Teeth, though seldom seen and oft ignored, are important to a chameleon; a healthy dentition means a chameleon will flourish because he's well equipped to grasp and kill his prey, and gain all the nutrition he needs. Although keepers do not brush their chameleon's teeth, there is a distinct advantage in melleri oral care. The sheer size of giant chameleons makes life-saving surgical intervention a possibility, while it is difficult or impossible in pygmy or modest-sized species. First we'll examine the dentition of the melleri mouth and the structural failures they are prone to, followed by the opportunistic organisms that bring about oral decay. 

The teeth of a chameleon are acrodontal, much like the teeth of a jeweler's saw or pliers, being fused without sockets to the body of the mandible and the upper palate. The chameleon has one set of teeth for its entire life, it has no loss of baby teeth and individual teeth do not loosen and fall out when decayed. There lies a great advantage in tooth sockets that humans take for granted or consider an inconvenience: our damaged teeth may be safely removed before infection spreads to the mandible, causing full-blown bone infection (osteomyelitis). Since they don’t eat sugary foods and there are no eruptions of new teeth, how does a chameleon tooth become compromised?

In the wild, chameleons are not likely to come in oral contact with super-hard objects that can chip their teeth. In captivity, these objects abound and are even used for feeding the animals. Feeding with tweezers is a dangerous practice, even if the keeper has a strong grip. The suction and strength of the giant chameleon's tongue can pull the entire tweezers into the mouth and the teeth instantly clamp down. The design of teeth is for holding prey and applying the killing crush before swallowing whole (or partly chewed); when a hard metal tweezer is in the mouth, the killing crush can apply enough force to chip the teeth against the metal object. The chameleon will expel the tweezers immediately, but the damage may already be done. In the wild, young and clumsy melleri rarely contact hard surfaces, equipment, or furnishings, unless they are cohabitating with a village or plantation. If keeping a subadult melleri in a free-range tree set-up, make sure it is under constant supervision when on excursions away from its tree territory. In young male melleri, these explorations will be frequent and a secure enclosure may be necessary while the keeper is otherwise occupied. Melleri can and will climb household banisters, curtains, screens, and even broomsticks, resulting in falls against hard objects which can result in chipped teeth and broken bones. Indoors, melleri fall onto hard floors instead of deep leaf litter. 

In both the wild and captivity, stick chewing has been documented in subadult and female chameleons of various species. Melleri are no exception, and have been known to surprise their keepers with chewing action of such gusto as to bring to mind the Pit Bull dog. This chewing may start with shooting the tongue at the branch or bud target, then lunging and "attacking" with both rostral (end of mouth) and lateral (side of mouth) bites. The purpose of this activity is not precisely known. Melleri have temporal glands that may leave scent markers on branches to delineate their territories, while laterally chewing. This may alternatively be a scent lure for insect prey. Some bird species are known to distress the bark of trees to drive up sap and thereby draw insect prey, so the pairing of the chewing/distressing and the temporal gland could be an attractive combination. This chewing may just be the young melleri practicing its killing bite and preparing for larger prey. Wild gravid females that exhibit this behavior may be attempting to supplement themselves with nutrition or fiber they do not acquire from prey. If the bite is strong enough, and the woody target just dense enough, a youngster may chip its teeth by this natural method. 

In captivity, melleri are exposed to mostly farmed prey varieties. Few keepers have the time or opportunity to collect 100% wild gutloaded prey. Prey that is insufficiently gutloaded does not provide the melleri with the bone-building materials needed for skeletal and dental health. A diet of strictly soft prey (larvae and soft-bodied flying insects) does nothing to abrade and thereby clean the teeth (think of dental doggie treats). A balance of chitinous and soft prey is beneficial for the gut and can't be bad for the teeth and gums. In addition, few captive melleri have natural sunlight basking in excess of 8 hours a week. Full spectrum UV bulbs are necessary for indoor set-ups, especially during winter chills, but no bulb is a physical and psychological replacement for basking in natural sunlight. The action of natural solar radiation with a properly gutloaded or 100% wild diet allows the mineral and vitamin building blocks to activate and maintain the entire skeleton, teeth included. Minimal or zero natural sunlight exposure facilitates  overall weakened bone mass, to varying degrees.  With the onset of Metabolic Bone Disease, tooth chipping and serious mandible breaks become an immediate danger. This condition alone is a painful, crippling killer of chameleons, whether or not the dentition is damaged. 

