Guinea Pig Teeth Anatomy

The teeth of a guinea pig form a v shape with the apex directed towards the front.

Guinea pig teeth anatomy. The molar teeth wear unevenly and maxillary cheek teeth develop spurs which grow into and. Inside their tiny mouths along with the incisors are a pair of upper and lower premolars and three pairs of upper and lower molars. Fat pads in the cheeks make examination of the molars difficult. 2 upper and 2 lower incisors 2 upper and 2 lower premolars 6 upper and 6 lower molars.

Enzymes in the saliva are biocatalysts which start the process of digestion. They have an elodont dentition which consists of aradicular hypsodont incisors and cheek teeth. They are usually anything from 1cm to 1 cm long much longer than you might think. If all is well and your guinea pig is eating normally these front teeth should meet evenly which means the teeth are being naturally worn down every time your pet eats.

Interestingly guinea pigs do not have canines. In diseases of domestic guinea pigs virginia c. A guinea pig s teeth are open rooted and grow continuously. There is one premolar and then three molars one each side both on the top and the bottom.

A guinea pig has two teeth at the top and two at the bottom of their mouths called incisors. Guinea pigs have 20 teeth in their mouths which consist of. Guinea pigs teeth comprise of molars incsiors and premolars they do not have any canines. The enamel is white in color and the front teeth can be sharp.

Although it may only look like your guinea pig has two upper and two lower incisors they actually have twenty teeth. Malocclusion or misalignment of the teeth can happen in guinea pigs. There are twenty permanent rootless teeth present in the buccal cavity. Buccal pad separators are designed to hold the cheeks back aiding examination.

These crush and grind pieces of food. These teeth grow continuously throughout the lifespan of the guinea pig. Guinea pigs have continually growing and erupting teeth. Richardson writes molar malocclusion can be an inherited condition or it can develop in any guinea pig over 1 year of age.

Instead they have a gap called the diastema. Between the molars food gets mixed with saliva and becomes soft.