Uneven incisors

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CrystalH

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
62
Well...the thing ive been fearing has reared its ugly head. I rushed him to emergency when he stopped eating all of a sudden last wknd and his poops got smaller and smaller. They found nothing. I fed him 2 days on cc but discontinued because he seemed on the upswing and i wanted him to eat himself. Hes eating a little bit more but his poops are varying in size. Still kind of small and skinny. But hes eating more for sure.


I took him for a recheck today and his regular vet found that his incisors are uneven on the bottom. He was in 3 weeks ago from a recovering tail wound and they said his teeth were fine. It's slanted a bit or one tooth is longer. We are trying to schedule a CT scan in the coming weeks to check his molars. What could cause this? He has fresh hay and things to chew on. Pumice stones. Loofahs. Sticks. Hes 4 and hasnt ever had issues with teeth. Can people share their similar experiences? Or just support. I feel like ive done something incorrectly. Its just such a blow to me because hes never had problems ans i know how teeth problems are often chronic. It just makes me feel so hopeless expecially compounded with the fact that hes still so young.
 
Incisors can easily be trimmed, its not considered malo but can be a symptom of malo, so he needs to be put under and have a full exam and x-rays, frankly I would not start with a CT scan, a x-ray would be just as good as a start.
 
The vet recommended the CT and didn't bring up an x-ray. I guess the CT gives a better picture? I don't mind if this sort of test is pricier, if it will offer a better picture for a diagnosis. I'm really trying not to freak out. I read somewhere he's at the age where genetic malo could be setting in...please send me good vibes!! Thanks for the response, ticklechin!
 
Can I just rec to anyone out there listening to take your pet in for routine dental. We may have not even caught this had he not been in recently for something else.
 
iv had chins with malo. Iv had plenty of chins need x-rays as well. Iv never once had a vet mention a ct scan. What are they used for/good for tickelchin?
 
Is there some way uneven incisors could right itself? Obv im opting for a professional scan just to rule things out but he's chewing so voraciously on hay now...with no signs of pain. He also chewed a bit of apple stick i held for him. Am i getting my hopes up?? @godofgods a ct scan is taken from many angles (cross sectional) to offer a more 3d look at his jaws. At least thats how it was explained to me!
 
I only opt for the ct scan when the diagnosis is not apparent, when the teeth and roots look fine on the x-ray but all the symptoms point to the mouth.
 
So we've had the CT. They revealed the last molar on his right upper is a bit swollen at the root!!! The vet predicts this will be recurring and I'm trying not to be a little let down at the news. He was sedated for the scan and he's taking a while to bounce back. Appetite is a little down so I've been syringe feeding him. We're going to try the drug, Chloramphenicol...which the vet told me can decrease his appetite. She said she doesn't foresee this tooth being a critical issue until years and years, but I'm still very worried. Can anyone share similar experiences, solutions, etc?
 
i never new ct scans were an option. How much do they usually cost? (i no different place can vary greatly in car cost)
 
@ticklechin: unsure. The way the the vet explained it to me was that there was a little bit of space around the root that is infected. I'll ask her again.

@godofgods: $470 in Culver City California.
 
Old post, I know, but I personally love CT scans. Stands for computed tomography and basically its the views from a bunch on radiographs stacked to give a more dimensional view. So each image is kind of a slice of the skull. You can see exactly where there is elongation and spurs and where they begin. I've had my chin get rads and a CT scan in a small amount of time and the CT scan was more helpful.

Only caveat is they have to be sedated for this. So if that is an issue, then radiographs would be better. Other than sedation, for me, the cost is pretty much the same. Rads at most hospitals around here in general are about $150. The CT scans for Chloe were around $170 at Tufts. These were done before surgery so I don't know if they include anesthesia or not if done alone.
Dental radiographs are done with a different machine and usually are cheaper. There's no table like in normal radiographs and it is a better quality picture though you can only do a small area at a time (so for entire mouth you would need maybe 4 images). Some places use regular or dental radiographs, depending on the size of the animal and what machines are available. It can be done without anesthesia, though there are varying opinions on that involving radiation safety for the technician/doctor.
 
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