Under stress of capture and importation, or from filthy or inadequate caging, chameleons can develop disorders that encourage tooth decay. Stomatitis, or mouth ulcers, is thought to erupt from combinations of these causes. In humans, apthous stomatitis resulting purely from stress is still a debated issue. This author will not presume to say stress is ever the single cause for the appearance of stomatitis in chameleons, especially with such limited data on chameleons currently available. Oral ulcers create a platform from which infection can strike other tissues, including normal healthy dentition. Dirty or rough/sharp caging can open wounds on the chameleon's feet, allowing bacteria to enter the toes, infect the carpals or tarsals, then osteomyletis can quickly spread through the body to other skeletal structures, including the teeth (read more below). 

Once a tooth or row of teeth is damaged, two varieties of opportunists move in. Bacteria can be picked up from prey, filthy caging, or spread from another infected site on the chameleon's body. Bacteria start at the opening in the tooth surface, colonizing along well into the mandible itself. If not treated with surgical removal of infected sections of the mandible and/or palate, the bacteria spread quickly and colonize other sections of the skeleton. Areas that are most welcoming to the spread of osteomyelitis are teeth, ends of toes (tarsals and carpals), the pelvis, and the spine. Without speedy treatment and aggressive antibiotic therapy, osteomyelitis can spread and kill a chameleon in days. Fungal infections are also possible when the dentition has been breached. Treatment is also surgical and pharmacological. 

For a case study of fungal periodontal osteomyelitis, click:

http://www.arav.org/Journals/JA018149.htm 

Few keepers have their giant chameleons examined as often as they should (annually), and some do not perform home exams. It is a smart idea to train your melleri to accept having its mouth opened, even briefly, for a visual check. A melleri that has been freshly imported or moved from its home breeding farm is not likely to handle this well; let your vet do the oral exam when it is brought in for its initial check-up and wait until the animal has acclimated before starting oral exams on your own. A threatened melleri can and will inflict a painful bite, so it's best to wait until your animal knows you better.  Tame melleri will learn to open if you act in slow steps:

1. Touch the rostral end of the mouth opening. Some melleri will instantly open the mouth. Other melleri do this when the rostral process is tickled. 

2. Using a very short fingernail, insert the nail between the lips rostrally- do not apply pressure. Alternatively, use a blade of grass or a clean leaf to "tickle" the lip. 

3. Apply very light pressure with the fingernail, downwards, slowly. This could break a jaw if done hurriedly or too firmly, be very gentle. 

  Some keepers use a credit card or film negatives to pry and hold open the mouth, others pull down on the delicate gular skin. This author does not recommend these methods as they can cause damage where one is seeking to prevent it. The intention is to get a quick visual exam, not hold the mouth open. If treatment of the mouth interior is necessary, ask your vet to show you a safe, non-injurious method for holding the mouth open. 

Oral mucosa color in melleri does in fact change with age. Neonates hatch with black oral mucosa that contrasts sharply with their tiny white teeth. The tongue is yellow or pale pink with dark gray accents. As they age, the melanin mottles away to reveal a mostly pale mouth. The skin in the corners of the mouth, surrounding the temporal glands, remains black through adulthood.  Blue (minimal xanth) and standard yellow-green color morphs have pale pink mucosa with purple-black spotting, fading to a near white palate. Blues can have mostly dark tongues with a yellow tip, while standards may have a 50% dark tongue with a pink end.  

 The mouth interior and exterior should be free of swelling, red sores, or oozing pus. Feeding behavior should be speedy and thorough (prey is not expelled and tongue recoils properly). The temporal gland should shed normally, with the rest of the facial shed. A normal temporal gland is cream to white in color in the center, surrounded by purple-black wrinkled skin. Mature melleri may show yellowing or browning of the teeth, especially after a locust meal. Prey "tobacco spit" can stain the exterior and interior of the mouth. Some giants exhibit this dental patina as they age, regardless of diet or sun exposure. If brown/black teeth are flanked by puffy and reddened gums, or pus is present, there is a problem. 

temporal gland excess "wax plate" and cotton swabs, coin for scale /photo K. Francis

Yellow area in black skin in mouth corner is a normal temporal gland. / photo K. Francis

By knowing your melleri inside and out, you increase his chances at a long, healthy life in captivity. Don't ignore the mouth and take time to observe your chameleon's feeding behavior. You can get him to a vet that much faster when you first suspect something is wrong; quick action saves chameleon lives, and your vet will admire your observational skills.