Giant tooth
A giant tooth ( macrodont ) is a dental disease in guinea pigs , in which there is a strong thickening of one of the incisors .
The cause of the development of a giant tooth is not clear. While a genetic predisposition was postulated in the older literature, inflammation in the area of the tooth germ is held responsible in the more recent literature. Pathological chewing forces cause deformation of the tooth root with the formation of a deformed tooth. The ratio of the hard substances enamel and dentine is mostly unchanged. However, fibrous defects can also occur, such as with fiber teeth .
The tooth thickening does not initially cause any functional impairment. However, due to insufficient abrasion of the thickened tooth, a crooked bite can develop, which can lead to further changes in the teeth. An X-ray can be used to confirm the diagnosis. The treatment is carried out by regularly grinding the malformed tooth in order to prevent damage to its opponent and a misalignment of the teeth. An extraction is mostly useful because they only surgically in guinea pigs incisors with removal of the bony tooth socket can be made, which means a significant surgical risk.
literature
- Stefan Gabriel: Practice book dentistry for pets. Enke, Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-13-240021-4 , pp. 142-143.