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This article is from the Rat Health Care booklet. Order one today! Check out the info at Rat Books

Overgrown Teeth

By Debbie "The Rat Lady" Ducommun

Rat incisors are designed like chisels, with hard yellow enamel on the outside--the cutting edge--and softer white dentine forming the rest of the tooth. Because rat incisors grow continuously, overgrown teeth are a possible problem. You may have heard that unless a rat has wood or other hard material to chew his teeth will overgrow, but this isn't true. The teeth overgrow only if there is a medical problem which prevents normal tooth grinding. In healthy rats, the upper and lower teeth are lined up and keep each other sharp and the proper length by grinding together.

If a tooth is knocked out of alignment, both it and the opposing tooth will become too long. Overlong teeth can rub sores in the mouth and prevent the rat from eating. The first symptom of a tooth or jaw problem, if the abnormal teeth aren't noticed, is usually weight loss. If you think your rat's teeth are abnormal, compare them to another rat's teeth.

If there's a tooth abscess or problem with the nerves or muscles on one side of a rat's jaw, the teeth will commonly wear unevenly or overgrow. The rat may stop eating hard foods, due to an inability to chew normally. This inability to chew may be caused by either pain or physical disability. I know of this problem occurring in two rats where the problem eventually progressed to acute pain in the jaw, perhaps caused by heart problems. So, although I haven't had occasion to use this treatment since then, I suggest that in cases such as this giving the rat pain medication on a regular basis may help the problem and allow the rat to chew more normally.

Trimming Overgrown Teeth

Rat teeth don't contain nerves, so trimming them is painless. However, it isn't unusual for the gums to bleed slightly after the teeth are trimmed, especially when trimming bottom teeth, due to the pressure applied to the tooth. Overgrown teeth will need to be trimmed every 1-3 weeks, depending on the type and severity of the problem. Lower teeth grow 2.8mm per week, and uppers 2.1mm per week. So in a month, they can grow up to 1/2" too long! The teeth should be trimmed whenever it looks like they're long enough to rub a sore or cause difficulty eating.

The best tools for trimming teeth at home are dog toenail or human fingernail clippers. Your vet might be able to use a dental saw. Keep in mind that any clippers used on teeth will quickly become dull and useless for nails. Teeth are brittle, so you can't really cut them. Instead, the goal is to get them to snap off in the right spot. Rarely, a tooth will split down it's length, but so far I haven't seen this cause any long term problems.

It's best if one person can hold the rat while a second does the dental work. There are several ways to restrain your rat: you can wrap him in a towel, use a rat bag or straight jacket, or hold him in your hands. Some rats prefer one method over another. If using a towel, wrap it tightly so he can't get his hands out. If using your hands, let the rat stand on his hind legs on a table, then hold the head with one hand, and the rat's hands with your other hand. I find human fingernail clippers easiest to use when only one tooth is to be clipped, or if the tooth is very long. If a pair of teeth need to be trimmed, I prefer the guillotine-type dog clippers so I can cut both teeth at once. You can also use bird toenail scissors or dykes.

The clippers should be angled so that the tooth will retain its original bevel. Top teeth should be clipped to a length of 1/4", bottom teeth to 1/2". Be very careful to hold the lips out of the way and make sure the tongue is also out of the way before clipping. If you like, you can use a wide rubber band, such as that from brocolli, to put behind the teeth to hold the tongue out of the way. After snapping off, the teeth will have jagged edges. If your rat is very cooperative, you might try filing them with a nail file. Otherwise, offer bones to chew on to help smooth them off.

All owners should check their rat's teeth occasionally to make sure they're normal. If your rat has missing teeth, malocclusion, or unevenly worn teeth, check the length of his incisors frequently to see if trimming is needed.

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