Ball Pythons misaligned jaw...

[Bayalicious]

Hello! So my Luna has got me in quite the predicament. Last month (Sept 22) her jaw was swollen and she has a big bump on her bottom jaw. I was super worried about it being mouth rot or something so I was able to get an appointment within a couple days and the vet said that it's just a slight infection from her jaw being misaligned. She was treated with antibiotics every 3 days for 5 shots. Those went well and everything was fine it looked better after the treatment of antibiotics. I tried to ask what causes it and will it fix itself or will this keep happening and I think I know my answer now. Today (Oct 20) I noticed her mouth is starting to look like it did last month .
So since my vet kinda avoided the question about how to fix this permanently, does anyone else have a ball python with the same issue? I just want to know what I can do to help her.

She eats a weaned rat around 40g every ten days and hasn't missed a meal since I got her so that's good. She's around 500g and just under 3 ft.

Pics from before and now
Now is Coco bark and jean pics lol

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[Bogertophis]

It appears to me that one or more of her teeth are caught on other tissues inside her mouth- surely your vet completely opened her mouth when she was seen?

The main thing is to carefully help the snake get their teeth unhooked, as gently but effectively as possible. I've had snakes do this before- it's been a long time & I think it was when I had BPs (which I no longer do)- they have fairly long teeth & "big mouths" & seem a little prone to doing this.

Sometimes you can get a small blunt tool (like a wood popsicle stick) in their mouth behind the teeth to unhook them. This is why snakes often yawn before & after they eat- to get their teeth back in alignment- but sometimes they still get in a fix.

When they strike their food, a few teeth may be loosened & knocked sideways- causing this trouble. Sometimes an offending tooth may actually end up poking right thru the snake's jaw (visible outside the snake's face), & necessitating removal.

It's possible, if this is ignored, that your snake will get an infection & swelling from this- obviously, that is best avoided with prompt treatment of the teeth. If your snake had such a swelling* & antibiotics, & now it's recurring, it's possible that an embedded tooth was never removed. Unfortunately you might need vet help again, & you might want a different opinion. https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661 *FYI, snakes have mostly solid pus, so if an abscess forms, it usually needs surgical help to drain.

[Bayalicious]

Okay thank you so much for the suggestion I will try that!

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[Bayalicious]

It appears to me that one or more of her teeth are caught on other tissues inside her mouth- surely your vet completely opened her mouth when she was seen? The main thing is to carefully help the snake get their teeth unhooked, as gently but effectively as possible. I've had snakes do this before- it's been a long time & I think it was when I had BPs (which I no longer do)- they have fairly long teeth & "big mouths" & seem a little prone to doing this. Sometimes you can get a small blunt tool in their mouth behind the teeth to unhook them. This is why snakes often yawn before & after they eat- to get their teeth back in alignment- but sometimes they still get in a fix.

It does look like her bottom lip is caught on her bottom teeth . I'm trying my best to open her jaw all the way and get it unstuck. She's struggling with me hard so it must hurt. I am giving her a small break for a minute and I noticed she's wheezing and making a whistling noise. But that might be her huffing and hissing as well.

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[Bogertophis]

It does look like her bottom lip is caught on her bottom teeth . I'm trying my best to open her jaw all the way and get it unstuck. She's struggling with me hard so it must hurt. I am giving her a small break for a minute and I noticed she's wheezing and making a whistling noise. But that might be her huffing and hissing as well.

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That's what it looks like to me also. Very similar to the way we look when we bite our lip. But snakes teeth are sharp & curve just enough to be trouble. Do your best to keep her calm- not too heavy handed & let her rest. Most snakes seem to figure out we're trying to help them when we're patient, even though they hate whatever we're doing. Might help if someone else can help you restrain her, but I've done this solo before, so it's up to you & what you're comfortable with.

[Bayalicious]

That's what it looks like to me also. Very similar to the way we look when we bite our lip. But snakes teeth are sharp & curve just enough to be trouble. Do your best to keep her calm- not too heavy handed & let her rest. Most snakes seem to figure out we're trying to help them when we're patient, even though they hate whatever we're doing. Might help if someone else can help you restrain her, but I've done this solo before, so it's up to you & what you're comfortable with.

Thank you, I managed to try again with my husband holding a flashlight and she realigned it herself after I forced her jaw open. It looks okay now. I'll just have to check her after every time she feeds so it doesn't become infected again. That might of been it the first time but I didn't know about it until it was too late.

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[Bogertophis]

Yay!!! Good job! She'd thank you if she could talk...lol.

[Bayalicious]

Haha thanks. I am so paranoid about anything medical and especially with her issues the last time. I'm glad I don't have to drop another benjamin on her haha. She was really good too she only had a hissy fit .

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[Bayalicious]

Update for Luna.
I've noticed she has repeatedly gotten her lip stuck on her teeth in the same spot, happens every couple of weeks or so. I try to fix it the best I can with prying her mouth open with a qtip and trying to get her lip unstuck and that works. I'm just wondering if this is going to be a chronic issue with her. Is there anything else I could do to help her? I have been very vigilant checking her mouth every day so it doesn't get left for too long leading to another infection. Her eating doesn't seem to affect it it happens before or after she eats. It varies. Maybe she just needs snake dental if that's a thing. If it was a loose tooth you would think it would fall out by now. The vet told me that her jaw is misaligned from a previous injury or just a defect and that could be the reason it gets stuck often.
I just feel bad for her because I have to do routine snake dental work to fix her lip. (She does NOT like her mouth being messed with)
Pic of the big girl, she's growing so fast

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[Bogertophis]

I think I'd have to agree with what the vet said- her jaw may be permanently misaligned from either a natural defect or the previous injury.

You're correct that "loose teeth" don't hang around for long. I suppose you might check with a very experienced vet about "dental work" for a lasting solution- I'm happy to say I've never had nor heard of this problem in snakes. Since their teeth are self-replacing, I'm not sure if removing a few would help any, if it was done permanently- but ask a vet if that's an option? & do update us?