Post by Elaine on Dec 6, 2007 13:40:20 GMT
www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/hrs3714
Introduction
To appreciate the characteristics of horse teeth we must remember that the horse evolved as a grazing animal. Pastured horses usually eat 10-12 hours a day in sessions lasting 30-180 minutes. Confined horses eat grain or pelleted feed rapidly and may be bored for long periods of time. Horses eating mainly grain or pelleted diets have less lateral range of jaw movement while chewing compared to horses on grass or hay. Stabled horses appear to have more problems with sharp enamel points on the outside of the upper cheek teeth and the inside of the lower cheek teeth. Stable horses do not use their incisors for shearing grass and do not wear their incisors as much as grazing horses. This may lead to excessive length of incisors which could decrease the grinding effectiveness of the cheek teeth. As can be seen, the way we manage our horses has great influence on the development of dental problems, i.e. the pastured horse should develop less dental problems than the stabled horse.
A horse's incisors and cheek teeth continue to erupt until the horse is 20 plus years old. This is good to replace worn off teeth, but bad when a tooth or part of a tooth is not opposed. The unopposed tooth or part of a tooth will continue to erupt, getting taller/longer causing problems in both eating and performance.
Sharp Enamel Points
Nearly all horses develop sharp enamel points on the outside of the upper cheek teeth and on the inside of the lower cheek teeth. Sharp enamel points can affect both eating and performance by hurting cheeks and tongue. The sharp enamel points should be floated (rasped off). Horses should have their teeth floated before going into training as the noseband of a halter or bridle will push the cheeks into the sharp points making the horse uncomfortable. If a bit is used, it will pull/push tissue into sharp points causing pain.
I am not sure when floating should start on young horses. Some weanlings and yearlings have such sharp enamel points that they have problems with eating and need floating. Most weanlings and yearlings have sharp points, but eat carefully and do fine.
Floating may also involve some levelling of the cheek teeth, rounding the fronts of the first cheek teeth, removing the small hooks, ramps, and beaks, and restoring the normal 10-15° angle to occlusal surfaces. Floating is the most commonly performed corrective dental procedure in horses.
Bit Seats
Bit seats is the term applied to rounded and smoothed front surfaces of the first cheek teeth. This rounding and smoothing is usually helpful to horses that are ridden or driven using a bit. There is less pain produced when soft tissue is pulled or pushed into the first cheek teeth by the bit. There is some disagreement as to how much rounding and smoothing should be done.
Caps (Retained Deciduous Premolars)
Retained caps can cause inadequate eating, anorexia and poor performance. Most caps come off on their own as they should, but some are retained and can caused the problems listed previously. A rough guide to shedding times of caps is 2 years, 8 months for the first cheek teeth; 2 years, 10 months for the second cheek teeth; and 3 years, 8 months for the third cheek teeth. This is only a rough guide as not all horses follow this schedule. If a line of demarcation can be seen or felt between the baby (deciduous) tooth and permanent tooth, then the cap should be extracted.
Wolf Teeth
Wolf teeth are small teeth that may be located in front of the first cheek teeth. Horses may have from 0-4 wolf teeth. Usually 1 or 2 upper jaw teeth are present. Lower jaw wolf teeth are rare, but may occur.
Impacted or blind wolf teeth may occur. These wolf teeth grow forward under the gum and do not erupt. The gum in front of the first cheek teeth must be palpated to identify impacted wolf teeth.
It is impossible to tell which wolf teeth may cause performance problems and the front of the first cheek teeth can not be rounded/smoothed with the wolf teeth in place, so I extract nearly all wolf teeth. It is good to have the young horse's teeth floated and wolf teeth extracted before starting any training.
Tall or Long Teeth, Hooks, Ramps, and Beaks
As mentioned earlier, teeth or parts of teeth not in occlusion continue to erupt and become tall or long. It is common for the upper cheek teeth to be slightly forward in relationship to the lower cheek teeth resulting in hook formation on the upper first cheek teeth and the lower last cheek teeth. Nearly any time there is a missing tooth, the unopposed tooth becomes long/tall enough to cause major problems.
The tall/long teeth or parts of teeth may be floated off, cut with molar cutters or ground off with Dremel-type instruments. This needs to be done by someone knowledgeable in dental procedures.
Canines
Normally only male horses have tall/sharp canines. Tall/sharp canines need to be cut/blunted. This reduces the chance of the horse being injured by catching the canines on a fixed object, they will do less damage if fighting, be easier to insert and remove the bit, there will be less tartar buildup, the tongue will not be trapped by tall canines and most important to me as a veterinarian is to reduce the chance of lacerating my hand and wrist while performing corrective dental procedures. Canines normally erupt when the horse is between 3-5 years old. Some canines appear to have trouble getting through the gums and the area may become very painful. In instances like this, the painful gum should be removed to allow the canine to erupt. The small undeveloped canines found in some mares may cause performance problems and may be removed or rasped level with gum.
Incisor Problems
Horses may retain baby (deciduous) incisors resulting in a double row of teeth. These retained deciduous incisors should be extracted so the permanent incisors can move into their correct location.
