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Old 12-19-2021, 08:44 PM   #1
Grinewin
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Default Slightly Uneven Teeth

Hello all! It's been a while, but things with my three hams have been smooth sailing for the most part.

My syrian Bertha, however, is starting to show her age a bit. If the shelter was right about her age, she's around three years old now. I took her to the vet in October because she was drinking more and the vet said that she looked in perfect health but it was possible she was in the beginning stages of either renal failure or possibly renal cancer. She said to lower the protein in her diet and to keep an eye on her weight, as losing weight would be a sign that she's becoming more ill.

So I've been giving her health checks more often and tonight I noticed that her top left tooth is just slightly shorter than the right. Maybe a millimeter or two. Is this enough of a discrepancy that a vet/tooth clipping is in order or should I just keep an eye on her teeth to look out for any further malocclusion?

Thanks in advance

Last edited by Grinewin; 12-19-2021 at 08:56 PM.
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Old 12-20-2021, 08:41 AM   #2
Ria P
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Default Re: Slightly Uneven Teeth

I could also be that one tooth has started to grow which can be a sign of an underlying health condition. I'd keep a very close eye on the teeth because it could affect her ability to chew and eat if they grow too long.

I couldn't say whether Bertha's teeth need trimming or not but if unsure i always get our hamsters checked out by a vet.
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Old 12-20-2021, 10:59 AM   #3
Grinewin
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Default Re: Slightly Uneven Teeth

Huh, I've never heard of that. Could you give me an example of the sort of health condition that causes teeth to grow? From the quick look I got last night, it does look as though the tooth in question might have been chipped (and Bertha is currently obsessed with chewing on a hard cardboard and hay hide in her cage -- so much so it's barely a hide anymore!) just because it didn't look straight across at the bottom like her other teeth.

But I was planning on calling my vet today with a quick question about my cat, so I guess now I have two quick questions to ask Thanks for your reply.
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Old 12-20-2021, 11:54 AM   #4
sushi_78
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Default Re: Slightly Uneven Teeth

In terms of health conditions, anything that causes pain or discomfort on one side of her mouth or face could possibly cause her to favour one side when eating or chewing, which could cause the tooth on the opposite side to grow longer.

Also if the bottom tooth on the same side is missing or damaged, the teeth don't grind together properly which means the top tooth won't be worn down through eating or gnawing and could also grow too long.

I would think that if it's just a millimetre or so or if it's just a small chip, it could even out but since you're speaking to the vet anyway it makes sense to bring it up. I would then keep checking it every day to see if the difference becomes larger or whether it evens out.

Renal failure can, at least theoretically, be associated with tooth issues. Anecdotally on gerbil forums we have noticed a tendency for brittle or missing teeth to occur alongside kidney disease and this might be because kidney disease can affect how well calcium is absorbed and used by the body. So any further tooth issues would definitely warrant a full examination by a vet.
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Old 12-20-2021, 12:21 PM   #5
Ria P
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Default Re: Slightly Uneven Teeth

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grinewin View Post
Huh, I've never heard of that. Could you give me an example of the sort of health condition that causes teeth to grow? From the quick look I got last night, it does look as though the tooth in question might have been chipped (and Bertha is currently obsessed with chewing on a hard cardboard and hay hide in her cage -- so much so it's barely a hide anymore!) just because it didn't look straight across at the bottom like her other teeth.

But I was planning on calling my vet today with a quick question about my cat, so I guess now I have two quick questions to ask Thanks for your reply.
I had never heard of it until our late hamster Betsy's teeth suddenly grew long. She did have underlying hormonal health issues probably a thyroid problem which would make sense regarding the calcium absorbsion or production.

Last edited by Ria P; 12-20-2021 at 05:42 PM.
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Old 12-20-2021, 12:51 PM   #6
Grinewin
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Default Re: Slightly Uneven Teeth

I see. Interesting! Loss of calcium definitely makes sense considering she's old and appears to have kidney issues. But I don't think she's in any pain since she seems to have so much fun chewing on her hide, her bottom teeth seemed perfectly even, and her teeth were a nice orange color, so I will just keep a close eye on how the tooth is growing for now.

I did talk to the vet and since it's a new vet Bertha hasn't seen (we recently moved), they did want to see her rather than give advice over the phone. So she has an appointment in January to be seen. Until then, I'll be sure to watch her carefully to make sure she keeps eating and isn't in any pain. If anything changes, they said I could call back and try to get her in sooner.
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