Teeth Variations?

[Brittany]

Are healthy chin teeth always perfectly level at the tips or do they sometimes vary based on chewing patterns?

Gus was pawing his mouth last night (he's still chewing and eating normally), so we decided to do a teeth check on all the chins. Everyone's front teeth are growing in straight (no overlap) but the angles of all of their tips are different. Donna's are perfectly flat, Lily's form the slightest pyramid. Gus's form more of an extreme pyramid and one of his lower teeth is slightly longer then the other, so we're going to take him to the vet to get checked out.

 

[arf2184]

There is some variation, but not much. Flat to slight pyramid is normal (with the sides angled a tiny bit down on the lower teeth).

Uneven wear of the incisors could be caused by any number of things. It could be that one side of the mouth hurts for some reason and he just isn't chewing much on the side. Or perhaps he just got lazy and hasn't been chewing enough. It could also be a sign of overgrown molars not allowing the mouth to close properly.

Definitely get it checked out asap. The vet will likely file both top and bottom incisors to even them out (easily done) and check the mouth to see if he can find a cause. Since you're going in anyhow, I'd seriously consider x-rays. That's the only way to make sure the roots are sound and the only way to get a clear picture of the back molars.