Teeth Two

The back molars which cause our problems

What sort of common problems can arise with horses 'teeth?

Let's start by looking at youngsters under five years of age. Yes! - surprisingly enough, young horses do get dental problems. A lot of change and development takes place in the early years starting with the development of milk teeth during the first nine months of life then the replacement by permanent adult teeth between 2½ and 4½ years of age. We commonly see problems associated with the loosening of the milk teeth, particularly the cheek teeth, primarily the dropping of food, particularly hard food, or the reluctance to eat fibre such as hay. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for these enamel caps to break and leave pieces of tooth embedded in the sensitive gum. We are not in favour of removing milk teeth unless they are causing a problem but if there are symptoms to suggest a loose or fractured milk tooth get Parkside to make a full mouth examination. These teeth are easily removed.

Another commonly found problem in youngsters is swellings on the lower jawbone or mandible. These swellings are usually associated with the development of the adult cheek teeth. The single rule of thumb is that if they are symmetrical i.e. equal size and present on both jawbones, then they are likely to be normal tooth development and will disappear as the horse gets older. However, if the swelling is on one jawbone only, is hot and painful to touch, or is discharging then you probably have an abscessed or impacted tooth. The permanent cheek teeth erupt so that the last one to grow in is the third cheek tooth, and it has to force its way into a small gap. By doing this it eliminates any gaps between the cheek teeth so that you have a continuous enamel ridge or grinding surface with no gaps where food can be trapped and subsequently cause gum disease. This is a common reason for corrective specialist treatment at Parkside. On occasion there is insufficient space for this tooth to erupt so any suspicious lump should be x-rayed to ascertain if this is the problem.

In the middle aged (between 5 -15 years) horse, the most common problem we see is laceration of the cheeks caused by large enamel spikes. Removing these spikes is of paramount importance to the horse's wellbeing as it re-establishes an even surface for him to efficiently grind and chew his food prior to swallowing. We spend a great deal of money feeding a horse so we want to maximise the nutritional value he gets from it. Providing a smooth surface also allows us to use a bit and bridle without causing pain and damage to the horse's sensitive mouth.  Vets should use a mouth gag when rasping a horse's teeth so the next time your horse is being rasped ask if you can feel these spikes for yourself.  Once you have felt these spikes, particularly on the outer surface of the upper cheek teeth, you won't need any further convincing about the importance of regular rasping! Many a poor horse has been called everything under the sun for being difficult to ride when, in actual fact, he is in extreme discomfort.

A very common problem in as many as 15% of horses is the development of large hooks on the front of the first upper cheek tooth with an associated large hook on the back of the sixth lower cheek tooth. This is caused by the upper arcade of teeth being slightly more forward than the lower arcade, therefore an area on the first upper and sixth lower is not in wear. These hooks can grow so big that they catch the gum on the opposite jaw when the horse chews - ouch!! No wonder these horses tend to lose weight and will often spit out food, particularly hay, having tried to chew it. If you find little balls of rolled up hay in your horse's box he may have this problem. Regular dental rasping will prevent this developing - in young horses you may have to rasp every six months as it is this period of the horse's life that the teeth are erupting fastest. In older horses we see a huge range of different problems, many of them associated with abnormal wear during the middle years of life. Problems will be minimised by inspections ecery year.

The growth slows down, but not always all at the same time, and we often find a wave appearance to the cheek arcade instead of two flat surfaces that can grind against one another. This makes chewing more difficult and less efficient - so the horse will loose weight, particularly in the wintertime, and this needs our more specialised equipment to make repairs. Hay is the most difficult food for the horse to eat, it's dry, the stems are long, and it has to be well ground before it is swallowed. If your horse is not eating the expected quantity of hay then there may be a problem developing. Loss of weight is the most common symptom of teeth problems.

Wave formation.

Cheek teeth will eventually grow out leaving a smooth surface which is useless for grinding. We have one patient who has only four cheek teeth left! When teeth are missing, you get food trapped in the gaps so a common symptom is the presence of a bad smell from the mouth or swelling on the side of the cheek where the food is trapped.

Finally, to broach a contentious subject - clients often ask  about horse dentists. As in all spheres of life, some are better than others, but in making your decision you should be aware that none of them have any specific qualifications. A few may have had some training - many have not. They are legally permitted to rasp teeth but no more than that. They are not allowed to remove teeth or to administer any drugs. If something goes wrong, and with horses there is always the risk of that, then they are not going to have professional indemnity insurance. As most of them travel around the countryside they are not likely to still be accessible in the event of a problem.

Teeth-2 has only touched the surface of the problems associated with abnormalities of horses' teeth. We have tried to stress the importance of prevention rather than cure and that the horse's comfort and confidence directly affects his ability to enjoy his job and do it well. Yearly check are especially recommended, for the reasons explained. With the new Equine facility at Kings Cross Road surgery and with more dental specialisation within the practice, we are now in a position to do much more in the treatment of teeth problems - call if you think your horse has a problem.
PERFORMANCE DENTISTRY REALLY CAN GIVE YOUR HORSE OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE!