post them just to see what we all think.