|Home| |Keeping Healthy| |The Horses Mouth| |References| |Contact Mark| |Schedule| Keeping your Horses Mouth Healthy ::The importance of good dental health:: The horse's mouth is sadly a very neglected area. It is important to emphasise the importance of a good mouth- and teeth hygiene and maintenance. More and more people are becoming aware of how oral and dental health in the horse will effect the horse's health, well being and performance. No living creature can survive without nutrition, and for herbivores it is vital to be able to chew their feed properly before digesting. Three of the most common statements from owners who have not yet come to realise the importance of Equine Dental Health. 1. My horse is young, he doesn't need his teeth checked. This is a common misconception, young horses should be checked regularly to ensure teeth are developing normally and to address any potential issues at an early stage. Additionally, as with a farrier or vet, it is useful to have your horse accustomed early to having someone examine his mouth and work around his head. He will come to accept it as a normal procedure and make future work less stressful to him. No one wants to sedate unnecessarily. 2. Wild horses don't need dentists. Wild horses are not subjected to domestication. They eat and move naturally. We (many of us) keep our horses in an unnatural environment, feed in a way that they would not do in the wild. We stick metal in their mouths, tighten nosebands and flash bands around their jaws and haul on their mouths with reins. This does not happen to a wild horse. Also, in breeding, we do not allow nature to select the criteria for passing on genes. We breed miniature horses who's bodies miniaturise faster than their jaws and teeth do and this can lead to problems. Wild horses cannot be compared to domestic ones. ::Examination:: Owners should be aware that proper equine dentistry has a lot more to it than just sticking a float into the horse's mouth and rasping. It involves, or should involve, much more than that. A thorough examination is essential. Your dentist should look, touch and feel to examine the teeth and the mouth thoroughly to check for any abnormalities or loose teeth. Unfortunately there is no way your dentist can do a proper job of examining the horse without the use of a speculum, which looks uncomfortable but most horses - if they have been properly accustomed to examination - will tolerate it without fuss. The horse should be examined for abnormal eruption patterns, malocclusions, wear pattern, sharp points, loose teeth, cracked teeth, pockets, infections, retained caps etc. Soft tissue is examined for scars, wounds, ulcers, cuts....also the tongue The temporomandibular joint (that attaches the lower jaw to the scull) should be checked, as it in some horses can be very sore and actually have restricted movement. The horse should be checked that the lateral movement of the mandible (lower jaw) is normal and that the teeth makes grinding possible. The masticatory muscles are checked for soreness or swelling. If your horse requires treatment, this will be discussed with you. Why do we need to take care of our horse's teeth? As with all other aspects of health, it is always much better for the horse and less costly for owners to prevent disease and disorders when you are able, rather than waiting until you have to treat an already sick and suffering animal. Teeth and oral disease are no exceptions. Help the horse to avoid pain. The enamel ridges, overgrowths, trauma and infections in the mouth can really hurt your horse. This can manifest in a number of ways - see the symptoms page. Help the horse to be able to chew it's food properly by eliminating pain, sharp edges, hooks and ramps. The cost issue. A annual examination is a small cost to prevent disease, compared with prolonged treatment of an unwell animal. A horse that can't chew its food can get impactions of the throat and also intestines (one of the causes of colic symptoms) and it can also cause diarrhoea. A high performance horse needs all the nutrients and energy it possibly can from the food. If he can't chew properly, he can't digest properly. To make the teeth last longer, and thereby add to the life span of your horse. It is a misunderstood thing that the horses teeth grow all the horse's life like that of the rabbit. The horse molars have a maximum length and erupt around 5 mm per year, at the same rate as they are worn down, and in the end they simply don't have any more reserve crown to erupt. The life span of the teeth are amongst the most important factors deciding how long the horse will live. The elderly horse with really worn or missing teeth can be fed on soft and easy chewable feeds, ie Purina senior, to help it make the most of the food it is eating. Detect other problems in the horse's mouth at an early stage (injuries, ulcers, tumors etc) How often should I have my horse checked and at what age should I start? Like any other condition of the horse, the teeth should be checked immediately if the horse shows symptoms of disease or discomfort. If the horse doesn't show symptoms, it should be checked regularly anyway, as not all horses will show symptoms, or they might show symptoms that could be confused with something else. In the grown horse, as a general rule, and if your horse doesn't have a specific dental problem you know about, every 9-12 or so months should be fine. Start them off as foals, as it is very useful to find problems early to be able to correct them successfully. An overjet or underjet can cause problems with hooks, ramps and various other problems at an early age, and should be taken care of.