Equine Dentistry

There are many benefits for both you and your horse in having healthy
balanced teeth, including the obvious health benefits. There are also financial
and safety benefits:  



  • Food savings, better utilization of grazing and hard feed, which can save
    you up to 40% on your feed bills .
  • Better response and balance from your horses in stopping, turning and
    collecting.
  • Can reduce the chance of getting recurring and certain muscle problems in
    the back, neck and legs which is often related to teeth and the TMJ joint.
  • Excessive pain in the TMJ joint can shorten the horses stride. The horses
    movement can become restricted effecting the horses overall performance
    in most equine activities.
  • Generally horses under the age of ten years should be seen at least once
    every six months. Horses over the age of ten, once per year. This will
    ensure your horses teeth can be monitored from a young age and
    throughout its life. This will ensure that no serious problems develop and
    if something should arise, it can be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
    Horses that are high performance need their teeth checked every six
    months regardless of age.

Keep up to date on your horse’s health, so that you can avoid your horse
developing any problems, resulting in unnecessary suffering.

Every horse shows different degrees of pain with regard to dental disorders.
Horses with huge problems may act reasonably normal, while a horse with
small abnormalities may cause consistent problems while in work, riding or
training.

Some common symptoms include:

  • Head shaking and tossing, head shyness
  • Feed packing (you could see possible bumps protruding from under the
    cheeks)
  • Bad breath
  • Biting problems (sudden refusal or reluctance to accept the bit)
  • Reluctance to eat
  • Pulling head to one side when in work and head tilting when eating.
  • Quidding (dropping small balls of chewed forage and grain when eating)
  • Large particles of grain and hay in manure
  • Opening and crossing of the jaw when asked to collect.
  • TMJ sensitivity
  • Tucked up shortening of the stride
  • Possible impactions and colics
  • Trouble keeping weight on, large quantities of food required
  • Swelling and abscesses on the head
  • Sinusitis with or without nasal discharge
  • Overall loss of performance.

Oral Examinations
An oral examination can assess the occlusion (surface to surface contact
between opposing teeth), of both incisors and molars.

Molar arcades are important to check and make sure there is no resistance or
interference of long, ramped, hooked or ridged teeth, which would greatly
affect the horses chewing cycles and overall performance. Not to mention the
effect on the TMJ joint.

Age 0 – 18

Foals should be checked soon after birth and at weaning for congenital defects
in head symmetry or mastication. Then every six months thereafter to check for
sharp points, abnormal wear and improper number of teeth.

Age 2+


2 year olds need checking every 6 months to remove and check for caps which
can cause great pain when chewing and can cause future problems if not
removed at the right time, or if the cap is retained. Wolf teeth may be
present and need extracting. There may also be sharp points that will
need rasping which will make the horse more comfortable, especially if you are
starting with bits and riding.

Breakdown of oral examination
Abnormal eruption patterns / malocclusions, wear pattern, sharp points, loose
teeth, cracked teeth, pockets, infections, retained caps and wolf teeth. Soft
tissue examined for scars, wounds, ulcers, cuts, also on the tongue.

Finally, TMJ for soreness. Check lateral movement for grinding food efficiancy.
Symptoms
Benefits