DENTAL CARE FOR HORSES - WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT? We discover the basic guidelines for keeping your horses' mouth in the best order for better health and performance.

Horses are constant grazing animals and their teeth have adapted perfectly to cut and grind their food before it is swallowed. Just like humans, horses also have a set of baby teeth which are temporary and begin to be replaced by adult teeth when they are around 2 and a half years old. Adult male horses have 40 permanent teeth, while adult mares may have 36 to 40 teeth - this is because mares are less likely to have canine teeth. Because our horses are commonly fed grains and hays which are hard and require alot of chewing, and they are often fed routine meals at set times rather than constantly grazing, their teeth are more prone to becoming sharp and uneven compared to when eating soft natural grasses etc full time.
Some horses won't show any noticible signs of teeth problems because they may have a higher pain threshold or simply learn to adapt to the problem, while others will show obvious symptoms in several ways including:

• difficulty eating or chewing food, often with lots of food falling out of the mouth while eating
• loss of weight because of discomfort eating
• resistance to accepting the bridle and bit, tossing their head, grinding teeth or lolling toungue, difficulty turning or stopping, rearing to avoid pressure on the mouth etc
• bad breath or odour from the mouth, sometimes with swellings around the sides of the cheeks which can mean food is impacted in or around the teeth, or teeth/gums are infected
• large pieces of undigested food in the manure.

Reasons for these symptoms can include sharp points or unevenly worn teeth which cut into the toungue and cheeks, pain caused by teeth in contact with the bit, broken or missing teeth, caps (the remainder of the baby teeth) which can get stuck around the adult teeth as they grow in, infected gums, poor alignment, abnormal bite etc.

While dental care for horses was once a relatively uncommon practise, it is now a very recognised health issue and there are quite a few specialised equine dentists nationwide who can help you and your horse. The term "floating" is used to describe rasping or filing the horse's teeth and removes sharp points and keep the teeth and bite even. Most horses seem to quite surprisingly accept their teeth being rasped without alot of stress or discomfort, however sometimes a vet is required on hand to administer sedation, especially if more serious dental work is required involving power tools (not actually so bad as it sounds!). Equine dentists commonly use a special halter headpiece which will hold the mouth open while they work.

The age of your horse will bring different teeth issues that need to be attended to. Young horses around 2 to 3 years old should be looked at to check their teeth and remove any "caps" which are the baby teeth being shed in place of the adult ones.
Up to 5 years of age the horse's mouth undergoes alot of changes and growth so 6 monthly checkups are usually advised to ensure everything is in order and to avoid discomfort for the horse, especially important at this stage as they are usually being started into training during these years.
As the horse gets older and the permanent teeth are in place, yearly checkups are advised to maintain good dental care and ensure the teeth remain even and useful into the horses 20's. If this is left unchecked the teeth can wear excessively in the wrong places and re-alignment may not be possible because the teeth are no longer growing.

Good equine dental care is important to help your horse perform better and maintain better well-being through more efficient use of their food.

Please contact your local vet if you are unsure of a qualified equine dentist in your area.

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