Dental Care and Floating Teeth

 

 

This horse is a gelding or stallion, you can see the two canines behind the front row of incisors. 

 

Horse Anatomy – The Teeth

 

The mouth begins the digestive system, and the rest of your horse’s body depends on the quality of food being chewed and digested. Dental floats are a great way to tend to your horse’s chompers to help prevent future problems and keep the digestive system moving and happy.  Here’s what to know about the types of teeth: 

 

Adult teeth vs deciduous teeth

 

• Deciduous teeth in horses are “baby teeth” that are eventually replaced by adult teeth. Some horses are born with a few deciduous teeth, but all foals have a full set of baby teeth by about 8 months old.

 

• The adult teeth begin replacing the deciduous teeth at age 2 1/2. By age 4, the adult teeth are fully in place.

 

• Unlike humans, where the baby teeth fall out, the deciduous teeth of horses crumble as the adult teeth grow in. You will sometimes see a cap, like a hat. This cap remains when a baby tooth doesn’t deteriorate entirely.

 

• You may also feel some hard lump along a young horse’s jawline. These bumps are the growing adult teeth that have impacted and will usually course correct without interference.

 

Incisors

 

• Incisors are the front teeth of a horse, top, and bottom. There are 12 total, with six on top and six on the bottom.

 

• The incisors grip and tear forage and help your horse get small bits of food for chewing.

 

• Some dental diseases impact the incisors and necessitate their removal. Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementois (EOTRH) occurs when the bone and surrounding tissue around the incisors decay, leading to broken teeth. A safe and preferred treatment plan is the removal of those teeth. After this procedure, horses can still enjoy their favorite activity – eating.

 

• Most female horses have 36 teeth total, whereas males have 40 total. Usually!

 

This is a mare – there are no canine teeth. 

 

Cheek Teeth

 

• The cheek teeth are large premolars and molars that begin above the bit and extend up the horse’s jaws. When your vet opens a horse’s mouth, the rows of teeth at the back are the cheek teeth.

 

• On each side, there are six cheek teeth on the upper and lower jaws, making 24 cheek teeth.

 

• The three premolars and three molars in each section of the area create an arcade. The teeth are so closely packed that they form a single unit.

 

The Wolf Tooth

 

• These tiny teeth are just in front of the cheek teeth and, if present, are the closest molars to the bit. There’s usually one wolf tooth per arcade. Some horses don’t have any wolf teeth, whereas some have four. It’s most common that there are two upper wolf teeth, and three wolf teeth are not unheard of.

 

• Wolf teeth are typically removed from a young horse to avoid discomfort and interference with the bit.

 

Canines

 

• Canine teeth in horses are the singular teeth in the space between the molars and the incisors. Usually, only stallions and geldings have canine teeth.

 

The Chewing Process – Mastication

 

• The primary functions of teeth are chewing for digestion, fighting, and communication.

 

• When horses eat, they chew from side to side. Ideally, this symmetrical and even process wears the teeth evenly and keeps the jaws naturally aligned.

 

• Ground-level feeding is best, as raised feeders, nets, and bowls misalign the jaw.

 

• If teeth wear unevenly, it’s harder to chew and can impact digestion and absorption of nutrients. Uneven wear can also cause pain and quidding, which is large chunks of forage stuck in their mouth that drops.

 

This speculum helps your vet take a peek at those chompers. 

 

Horses Need Regular Dental Exams

 

• On paper, horses grow teeth all their lives and grind them down evenly in a perfect balance. If only!

 

• Regular dental attention prevents common issues, like hooks and ramps, from turning into painful conditions requiring more extensive dental work. Regular oral examinations can also find early cracks, abscesses, and loose teeth.

 

• It’s fast and easy for your vet to do a dental exam during the spring and fall health check and vaccination appointment. They typically use a special equine speculum with a little shelf for your horse’s incisors. The speculum opens, thus opening your horse’s mouth.

 

• Then, your vet will look and feel the teeth, tongue, and gums to check for disease, alignment, and hooks.

 

Common Dental Issues in Horses

 

• No horse will have perfect teeth! But we can help them eat comfortably and support their overall dental health. Here are some common dental issues in horses:

 

This is a hook. Can you imagine how painful this is on your horse’s tongue or cheek? This particular hook points inward to the tongue.

 

Hooks

 

• Hooks are sharp points that can cause ulcers and painful sores.

 

• For some reason, a horse’s mouth has a wider upper jaw than the lower jaw. Consequently, the teeth don’t always move side to side over the entire surface of all of the teeth, creating sharp edges and enamel points.

