Truth about a Horse's Tooth

'Tis time for some tooth truth - straight from the horses mouth. If you have a horse that you are spending a fortune feeding, I'm sure you would want to know that your exquisite equine is getting as much as it can from the dollar bills that are going into its mouth.

'Out of sight is out of mind' regrettably applies too commonly to a horse's teeth. If you haven't had your horse's teeth checked in the last 12 months then you are very naughty as a study at the University of Illinois showed that dental disease was found in more than 80 percent of horses.

Why is Dental Disease So Common in Horses?

Horses' Teeth Keep Growing

Like humans, a horse gets two sets of teeth in its lifetime. A foal's first teeth are sequentially replaced by its permanent teeth during the first five to six years. The difference between horses' teeth and those of humans is that the permanent teeth of horses continue to grow. They also continue to wear and will gradually wear out.

The wearing out occurs because the teeth grind against each other as the horse eats its fibrous diet. Often, the teeth do not wear evenly and sharp points develop on their edges. The points cause ulceration and inflammation of the gums which makes it very painful for the thus affected horses to eat.

Horses eat with a dual chewing motion. They chew up-and-down and from side-to-side. As the lower jaw is narrower than the upper jaw, the grinding action wears away the table of the tooth while allowing the edges to remain and thereby develop as sharp points. For the upper teeth, the edge is located on the outer shelf next to the gum. For the lower teeth, the sharp edge projects towards the tongue.

While these sharp points can develop in any horse, they are more common in stabled horses. The fibrous nature of the grass plus the dirt and grit a pasture horse picks up helps to keep its teeth well worn but stable horses often are on softer feeds which don't have the same grinding action.

Another problem occurs when a horse loses a tooth. The remaining, opposing tooth in the other jaw has nothing to wear against it, and this lonesome tooth can become quite long. Similarly, opposing teeth which are misaligned due to jaw deformities or other problems will wear unevenly and large hooks can develop because of the lack of normal wear.

How can you tell if your horse's teeth need attention?

You should be suspicious of tooth problems if your horse loses food from its mouth as it eats, has difficulty in chewing, or salivates or drools excessively while eating.

A common sign of a long term tooth problem in horses is a gradual loss of body condition, despite being given good quality food and being wormed regularly. This is because the food is not being chewed and therefore not being digested. If you see large undigested food particles such as whole grains, in your horse's manure, this can indicate tooth maladies.

As for their behaviour under saddle, many horses with dental problems will toss or tilt their heads, chew their bits and they may fight their bits. They may resist bridling due to the discomfort involved and they may fail to respond to the bridle by not turning or stopping. The pain may cause them to buck.

Be suspicious if your horse has bad breath or produces a foul odour from its mouth or even its nostrils. Traces of blood coming from its nostrils or mouth, or a nasal discharge, or swelling around the face, jaw or mouth are certainly a cause for concern.

Tooth Truth - What to do if you suspect tooth problems in your horse.

If you have a mature horse, you should have its teeth checked every year. Your veterinarian will generally use a mouth gag or something similar to aid in his or her examination of your horse's teeth and gums. If points or edges are found, your vet will file the sharp edge smooth using tools called floats, thus the process of rasping or filing a horse's teeth is known as floating or dressing.

Floating is especially important for those horses that have lost a tooth, or whose teeth are misaligned Small hooks can be removed by floating. Longer hooks are usually removed with molar cutters or a dental chisel.

If you have recently purchased a horse, it is important that its teeth are checked so that you know what condition the teeth are in now and also if the teeth are aligned properly. Your veterinarian will then be able to advise you on how often the teeth should be checked.

If you are interested in the whole tooth truth then contact your local veterinarian for advice.

More information

Ten Tooth Truths