Guinea pig eating/teeth problem

Question
My 1.5 year old pig, Nutti, was sick with pneumonia and ear infection in January and almost died (stopped eating and lost 100 g in weight).  After two rounds of treatment with antibiotics he seems to be doing fine now except he does not eat well.  The problem seems to be his teeth (his upper teeth were overgrown).  I took him to the vet, who trimmed his front teeth.  It has been three days since then but he is still not eating better.  He is hungry and begs for food every time he hears us or sees us (by running around in the cage and standing up and chewing the wires) but does not eat his pellets and eats little hay.  He can't even bite off carrots, his favorite food in the past. He will eat soft food, though (which he has been on for more than two weeks now).  I am worried that if he does not return to hay and pellets, his molars will overgrow (he already has slobbering problem from time to time).  Will he be okay or do you think he has a serious dental problem?  The last time the vet was unable to see his molars because he had some food in his mouth.  The vet was talking about doing an X-ray to see what is going on in his mouth and if the roots have gone up toward his ear canals, and perhaps work on his molars.  Thank you very much.

Answer
Faye -

If he's still eating the soft food, and is hungry, I would say he's going to be okay.  Just keep doing what the vet recommends, because it sounds like you have a pretty good vet.  Also, keep feeding him whatever he will eat.  Try milk sops or applesauce ... my pigs love both.  

As for whether his molars will overgrow again - yes they will - but they will no matter what he eats.  Guinea pigs are unique in that their teeth NEVER stop growing.  They need to have something to chew on at all times - I personally recommend cardboard.  Mine love it.  Otherwise, you'll probably need to have his teeth trimmed again and on a regular basis.

Hope this is helpful.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me again.  Good luck!

Lorena