How can Equine Dentistry Help my horse?
I am committed to providing the highest standard of Preventative and Restorative equine dental care for your horse. Dental disease and pathology is a major cause of poor condition and performance in horses.
In the wild, horses are selected for survival, and those with abnormalities die younger and therefore do not continue their genetics or dental problems. In captivity horse breeders do not select or cull on the basis of dental perfection, because we want our horses to live long and comfortable lives we have to ensure they receive routine dental care to enable them to survive and excel. The life expectancy of horses in the wild is 10-14 , however we have horses living into their 30s and even 40s and competing well into their 20s which is all thanks to modern care of horses such as dental work, hoof trimming, hard feeding, covering etc.
Unlike other grazing animals, horses must grind their food into a finely chewed bolus before swallowing, this is because of the inability to regurgitate food for further mastication and because of the fact that they only have 1 stomach. Equine teeth are not continually growing as is often thought , instead the teeth form at a young age within the jaw and have a significant amount of
reserve crown retained beneath the surface of the gums housed in the skull. The teeth erupt through the gum (not grow) at a rate of approximately 2-3mm per year, and are worn down at about the same rate by attrition. The upper jaw (maxilla) and teeth in a horse are wider than the lower jaw(mandible). This configuration is efficient for grinding feed but results in unequal wear of the occlusal surfaces, which can lead to a number of significant problems for the horse, including the development of abnormal wear patterns caused by malocclusions or misalignments of one or more teeth.
Sharp enamel points develop on the upper (buccal) outer edge of cheek teeth (molars and premolars) and the lower (lingual) inner edge, which should be removed at the routine check up. If these sharp edges are left your horse is very likely to develop cuts and ulcerations on his cheeks and tongue from rubbing against these sharp edges. Hooks, waves, ramps, under worn teeth, inclinations and rotations and other dental anomalies can also develop which may interfere with mastication and bitting and cause significant discomfort or pain. Less common but just as important are fractured, loose or diseased teeth which can cause severe pain for your horse and the possibility of infection spreading. Normal developmental issues such as retained caps (baby teeth) and wolf teeth are removed as part of routine care and enable the dentist to properly balance the horses mouth including bitseating.
Malocclusions can cause severe discomfort and imbalance to your horses mouth, this affects his ability to properly masticate (chew) food and his digestive system, his comfort while being ridden and his overall happiness and well being. This is why it is critical that your horse receives regular dental check ups to maintain a healthy balanced mouth and prevent potential problems from occurring.
In the wild, horses are selected for survival, and those with abnormalities die younger and therefore do not continue their genetics or dental problems. In captivity horse breeders do not select or cull on the basis of dental perfection, because we want our horses to live long and comfortable lives we have to ensure they receive routine dental care to enable them to survive and excel. The life expectancy of horses in the wild is 10-14 , however we have horses living into their 30s and even 40s and competing well into their 20s which is all thanks to modern care of horses such as dental work, hoof trimming, hard feeding, covering etc.
Unlike other grazing animals, horses must grind their food into a finely chewed bolus before swallowing, this is because of the inability to regurgitate food for further mastication and because of the fact that they only have 1 stomach. Equine teeth are not continually growing as is often thought , instead the teeth form at a young age within the jaw and have a significant amount of
reserve crown retained beneath the surface of the gums housed in the skull. The teeth erupt through the gum (not grow) at a rate of approximately 2-3mm per year, and are worn down at about the same rate by attrition. The upper jaw (maxilla) and teeth in a horse are wider than the lower jaw(mandible). This configuration is efficient for grinding feed but results in unequal wear of the occlusal surfaces, which can lead to a number of significant problems for the horse, including the development of abnormal wear patterns caused by malocclusions or misalignments of one or more teeth.
Sharp enamel points develop on the upper (buccal) outer edge of cheek teeth (molars and premolars) and the lower (lingual) inner edge, which should be removed at the routine check up. If these sharp edges are left your horse is very likely to develop cuts and ulcerations on his cheeks and tongue from rubbing against these sharp edges. Hooks, waves, ramps, under worn teeth, inclinations and rotations and other dental anomalies can also develop which may interfere with mastication and bitting and cause significant discomfort or pain. Less common but just as important are fractured, loose or diseased teeth which can cause severe pain for your horse and the possibility of infection spreading. Normal developmental issues such as retained caps (baby teeth) and wolf teeth are removed as part of routine care and enable the dentist to properly balance the horses mouth including bitseating.
Malocclusions can cause severe discomfort and imbalance to your horses mouth, this affects his ability to properly masticate (chew) food and his digestive system, his comfort while being ridden and his overall happiness and well being. This is why it is critical that your horse receives regular dental check ups to maintain a healthy balanced mouth and prevent potential problems from occurring.