Equine Dentistry

The mouth of the horse continues to change throughout the life of the horse but no changes are as great as between the ages of 2-5 years.  During that time, the hose will lose 24 deciduous teeth (baby teeth) and erupt 36 permanent teeth.  This is also the time when we are asking the most of our young horses as they start their athletic careers.  Careful attention must be paid to the teeth during this time to prevent serious problems later on in life.  Premature or delayed tooth eruption creates an uneven occlusal surface that worsens over time.  Most major dental problems of the horse are preventable with proper general maintenance.

Teeth erupt at the same are they wear down and the upper cheek teeth are 30% wider than the lower set.  This situation causes sharp edges, or points, to form on the cheek side of the upper teeth and the tongue side of the lower teeth.  Pressure from halters, buts and hackamores on these points can cause pain and reduce performance.  Bits that pinch tissue against the sharp edges of the teeth also cause pain, which leads to head tossing and excessive "mouthing" of the bit.  With regular dental care we can smooth the shaper points and create a bit-seat or tamp to alleviate bit pain.  We can also ensure that your horse's teeth have the proper occlusal angle to chew efficiently.

Another concern is feed utilization.  Horses are hindgut fermenters, which means that most of the nutrients are extracted by the microbial fermentation in the cecum.  However, digestions starts in the mouth where feed is ground into fuel for the horse's engine, the gut.  When the particle size of the partially digested feed is too large, the feed passes through the gut before the nutrients can be extracted.  One way to get an idea of how efficiently your horse is "burning" his fuel is to check the fiber length in the manure,  manure that looks like long wet lawn clippings probably indicates poor grinding action by the teeth.  Inadequately chewed roughage increases risk of intestinal obstruction.

Equine Dentistry is a valuable too in managing your horse's health and performance.  If your horse cannot properly chew their feed stuff, certain problems can arise such as;  wave mouth, hooks ramps, excessive transverse ridges (ETR), steps and prominent upper buccal ridges.  Unfortunately, your horse's teeth often seem to be the victim of the "out of sight, out of mind" philosophy.

What does this mean to you, as the owner, and your equine companion?  Dental abnormalities can lead to weight loss, colic, quidding (dropping boluses of feed), excessive salivation, choke, ulcers, foul odors in the mouth, head tilting or tossing and poor performance such as resisting the bit, stiffness and even bucking.  To maintain proper balance of your horse's mouth, dentistry should be performed either by your veterinarian or a certified equine dental technician.  The duration between dentistry is based on the individuality of your horse but typically can be six months to a year.

So what is the difference between a basic float and complete motorized dentistry?  A basic float consists of rasping sharp points and ridges along the upper buccal (outer) cheek teeth and lower lingual tongue) cheek teeth.  In comparison, a complete motorized dental procedure is comprised of reducing long dominant teeth (which can lock up your horse's jaw), applying bit seats (allowing bit comfort), canine reduction (in geldings & stallions) and incisor reduction/realignment through the use of motorized tools.

Veterinarians realize the heavy correlation between your horse's health and their teeth.  A regular dental plan is just as important as a regular vaccination, deworming and farrier regime.  If you have any questions or would like to set up a dental exam, please feel free to call The Equine Center to make an appointment with Justin Christensen or one of our veterinarians.