The occlusal (nipping) surfaces of the incisors should be level from side to side. The incisors need to be examined by viewing from the front to see if they are level or not. If the occlusal surfaces are not level, then levelling should be done. If any incisors are missing, the unopposed incisors become long/tall and may "lock" the incisors from lateral movement. Levelling the incisors will "unlock" them resulting in greatly improved performance in some horses. The incisors may become too long causing poor occlusion of the cheek teeth resulting in inadequate mastication of food. Correction is by shortening the incisors. Levelling and shortening the incisors should only be done by someone knowledgeable in dental procedures.
Eruption of Permanent Teeth
It is helpful to have an understanding of when permanent teeth erupt as erupting teeth may cause the horse discomfort resulting in both eating and performance problems. The central incisor erupts at 2½ years, intermediate incisor at 3½ years, and corner incisor at 4½ years. The second premolars (first cheek teeth) erupt at 2 years, 8 months; third premolars (second cheek teeth) at 2 years, 10 months; and fourth premolars (third cheek teeth) at 3 years, 8 months. These are only guidelines as not all horses read the book.
There is a lot of activity going on in a horse's mouth from 2½ years to 5 years of age. It may take frequent examinations and minor dental procedures to keep a horse of this age at peak performance levels. Even with correct dental care, proper tack and good riding ability the young horse may be "mouthy" from all the activity of erupting teeth.
Old Horse Dentistry
It is common for old horses to develop wave mouths and other problems as their teeth wear out. Some old horses' teeth can not be fixed, but usually can be helped by careful examination and indicated corrective procedures. Usually switching to a pelleted feed, especially formulated for older horses, will help the older horse with inadequate teeth.
Summary
There are several potential problems associated with horse teeth. These problems can affect both eating and performance of the horse. All horses need to have regular complete dental examinations yearly, but examinations may need to be more frequent especially in young and old horses. Abnormal conditions found at examination need to be corrected. This prevents minor problems from becoming major problems. Good dental care helps reduce colic and choke, prolongs the effectiveness of the teeth, increases feed efficiency, and enhances performance.
About the Author
Dr. W. Leon Scrutchfield is an equine veterinarian with a special interest in dentistry. He teaches dentistry to veterinary students at Texas A & M University, as well as conducts veterinary workshops on dental care throughout North America .
This information was presented at, and appears in the Proceedings of, the 1998 Alberta Horse Breeders and Owners Conference.
This information is maintained by of the Horse Industry Section of Alberta Agriculture in conjunction with Sylvia Schneider at Pondside Web Productions.
W. Leon Scrutchfield, DVM
College of Veterinary Medicine
Texas A & M University
Introduction
To appreciate the characteristics of horse teeth we must remember that the horse evolved as a grazing animal. Pastured horses usually eat 10-12 hours a day in sessions lasting 30-180 minutes. Confined horses eat grain or pelleted feed rapidly and may be bored for long periods of time. Horses eating mainly grain or pelleted diets have less lateral range of jaw movement while chewing compared to horses on grass or hay. Stabled horses appear to have more problems with sharp enamel points on the outside of the upper cheek teeth and the inside of the lower cheek teeth. Stable horses do not use their incisors for shearing grass and do not wear their incisors as much as grazing horses. This may lead to excessive length of incisors which could decrease the grinding effectiveness of the cheek teeth. As can be seen, the way we manage our horses has great influence on the development of dental problems, i.e. the pastured horse should develop less dental problems than the stabled horse.
A horse's incisors and cheek teeth continue to erupt until the horse is 20 plus years old. This is good to replace worn off teeth, but bad when a tooth or part of a tooth is not opposed. The unopposed tooth or part of a tooth will continue to erupt, getting taller/longer causing problems in both eating and performance.
Sharp Enamel Points
Nearly all horses develop sharp enamel points on the outside of the upper cheek teeth and on the inside of the lower cheek teeth. Sharp enamel points can affect both eating and performance by hurting cheeks and tongue. The sharp enamel points should be floated (rasped off). Horses should have their teeth floated before going into training as the noseband of a halter or bridle will push the cheeks into the sharp points making the horse uncomfortable. If a bit is used, it will pull/push tissue into sharp points causing pain.
I am not sure when floating should start on young horses. Some weanlings and yearlings have such sharp enamel points that they have problems with eating and need floating. Most weanlings and yearlings have sharp points, but eat carefully and do fine.
Floating may also involve some levelling of the cheek teeth, rounding the fronts of the first cheek teeth, removing the small hooks, ramps, and beaks, and restoring the normal 10-15° angle to occlusal surfaces. Floating is the most commonly performed corrective dental procedure in horses.
Bit Seats
Bit seats is the term applied to rounded and smoothed front surfaces of the first cheek teeth. This rounding and smoothing is usually helpful to horses that are ridden or driven using a bit. There is less pain produced when soft tissue is pulled or pushed into the first cheek teeth by the bit. There is some disagreement as to how much rounding and smoothing should be done.