 

• When the teeth don’t wear down, they grow into a point or hook, often cutting the tongue or cheeks.

 

• Hooks may also cause your horse to tilt their head while eating and be uncomfortable with bits.

 

Waves

 

• Waves occur when adjacent cheek teeth have grown at different heights. The opposing jaw will mimic this growth. The overgrown teeth will pair with overworn teeth.

 

This wavy mouth could have used some dental care.

 

Ramps

 

• A ramp forms when cheek teeth at the back are overgrown.

 

• Ramps prevent that side-to-side motion, and horses struggle to chew, may open their mouth strangely, and drop lots of feed.

 

The step mouth

 

• A step mouth occurs when there are missing teeth, and its “partner” on the opposing jaw can overgrow into the gap. This can lead to serious chewing problems in which the jaws can only move up and down instead of the side-to-side motion.

 

A shear mouth

 

• A shear mouth occurs for many reasons. Usually, it’s chewing on one side of the mouth more than the other. The surface of the arcade is ground to an angle, reducing the surface area to chew. While rare, a shear mouth only allows chewing up and down.

 

• The shear and step mouth are serious conditions that can greatly impact health and digestion.

 

Malocclusions

 

• When teeth are in misalignment, it’s a malocclusion. The parrot mouth, or equine overbite, is an example.

 

This article has a great review of equine dental disorders.

 

Complications from Dental Conditions

 

• Aside from dental pain, many diseases create other problems down the line. A horse may have:

 

• • Nutrient absorption problems
  • Weight loss
  • Choke – this is an emergency situation!
  • Quidding
  • Cavities, gingivitis, and associated tooth loss
  • Tempromandibular joint (TMJ) pain and problems
  • Pain when wearing a bridle and trouble with bits

 

These are quids dropped from a horse with dental problems. 

 

Signs of Equine Dental Problems

 

• Dental issues can arise anytime, and your horse may send you subtle signs that their teeth are uneven and need a dental float. Look for these signs:

 

• • Training issues, especially with the bit
  • Head tossing
  • Dropping food while chewing
  • Head tilted while eating
  • Excessive salivation
  • Excessive bit mouthing
  • Colic and choke
  • Quidding
  • Undigested grain in manure
  • Weight loss
  • Bad breath or nasal discharge

 

• Incidentally, these signs of teeth problems are also indicative of other issues.

 

What is a Dental Float for Horses?

 

• Floating teeth is the fine art of using special equine dental instruments to file down the teeth. Sometimes, it’s a hand float, which uses a hand-held rasp much like a farrier’s rasp, but not exactly the same.

 

• There’s also the option for a motorized system that sometimes attaches to a drill, sometimes called a power float.

 

• The head is propped up on a stand or suspended from above while a speculum opens the jaws.

 

• The trick is to even out imbalances, remove hooks that cause oral ulcers, and leave the teeth able to chew properly without interfering with future teeth growth.

 

• Your vet then uses their rasp to file and smooth the dental surfaces of the cheek teeth, the incisors, and the canines (if present). It’s followed by a rinse to flush out any dust and particulates.

 

• Surgical extractions or prescription medications may be necessary if cracks, abscesses, or severe issues are found.

 

Some vets use tools, others rasp by hand, some do both. It really depends!

 

Sedation for floating horse teeth

 

• Sedation helps your horse relax and zone out for this procedure. This is particularly helpful for complex cases with extensive teeth floating or areas hard to reach.

 

• It also might be the case where there is such a tiny imperfection that a single swipe with a rasp on a calm horse negates the use of sedatives. But, without sedation, there are risks.

 

• Horses can zig and zag, and the rasp may injure your horse.

 

• A horse may bite you, accidentally or otherwise.

 

• Your horse can have a terrible experience even if they appear calm, leading to trust and training issues.

 

• Most importantly, your vet will not be able to properly examine, feel, and see all of the teeth.

 

• Sedation is often the kindest, safest, and most thorough way to float teeth.

 

 

 

How Often Should Your Vet Float Teeth?

 

• There’s no exact teeth floating schedule per se, but it’s safe to presume that twice-yearly dental exams are best for a horse’s life. Then, you and your vet/dentist can map out a care and floating plan.

 

• As general guidelines, here are some rough ideas of dental care needs throughout the equine lifespan:

 

Foals and young horses

 

• A lot of dental stuff happens in a youngster’s formative months. This is when your vet might spot abnormalities or diseases during routine equine exams.

