Teeth Trimming Pt. 2

Yesterday I shared pictures of the first part of Sushi's teeth trimming process. Today I want to show what happens during the actual teeth trimming.

Once Sushi is asleep, she's taken out of the bell jar, but still needs to be given gas so she doesn't wake up too soon. The vet tried to use the tiny mask, but it was still too big.

Sushi could wear the mask as a hat!

Instead they ended up taking the tube off the mask and using that directly over her nose. Using only the tube also makes it easier to work on her teeth.

Malocclusion at its finest.

The above picture provides a good look at Sushi's teeth. You can see that there are two bottom teeth pointing to the side, and on the top there are also two teeth, even though it almost looks like just one. Her malocclusion is so severe that her teeth completely miss each other. Normally the top and bottom teeth line up and grind themselves down naturally. Sushi's teeth turn so quickly that they never touch. Unless they are trimmed, her bottom teeth grow into the inside of her right cheek and her top teeth grow into her left upper gums. There is only 3.5 weeks of growth in the above picture.

Rat teeth are similar to fingernails, in that they can be trimmed without pain, unless you get too close to the blood supply. Sushi's teeth are yellow and look disgusting, but they are actually completely healthy.

Beginning to trim the upper incisors.

The vet uses a diamond tipped saw to cut Sushi's teeth. According to one of Sushi's vets, the saw cuts through most teeth "like butter" but because of the strength of rat teeth, it does not cut quite as easily. Trimming the teeth takes a little bit of time and the vet has to be careful not to cut the teeth too short. The vet also has to be very careful not to cut the tongue, and the vet tech uses a cotton swab to keep the tongue out of the way.

With such a tiny patient, there isn't a lot of room to maneuver.

Once the top teeth are cut, there is more room to work on the bottom teeth.

The bottom teeth naturally aim straight at Sushi's cheek.

Near Sushi's foot is one of her just removed upper incisors.

Once the teeth are removed, the vet takes a few more moments to even them. Sometimes malocclusion can be helped by cutting the teeth at an angle, encouraging them to meet. Since Sushi's is so severe, it does not matter if the vet angles them or not. Instead they focus on getting them even and comfortable for her.

A slightly different blade is used to even the teeth.

In the end, her teeth look drastically different, guaranteeing Sushi a few more weeks of comfortable, pain-free life.

It's amazing that the removed teeth are nearly the length of Sushi's paws.

While we were waiting for Sushi to wake up, the vet also trimmed her claws. I am pretty sure Saké will not be nearly as cooperative when we trim her's.

Tomorrow I will post some pictures of Sushi slowly waking up. While I hate seeing her under anesthesia, she is a remarkably adorable sleepy rat.