by Joanne Wood

Created on: September 11, 2008

Imagine if your teeth grew continuously and got so long that they cut into the side of your mouth or you were unable to eat. This is what happens to a rabbit with untreated malocclusion.
Malocclusion is the official term for buck teeth' or teeth that no longer meet or align properly. On first glance you may wonder why it is so important that a rabbit's teeth meet, but when you realise that they continuously grow at an average rate of 8-12cm a year you can begin to understand how crucial aligned teeth can be to a rabbit's health.

WHAT'S INSIDE THE MOUTH?
Inside a rabbit's mouth are more teeth than the prominent 2 front incisors we are used to seeing in cartoon versions. In fact a rabbit has 4 incisors in the top. The front pair are clearly visible with the second pair (peg teeth) set behind them. In the bottom are another pair of incisors and in a healthy rabbit the top incisors should slightly overlap the bottom. These incisors enable the rabbit to grab and cut grass, hay and other long fibres.
Rabbits also have sets of premolar and molar teeth set further back in the mouth which are used for grinding food before swallowing and are not easily seen.

Misaligned teeth cannot perform their normal function and fail to become worn down by grinding tooth against tooth during eating. This grinding function is essential to keep those biters trim and without it molars can form of spurs (hooked pieces of tooth) and incisors can overgrow. Apart from being very uncomfortable both results can cut the mouth or tongue and prevent eating if severe enough. This is how untreated malocclusion can lead to the starvation and, ultimately, death of a rabbit.

SYMPTOMS OF MALOCCLUSION
Since it is not always easy to spot misaligned teeth by eye; particularly those in the back of the mouth, there are some other symptoms to watch for:

Inability to eat or refusal of food/loss of appetite. The rabbit might express interest in food but then refuse it.
Drooling.
Nasal or eye discharge and sneezing. The nasal/tear duct channel is very thin and runs over the premolar and incisor roots in the mouth. Overgrowth of roots impacts on this duct.
Sudden loss of weight.
Increased thirst.
Failing to groom.
Swelling of the jaw (can indicate infection and distort tooth growth).

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
As with any pet health, prevention is better than cure and an understanding of the causes of malocclusion can help rabbit owners reduce or even prevent the problem. The causes of malocclusion are thought to be from one

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