 

• It’s also possible that hooks and other imperfections need floating at such a young age.

 

Ages 2-5

 

• These youngsters will start getting their adult teeth and shedding their caps. It’s also when wolf teeth arrive, and extractions are helpful.

 

• A happy, balanced, and pain-free mouth is also critical to the early phases of horse training. You want your equine partner to have pain-free bridling and bitting experiences!

 

• Floating horse teeth at this age might require twice-yearly visits as you want the new adult teeth to grow well. Have your vet do an exam every six months.

 

Adult horses

 

• At this age, equines usually have a dental float yearly. It’s still a good idea to have those regular exams every six months to double-check.

 

The seniors over age 17

 

• As horses age, they will still erupt teeth, but the process can slow down. This process requires special consideration when floating teeth to preserve the structure while addressing balance and hooks.

 

• Tooth loss, cracking, and abscesses can happen at any age, but it might be more likely for older horses.

 

• Older horses may also require dietary changes to make chewing easier.

 

Nutrition and Feeding for Horses with Teeth Problems

 

• It’s important to help your horse eat safely and comfortably and be able to provide adequate nutrition. You can make the best porridge for your equine partner’s teeth to eat, but if it’s lacking in nutrition, you have some changes to make.

 

Incisors can be smoothed out and trimmed during teeth floating. 

 

Help your horse chew

 

• Roughage and forage can be just that – rough. Switching to different types of forage may help. For example, bermuda hay is much softer than oat hay.

 

• Or, you can provide hay cubes or pellets to replace long-stem forage. It’s easy to feed, and a pound of long-stem hay equals a pound of pellets or cubes.

 

• Adding water by soaking or steaming hay is another option to help your horse chew more effectively.

 

• Soaking pellets and cubes increase volume and help your horse stay hydrated. This added volume also means your horse may take longer to eat, which is great for their digestion.

 

• Pasture grass may be easy for them to chew; it’s chock full of water and is already soft, depending on the time of year and type of pasture.

 

• Any pelleted or grain meals do best with water added, too.

 

Read more about soaking and steaming hay here.

 

Provide nutrition with supplements

 

• If you can transition from long-stem to pellets or cubes and keep the varietal the same, your horse’s nutrition may not need to change.

 

• If your horse needs extra calories, that is another story. Ideally, we can keep our dentally-challenged horse chewing for as long as possible to mimic a natural lifestyle, but sometimes more calories are needed.

 

• Nutritional needs may vary, too, if you change what type of commercial feed works with your horse’s teeth. Subsequently, any vitamin and mineral supplements may need to change, too.

 

Floating Horse Teeth – Who Can Practice Equine Dentistry?

 

• In many states, no specific laws govern who can float a horse’s teeth. However, your licensed veterinarian is the only one who can diagnose, float teeth, administer sedatives, prescribe medications, do extractions, and treat the whole horse.

 

• Your vet is the way to go for a safe and thorough dental health treatment or float. There are lots of vets and veterinary surgeons that specialize in dentistry, too.

 

 

Rules vary from state to state

 

• For example, in Virginia, here are some of the regulations regarding equine dentistry:

 

C. It shall be unlawful for any person not holding a current and valid registration as an equine dental technician or a current and valid license as a veterinarian to perform the following duties:

1. The planing or leveling of equine teeth using nonmotorized hand tools for routine dental maintenance;

2. The planing or leveling of equine teeth using motorized tools performed for routine dental maintenance, or the extraction of wolf teeth premolars including premolars 105, 205, 305 and 405, performed under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian where (a) there exists an established client-patient relationship between the veterinarian and the owner, (b) the veterinarian is present, and (c) the veterinarian remains responsible for the sedation of the animal; and

3. Any other task restricted pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Board.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, no equine dental technician shall administer any sedative, tranquilizer, analgesic, prescription medication, or other drug under any circumstances.

• You will notice it’s beneficial for a vet to be present for the comfort of sedation and the expertise of diagnosis and treatment.

The complete rules for Virginia are here as an example.

 

Zero regulations

 

• Many states don’t regulate who can perform equine dentistry, and sometimes without education or experience requirements.

 

To check rules in your state, this guide is a place to start, but you’ll want to verify with your state in case this site isn’t updated.

 

This article has commentary about veterinary experience, licensing, insurance, and general qualifications of veterinarians and “equine dentists.”

 

This article discusses practicing equine dentistry and how changes are happening to the regulations.