Equine Dentistry

Abrahams Equine Clinic uses state of the art dentistry equipment and we take pride in our dentistry procedures. We sedate all horses, do a full oral exam and keep personalized dental charts. We use a headlight, full mouth speculum, headstand, and powerfloat to float teeth. Motorized equipment is employed to reduce enamel points, perform bit seats, and reduce sharp canine teeth, and correct incisor misalignments, wave mouths, hooks, and ramps. We also routinely extract wolf teeth.

Dr. Christine’s top 10 list
Most commonly asked questions about equine dentistry

10. Q: what does it mean to float a horse’s teeth?

A: Teeth floating is the most common dental procedure veterinarians perform on horses. Floating is the process of rasping or filing down a horses teeth, thus removing the sharp enamel points to create an even bite plane. Floating also keeps incisors and cheek teeth at a desirable length.

9. Q: Why do horses need their teeth floated?

A: Horses teeth are different than human teeth. Horse’s teeth continually grow throughout their lifetime. Also, a horse’s teeth upper jaw is wider than their lower jaw. Therefore the outside edges of the top teeth and the inside edges of the lower teeth do not get worn down and they develop sharp points. The sharp enamel points can make it difficult for horses to properly chew their food. This can lead to large particles in the digestive tract and cause the horse to be at risk for impaction colic. Also, the sharp enamel points can cause sores in the horse’s mouth and allow bacteria and toxins to enter the horse’s bloodstream. The sores also can cause behavior problems in horses especially when a bit is placed in the horse’s mouth.

8. Q: What are wolf teeth?

A: Wolf teeth are small teeth that generally erupt in front of the first cheek teeth in the upper jaw. Wolf teeth rarely are found on the lower jaw. Most wolf teeth erupt by 1 year of age.

7. Q: Do wolf teeth need to be removed?

A: Not all wolf teeth cause problems, however enough of them do. These teeth are found in front of all the first cheek teeth and can be irritated by a bit. These teeth also do not serve a purpose in chewing. Therefore we recommend that wolf teeth be removed when they are found in a horse’s mouth.

6. Q: At what age should a horse have dental work performed?

A: Dental care is very important part of the horse’s health care. A foal should get its mouth examined in the first week of life. The foals jaw alignment and incisor placement should be examined. The first dental floating should be done as early as six months of life. Young teeth are very soft and can develop sharp enamel points. These sharp points can cut into the horse’s cheeks and teeth. These abrasions allow bacteria and toxins to enter the horse’s bloodstream 24 hours a day, for years and years, thus shortening the horse’s life expectancy.

5. Q: How often should a dental exam be performed?

A: The first exam/floating should be done at about 6 months of age. Then the teeth should be floated every 6 months until the age of 5 years old. By the time the horse is 5 years old, it should have shed all its baby teeth and have a full set of permanent teeth. Horses from 5 to about 15 years of age usually need to be floated one time a year. Older horses should be checked every 6 months, especially if they are missing teeth or have poor alignment.

4. Q: What should be involved in a dental check up?

A: For a complete examination the horse should be sedated and a full mouth speculum applied to hold open the horse’s mouth. A good light source is needed to visually examine the teeth and oral cavity. All the teeth should be palpated to check for loose teeth and sharp edges especially the back teeth on both the upper and lower jaw.

3. Q: Why are routine dental examinations important?

A: Horses with dental problems may show obvious signs such as pain or irritation. However often times horses with major dental problems may show no signs at all. This is because some horses simply adapt to their discomfort.

2. Q: What are common signs of dental problems?

A: Dental problems in horses can present in various ways and may include the following: Loss of feed while eating, Difficulty while chewing, excessive salivation, weight loss, undigested feed in manure, foul odor from mouth of nostrils, swelling of face, jaw, or mouth, head tilting and tossing, bitting problems, bit chewing, tongue rolling, bit restraint, poor performance, lunging in the bridle failing to turn or stop.

1. Q: How do horses in the wild survive with out dental care?

A: Wild horses did not live very long! With proper dental care we can add 5-15 years to our horse’s life. Also domestication of horses has caused them to wear their teeth improperly. When turned out on pasture, horses browse continuously, picking up grit and dirt in the process. This, plus silicate in the grass wears down teeth. Stabled horses, however may not give their teeth the same workout. Feedings are usually scheduled, and not continuous. Also the feed is typically processes grains and hay. These processed feeds are softer and require less chewing. This may allow the horses teeth to become long or wear unevenly.