Rabbit Dental Disease: Why Your Bunny’s Teeth Need Regular Care

If you share your home with a rabbit, there’s one health issue you need to understand: dental disease. It might surprise you to learn that dental problems account for 29.9% of all rabbit veterinary visits—making it the most common reason rabbits need medical care. Unlike our teeth, rabbit teeth never stop growing, which means your bunny faces unique dental challenges throughout their life.

Understanding rabbit dental disease isn’t just about recognizing problems when they occur. It’s about knowing why regular veterinary dental care is essential for every rabbit, regardless of diet or breed. Let’s explore why your bunny’s teeth need special attention and how you can keep them healthy.

Rabbits have 28 teeth—and every single one grows continuously throughout their entire life, typically at a rate of 2-3mm per week. This unique feature evolved because rabbits are designed to be constant grazers, spending 12 or more hours daily chewing abrasive grasses and plants. In the wild, this constant grinding naturally wears teeth down at the same rate they grow.

However, domestic rabbits often face a different reality. Even with the best diet, the foods available to our pet rabbits don’t always provide the same natural wear as wild grazing. When teeth don’t wear down properly, they become overgrown or misaligned—a condition called malocclusion. Overgrown teeth can develop sharp points (called spurs), curve in abnormal directions, or even grow so long they prevent your rabbit from eating altogether.

The challenge is that many dental problems develop gradually and aren’t visible to owners until they become severe. That’s why regular veterinary dental examinations are crucial, even when your rabbit seems perfectly healthy.

Malocclusion is the most common dental issue rabbits face. When teeth don’t align properly, they can’t wear down evenly through normal chewing. Some rabbits are born with hereditary malocclusion—their jaw structure or tooth position naturally predisposes them to dental problems. Other rabbits develop malocclusion over time due to injury, infection, or inadequate diet.

Once malocclusion begins, it typically becomes a progressive, lifelong condition requiring ongoing veterinary management.

Your rabbit’s front teeth (incisors) are the most visible, and overgrown incisors are often what owners notice first. These teeth may extend well beyond their normal length, sometimes curving inward toward the mouth or outward in abnormal directions. Severely overgrown incisors make it difficult or impossible for rabbits to grasp food, groom themselves, or close their mouths comfortably.

While overgrown incisors are visible, the molars and premolars (collectively called cheek teeth) hide in the back of your rabbit’s mouth. When these teeth don’t wear evenly, they develop sharp spurs—pointed edges that can cut your rabbit’s tongue and cheeks with every chew. These painful spurs are invisible to owners but cause significant discomfort, often leading to reduced appetite and drooling.

When dental disease affects the tooth roots, infections can develop into abscesses. You might notice facial swelling, discharge from the eye or nose, or lumps along your rabbit’s jaw. Dental abscesses are serious and require prompt veterinary treatment.

Rabbits are prey animals that instinctively hide pain and illness, so recognizing subtle changes is crucial. Watch for these warning signs:

Reduced appetite or selective eating is often the first noticeable symptom. Your rabbit might refuse pellets or other hard foods while still eating soft vegetables or treats. They may approach their food bowl with interest but then turn away after attempting to eat.

Drooling or a wet chin—sometimes called “slobbers”—occurs when dental pain makes swallowing difficult. You’ll notice matted, wet fur on your rabbit’s chin and chest that never seems to dry.

Weight loss can be gradual, happening over several weeks as eating becomes increasingly uncomfortable. Regular weigh-ins help you catch this early.

Changes in dropping size or quantity signal that your rabbit isn’t eating enough. Smaller, fewer droppings indicate reduced food intake.

Pawing at the mouth or rubbing the face suggests oral discomfort.

Reduced grooming leads to an unkempt coat, especially around the face and ears where dental pain makes grooming movements difficult.

Eye discharge can occur when dental disease affects the tooth roots near the tear ducts, blocking normal drainage.

Reluctance to eat hay is perhaps the most critical warning sign. If your rabbit stops eating hay but still eats softer foods, dental disease is a likely cause.

If you notice any of these signs, don’t wait—schedule a veterinary examination right away. Early intervention prevents more serious complications and makes treatment easier.

Proper diet plays an important role in supporting your rabbit’s dental health. Unlimited grass hay—such as timothy, orchard grass, or meadow hay—should make up about 80% of your rabbit’s diet. The long fiber strands and abrasive texture of hay promote natural chewing motion and tooth wear in ways that pellets simply cannot replicate.

High-quality pellets should be offered in limited quantities, along with fresh vegetables and occasional treats. However, feeding only pellets without hay deprives your rabbit of the grinding action their teeth need.

Here’s what’s crucial to understand: while proper diet significantly reduces the risk of dental disease, it cannot replace veterinary dental care. Even rabbits fed the ideal diet can develop hereditary malocclusion, acquire dental injuries, or experience age-related dental changes. Diet is preventive support—not a cure or guarantee.

When you bring your rabbit to Langley Animal Clinic for an exotic pet examination, we include a thorough oral assessment as part of the check-up. During a conscious exam, we can evaluate your rabbit’s incisors, check for drooling or facial swelling, and look for obvious abnormalities.

However, there’s a limitation: we cannot fully examine the cheek teeth while your rabbit is awake. Those back molars and premolars—where spurs and overgrowth often develop—require sedation or anaesthesia for complete visualization. For rabbits showing symptoms of dental disease or those with known dental issues, we may recommend sedated dental examination, often with dental X-rays to assess the tooth roots beneath the gum line.

These thorough examinations allow us to catch problems early and create an effective treatment plan tailored to your rabbit’s specific needs.

Treatment depends on the type and severity of dental disease your rabbit is experiencing. Common dental procedures include:

Tooth trimming for overgrown incisors involves carefully cutting or filing teeth back to proper length. This procedure may need to be repeated regularly for rabbits with chronic overgrowth.

Filing or burring sharp cheek teeth spurs requires sedation or anaesthesia. We use specialized dental instruments to smooth sharp points and restore proper tooth shape, immediately relieving your rabbit’s pain and discomfort.

Extraction may be necessary for severely diseased, abscessed, or fractured teeth that cannot be saved.

Pain management and post-procedure care ensure your rabbit’s comfort during recovery. Many rabbits resume eating immediately after dental treatment once the pain is relieved.

For rabbits with chronic dental disease, ongoing management becomes part of their routine care. Regular dental check-ups every 3-6 months help us monitor tooth growth and address problems before they cause serious discomfort.

While you cannot prevent all dental disease—especially hereditary conditions—you can take important steps to protect your rabbit’s dental health:

Schedule regular veterinary examinations at least every 6-12 months, even when your rabbit appears healthy. Early detection makes treatment simpler and less expensive.

Provide unlimited grass hay daily and monitor to ensure your rabbit is actually eating it consistently.

Watch your rabbit’s eating behaviour and droppings every day. Changes often appear before other symptoms become obvious.

Don’t wait for obvious symptoms to seek care. By the time dental disease is visible to owners, it’s often already causing significant pain.

For rabbits diagnosed with dental disease, understand that this is typically a lifelong management situation requiring your ongoing commitment to regular veterinary care.

Dental disease is the most common health issue affecting pet rabbits, but it’s also highly preventable and manageable with proper veterinary care. At Langley Animal Clinic, we have extensive experience diagnosing and treating rabbit dental problems, from routine trimming to complex dental procedures.

If your rabbit is showing any signs of dental problems—reduced appetite, drooling, weight loss, or reluctance to eat hay—don’t wait. Early treatment prevents serious complications and gets your bunny back to comfortable eating quickly. Even if your rabbit seems healthy, regular dental check-ups are essential preventive care.