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anatomy guide

Guinea pig dental anatomy — open-rooted, continuously growing teeth

Overview of guinea pig teeth, which are open-rooted and grow continuously throughout life, worn down by chewing a coarse, fibrous diet.
General educational reference only — not clinical or veterinary advice. Anatomy varies between individual animals; consult a licensed veterinarian for any health concern.

Open-rooted, ever-growing teeth

All of a guinea pig's teeth are open-rooted (elodont) and grow continuously throughout life. This is different from the closed-rooted adult teeth of dogs and cats. Continuous growth is balanced by continuous wear from grinding fibrous food.

Tooth arrangement

Guinea pigs have incisors at the front and cheek teeth toward the back, separated by a gap, with no canine teeth. The cheek teeth have a distinctive angled grinding surface. The incisors clip food while the cheek teeth grind it down.

Wear and diet

Because the teeth grow constantly, normal alignment and steady chewing on coarse, fibrous food keep their length and shape in balance. The grinding motion of the jaw is essential to this wear. This page presents normal dental anatomy as general reference only.

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More Guinea Pig anatomy

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