teeth grinding in a 5 yr old female boxer

Question
QUESTION: We adopted this boxer in Jan of 07.  Up to now no problems except for allergies.  We feed her Potato with vension or duck. Two months ago she started grinding her teeth during the day and night.  have taken her to the vet and they cannot give us an answer except to do a dental exam soon.
are there any other owners of boxer that have this same problem and/or do you have a suggestion???  is there a
fee for this service?

ANSWER: I would definitely have a dental exam very soon. It sounds like maybe she has something stuck in one of her teeth, or maybe her gums are swollen, causing her pain. Boxers are known for gingival hyperplasia, where the gums start to grow over the teeth. The only time I've really heard of another Boxer owner complain about this was when the dog has something wrong with it's teeth. Taking her to have a dental exam is the best thing you can do for her at this point, the sooner the better from the sound of it. Do you mean is there a charge for using AllExperts? No, there's not. If I can be of anymore help, please let me know. I'm sorry I can't help more with this, except to say get her in for a check up soon.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: We have had the dental exam on 10/27 and they found a bad tooth and removed it plus swollen gums.  She is on medicine right now but is still grinding her teeth.  I was wondering if any owners of boxers have had this problem and if so, what were their solutions???  We just dont know which way to
go.  The vet is helping alot but sometimes they are at a loss also.  thanks.

Answer
Sorry it took so long getting back to you. I've been asking around, and researching for you. The only thing anyone can come up with is that maybe it's just a habit now. If you had the bad tooth taken out, and are working on her gums, then she may grind her teeth out of habit to help with the mouth pain. If her gums are still swollen a bit, she may do it to relieve the pressure. She may quit when the gums go back to normal and the place where the tooth removed heals up. If not, then you may have to 'train' her out of it. Everytime she starts to do it, distract her with a toy or something. Someone told me that if you haven't already, you may want to provide her with either a few good chew toys, or some chew treats. This may help with her mouth problems, and distract her from grinding her teeth. Maybe another reader will see this, and offer up some more advice.