how far to trim my rabbits teeth

Question
  I had read a letter on this website earlier and it gave me a lot of good info. The only thing I didn't find out was how long the rabbit's teeth are supposed to be. I know my rabbit's teeth are over grown and i just need to know how far down I am supposed to trim them.
       Thanks alot for your help!:-)

Answer
Dear Laura,

Filing incisors is not for the faint of heart.  But if your bunny has a severe malocclusion that requires filing them down, it's best to take them as close to the gumline as possible so you'll have to do this less frequently.

The problem is that the gumline is much lower *behind* the teeth than in front of it, so if you look only from the front, you could cut deeply into the gums and cause a very serious injury.

It is best to have your rabbit-experienced vet show you how to do this before you proceed on your own.  You can find a good vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Remember always to *file* the teeth--never clip them--unless you have proper surgical tools such as bone rongeurs that evenly distribute the pressure on the tooth.  DO NOT use nail clippers, as this can cause microfractures of the tooth that travel below the gumline and create entry for bacteria.

Hope this helps.

Dana