Bunny just lost his 2 top teeth

Question
My 4 month old bunny was just chewing his cage and somehow got stuck . In his freak-out struggle to free himself he lost his top 2 teeth. He was bleeding a tiny bit and seems calm now but I am afraid for any long term effects on his eating habits and his health. Can you offer a very worried owned any advice?
Thank you in advance for your time.
Pam

Answer
Dear Pam,

Rabbits are hypsodonts, which means their teeth grow continually all their lives.  His incisors should grow back within a week or so.  Unless he actually harmed the bone surrounding the tooth roots, there shouldn't be any lasting effects.  However, in some cases of trauma to the teeth/mouth in such a young bunny, the teeth *can* grow back crooked, causing a malocclusion.

A malocclusion means that the upper and lower teeth don't meet properly, and so won't wear against each other and keep each other short, as in a healthy rabbit.  There are good ways to treat this problem (clipping the teeth is NOT a good idea), but we won't deal with that unless we know it's going to be a problem.

Keep an eye on his mouth for any sign of tenderness or swelling.  It would not be a bad idea to get him to a good rabbit vet for examination, to be sure the open areas are not susceptible to infection.  If the vet thinks it's necessary, you might have to put him on antibiotics to prevent infection.

You can read more about dental problems here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

But for now I wouldn't panic. Just monitor him closely, be sure to cut his fresh vegetables into small chunks that he doesn't have to cut with his front teeth, and watch for normal growth of the teeth.

Hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.


Dana