This occurs when the permanent tooth bud does not grow immediately beneath the deciduous tooth, and therefore does not cause the roots of the deciduous tooth to be resorbed.
A retained tooth can cause the permanent tooth to erupt in an abnormal position or cause other types of problems, such as crowding, which may lead to debris accumulation between the teeth and greater plaque stagnation.
In these cases, the retained tooth should be extracted.
Teeth are open-rooted and, therefore, grow continuously, about 2-3 inches per year.
The chinchilla should be provided with good quality hay, wood blocks or pumice stones to gnaw on and encourage tooth wear.
The incisors are separated from the molars by a diastema.
The teeth are covered by a hard layer of enamel made up of calcium, iron, phosphorous and other trace minerals.
The normal tooth colour is dark yellow/orange – pale teeth are a sign of calcium deficiency.