Equine Dentistry

An equine dental appointment will often start with a complete review of your horse's history with you or your stable manager. This will help our veterinarians gauge what they may expect to find in your horse’s mouth. The veterinarian will also ask if certain symptoms of dental problems have been present.

Your horse will be sedated for the procedure as it allows for a safer and more thorough examination of the mouth. It can also alleviate some of the stress of the procedure that your horse might feel.

Once your veterinarian has opened your horse's mouth with a full-mouth speculum, they will perform a comprehensive exam of the mouth, including the gums, mucosa, teeth, and tongue.

Once your vet has examined your horse's mouth, they will discuss treatment options for any extensive issues with you.

A horse's teeth can become worn in a way that leads to sharp edges, making floating the teeth a vital part of routine horse care. When your vet floats the horse's teeth they use power or hand tools to correct issues. They will grind down certain spots on the teeth to either adjust the alignment of the mouth or to smooth out sharp or protruding points in the teeth.

You can keep your horse's teeth and mouth as healthy as possible by providing them with a diet that helps keep the teeth from developing sharp points.

Ensure that at least half of their diet consists of good quality long fiber. If you have an older horse, special attention to their diet may be necessary, especially if they are missing teeth and struggle to chew long fiber. Fiber replacements offer a good solution in such cases but speak to your vet about any concerns you may have.

If you notice your horse is showing any of the following symptoms, it's time for a dental appointment:

• Dropping feed from the mouth while chewing
• Awkward chewing motions while eating
• Trouble placing a bit in the horse’s mouth
• Difficulty riding when the horse has a bit in
• Weight loss
• Nasal discharge
• Poorly digested food in manure
• Food packing within cheeks

Regularly handle your horse's head and mouth to make sure they are comfortable having their mouth examined. If you own a foal, examine the foal's teeth as soon as possible. You can check for baby teeth called caps, which are pushed out by the growing permanent teeth by the time the horse is about two years old.

With an adult horse, open the mouth and check for uneven wear on teeth resulting in points or sharp edges that will keep the horse from properly chewing feed.

Also, take note of any teeth that are beginning to protrude excessively or cause mal-alignment or malocclusion. Keep an eye out for any changes in eating habits, loss of weight, bad breath, dropping half-eaten food, holding the head at a strange angle, bolting, or head tossing when being bridled or ridden. Any of these conditions may be caused by dental problems.

Some commonly seen dental issues for horses include:

• Abnormal wear with sharp enamel edges on both the lower and upper cheek teeth. If pronounced, this can cause painful ulcers and erosions of the soft tissues of the cheek or tongue
• Overgrowth is either secondary to a misaligned jaw (parrot mouth) or as a result of a missing tooth
• Fractured, displaced, loose, or missing cheek teeth
• Diastema (gaps between the teeth where food collects) that causes gum disease
• Tooth decay
• Tooth root abscess
• Retained deciduous (baby) teeth
• Blind (unerupted) or abnormally large or displaced wolf teeth
• Abnormalities of the incisors

Proper dental care has many benefits for both horse and owner. Your horse will be more comfortable, will get more nutritional benefits from their feed, will perform better, and can even live a longer healthier life. You will save time and money on veterinary care because your horse will be healthier and more willing to work.

When a horse is young, its teeth are still soft and gaining calcium so they can become sharp quickly. Dental care is extremely vital before starting your horse in training.

Throughout the horse's adult life, teeth will naturally wear down both normally and abnormally. The result can be either pain or the premature wear of the teeth. The discomfort that can result from even regular wear patterns makes annual dental exams important for the horse.

In addition, the development of wolf teeth and other dental anomalies can cause a young horse great discomfort resulting in fighting the bit and making training more difficult. Any pressure on the horse's cheeks is capable of rubbing on these teeth which tend to be pointed.

Senior horses are at increased risk for developing periodontal disease. This painful disease must be diagnosed early for successful treatment.

The answer to this question will differ depending on your horse's age. Here is what we recommend:

• Foals: Check teeth periodically for congenital abnormalities
• Yearlings: At their first complete dental exam
• 2-5 Years Old: Every six months
• 6-17 Years Old: At least once per year
• 17-20 Years Old: Annually
• 20+ Years Old: Annual exams, floating might not be possible