Caps (Retained Deciduous Premolars)
Retained caps can cause inadequate eating, anorexia and poor performance. Most caps come off on their own as they should, but some are retained and can caused the problems listed previously. A rough guide to shedding times of caps is 2 years, 8 months for the first cheek teeth; 2 years, 10 months for the second cheek teeth; and 3 years, 8 months for the third cheek teeth. This is only a rough guide as not all horses follow this schedule. If a line of demarcation can be seen or felt between the baby (deciduous) tooth and permanent tooth, then the cap should be extracted.
Wolf Teeth
Wolf teeth are small teeth that may be located in front of the first cheek teeth. Horses may have from 0-4 wolf teeth. Usually 1 or 2 upper jaw teeth are present. Lower jaw wolf teeth are rare, but may occur.
Impacted or blind wolf teeth may occur. These wolf teeth grow forward under the gum and do not erupt. The gum in front of the first cheek teeth must be palpated to identify impacted wolf teeth.
It is impossible to tell which wolf teeth may cause performance problems and the front of the first cheek teeth can not be rounded/smoothed with the wolf teeth in place, so I extract nearly all wolf teeth. It is good to have the young horse's teeth floated and wolf teeth extracted before starting any training.
Tall or Long Teeth, Hooks, Ramps, and Beaks
As mentioned earlier, teeth or parts of teeth not in occlusion continue to erupt and become tall or long. It is common for the upper cheek teeth to be slightly forward in relationship to the lower cheek teeth resulting in hook formation on the upper first cheek teeth and the lower last cheek teeth. Nearly any time there is a missing tooth, the unopposed tooth becomes long/tall enough to cause major problems.
The tall/long teeth or parts of teeth may be floated off, cut with molar cutters or ground off with Dremel-type instruments. This needs to be done by someone knowledgeable in dental procedures.
Canines
Normally only male horses have tall/sharp canines. Tall/sharp canines need to be cut/blunted. This reduces the chance of the horse being injured by catching the canines on a fixed object, they will do less damage if fighting, be easier to insert and remove the bit, there will be less tartar buildup, the tongue will not be trapped by tall canines and most important to me as a veterinarian is to reduce the chance of lacerating my hand and wrist while performing corrective dental procedures. Canines normally erupt when the horse is between 3-5 years old. Some canines appear to have trouble getting through the gums and the area may become very painful. In instances like this, the painful gum should be removed to allow the canine to erupt. The small undeveloped canines found in some mares may cause performance problems and may be removed or rasped level with gum.
Incisor Problems
Horses may retain baby (deciduous) incisors resulting in a double row of teeth. These retained deciduous incisors should be extracted so the permanent incisors can move into their correct location.
The occlusal (nipping) surfaces of the incisors should be level from side to side. The incisors need to be examined by viewing from the front to see if they are level or not. If the occlusal surfaces are not level, then levelling should be done. If any incisors are missing, the unopposed incisors become long/tall and may "lock" the incisors from lateral movement. Levelling the incisors will "unlock" them resulting in greatly improved performance in some horses. The incisors may become too long causing poor occlusion of the cheek teeth resulting in inadequate mastication of food. Correction is by shortening the incisors. Levelling and shortening the incisors should only be done by someone knowledgeable in dental procedures.
Eruption of Permanent Teeth
It is helpful to have an understanding of when permanent teeth erupt as erupting teeth may cause the horse discomfort resulting in both eating and performance problems. The central incisor erupts at 2½ years, intermediate incisor at 3½ years, and corner incisor at 4½ years. The second premolars (first cheek teeth) erupt at 2 years, 8 months; third premolars (second cheek teeth) at 2 years, 10 months; and fourth premolars (third cheek teeth) at 3 years, 8 months. These are only guidelines as not all horses read the book.
There is a lot of activity going on in a horse's mouth from 2½ years to 5 years of age. It may take frequent examinations and minor dental procedures to keep a horse of this age at peak performance levels. Even with correct dental care, proper tack and good riding ability the young horse may be "mouthy" from all the activity of erupting teeth.
Old Horse Dentistry
It is common for old horses to develop wave mouths and other problems as their teeth wear out. Some old horses' teeth can not be fixed, but usually can be helped by careful examination and indicated corrective procedures. Usually switching to a pelleted feed, especially formulated for older horses, will help the older horse with inadequate teeth.
Summary
There are several potential problems associated with horse teeth. These problems can affect both eating and performance of the horse. All horses need to have regular complete dental examinations yearly, but examinations may need to be more frequent especially in young and old horses. Abnormal conditions found at examination need to be corrected. This prevents minor problems from becoming major problems. Good dental care helps reduce colic and choke, prolongs the effectiveness of the teeth, increases feed efficiency, and enhances performance.
About the Author
Dr. W. Leon Scrutchfield is an equine veterinarian with a special interest in dentistry. He teaches dentistry to veterinary students at Texas A & M University, as well as conducts veterinary workshops on dental care throughout North America .
This information was presented at, and appears in the Proceedings of, the 1998 Alberta Horse Breeders and Owners Conference.
This information is maintained by of the Horse Industry Section of Alberta Agriculture in conjunction with Sylvia Schneider at Pondside Web Productions.
W. Leon Scrutchfield, DVM
College of Veterinary Medicine
Texas A & M University
