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Forum DIET & CARE Molar Extraction

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    • TORY93
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        Hi guys, I made a post a few weeks back about my rabbits dental history which some of you may seen

        It has been confirmed that she has maloclusion and will always need to have dentals regardless of how much hay she eats etc.. her upper molars no longer fully line up with the lowers so when she eats her upper teeth are only going across 3/4 surface area of her lower molars so 1/4 of the surface area closest to the tongue keeps spurring off and it will always spur off, this is begining to occur more frequently (every 3 weeks or so), we had a check up with our vet today and the spurs are not digging into her tongue or causing any irritation at the moment.

        The topic of extraction was bought up. My vet cant do extractions and she would need to be referred, before we go down that route my vet Is going to speak with the RVC Camden to get all of the necessary information in order for us to make an informed decision.

        I was wondering what other peoples experiences of this was? Its her lower 2nd and 3rd molars (potentially also her 1st lower molar but this has currently been burred right down to the gum line (thats all in my other post). If anyone has any experience in this please could you let me know your thoughts on the below?

        – if her lower 2nd and 3rd molars are the effected teeth, I assume the upper 2nd and 3rd molars would also need to be removed..  does that seem right?

        – do you know what the procedure process is? My vet mentioned about cutting the cheeks open and doing a bone lift!?!?

        – I know it will vary on the case but does anyone know roughly how long the procedure will take?

        – will I be able to bring her home the same day? She hates being in enclosed spaces it stresses her out.. quite often when she has a dental burr under anesthesia I get asked to pick her up earlier than they normally would because she gets stressed being caged up.

        – recovery process, what’s involved? Although currently working from home I would probably book the week off to ensure she has my 100% focus

        – any idea on costs? (Its a non issue really because if its in her best interest I will do what ever it takes but im just curious as I have seen people say they pay £150 for a dental burr and I pay double this so was just curious)

        – any other information I may need to know or would be good to know?

        I am hopefully going to catch up with my vet later this week to go through what the RVC have advised, we also have another check up in a weeks time so will discuss it again then .. if I do decide to go ahead I will obviously also have a consult with a RVC vet but just thought I would see if I could do a bit of research before hand.

        Also just a note, apart from her teeth she has no other health issues but she is 8 (please dont tell me to have her put to sleep, this is NOT an option)

        If you read this far thank you.

        Look forward to your replies.

        Thank you x


      • DanaNM
        Moderator
        9054 posts Send Private Message

          I would definitely get a second opinion and some detailed imaging of her head to make sure extractions are necessary and will help the problem. I would personally only remove healthy molars as a last resort

          Here are some trusted sources about molar extractions:

          https://rabbit.org/dental-disorders-in-rabbits/#:~:text=Tooth%20extractions%20in%20rabbits%20are,antibiotics%20before%20extracting%20the%20teeth.

          This source states:

          “Unless a molar is loose or there is an infection, molar extraction is not recommended due to the arrangement and function of a rabbit’s teeth. If surgery is not necessary, Dr. Lennox advises:

          When problems involve the cheek teeth, use of specialized dental equipment for rabbits is recommended to bring the teeth back to normal shape and size. Success of the correction is judged visually and by post-procedure radiographs. Simply reducing teeth down to the gum level may not be appropriate.

          When major surgery to extract the molars proves necessary, it’s best if the rabbit is in basically good health and at a desired weight. Discuss with the veterinarian the long-term prognosis. The after-care can be extensive, additional surgeries may be required, and periodic dental exams, often under anesthesia, will certainly be necessary.”

          This source also states that removal of healthy teeth is very difficult: http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/Rabbit_dentistry.pdf

          Here is another story of molar extractions, but again with infected tooth roots:

          http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Stella/Stella.htm

          I know that extracting healthy molars can be quite difficult and there is a risk of breaking the jaw in the process. I can imagine this might be more risky by removing two molars next to each other. It may be that she needs a more specialized burring to reshape the teeth so she can go longer between filings.

          My only experience with molar extractions was with a bun that had rotten teeth, so I don’t think that experience applies here necessarily. When they went to remove his tooth it basically just fell out in fractured pieces. He later needed follow up extractions, those teeth also practically fell out of his head… his case was complicated though and I don’t think it really applies here (I suspect he had bone cancer which tends to manifest in the jaw, but have no evidence for this really). I can tell you that when they removed his first molar and had to clean out a jaw abscess, I believe that bill was $800. His follow up extractions were around $700 (US) if I remember correctly.

          My rabbit actually started eating immediately after he work up, he must have felt much better having those rotten teeth out of there. My vet tends to keep rabbits until they start eating again, so how long he would stay at the vets would prob depend on how he’s doing. You may need to syringe feed if she doesn’t start eating on her own after.  I imagine she would also be put on pain meds and possibly an antibiotic.

          Hopefully the visit with a specialist helps give some answers!

          . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


          • TORY93
            Participant
            11 posts Send Private Message

              Hi Dana

              Thank you for replying.

              Extraction definitely wouldn’t be a decision I make lightly and will only go through with it if the exotic specialist agrees with it.

              Her molars are loose.. sort of. There is some give there but we are unsure how far down the tooth that goes, it may just be a weakness in the top half of her tooth or may go all the way down, we arent sure at this stage but I have an appt next week so we will do some further investigation then.

              Apart from her teeth she is in great health (touch wood), she doesnt suffer from stasis, her heart and organs are in good health, shes very mobile, she flops, she binkies she has crazy zoomies etc, she hops around the house making little humming sounds so shes a healthy and happy rabbit. One of the reasons we are considering extraction is because the dental burrs are becoming more frequent. They used to be once yearly but are now about every 3 weeks, this hasn’t happened gradually it has happened all of a sudden and with it being a maloclusion the time scale isn’t going to improve. Shes 8 years old so doing dental burrs every 3 weeks isn’t really fair on her. Putting her to sleep isn’t a viable option  either as apart from her teeth she really is im great health. Every vet she sees they are suprised at her age because you wouldn’t think it to look at her. I have had rabbits live to be 13 so she potentially has a whole another life in front of her, she just needs to be given a chance.

              I will have a read over all the articles, thank you for sending these over and will see what the specialist says.

              Thank you again.

               


          • DanaNM
            Moderator
            9054 posts Send Private Message

              I understand! And yes if the teeth are already somewhat loose that is a different story, as they would be much easier to remove.

              . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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          Forum DIET & CARE Molar Extraction