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Dentistry and Floating the Teeth of Horses
by Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Introduction
Introduction
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Overview of Equine Dentistry
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Anatomy
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Function
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Hooks and Points
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Floating
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Incisor Alignment
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Wolf Teeth
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Plaque
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More Info
The horse evolved to eat large quantities of forage, often containing abrasive silicates, for prolonged periods of the day. This placed great demands on the teeth. To compensate the horse developed teeth with very long crowns, called hypsodont teeth. The long reserve of crown is embedded in the deep alveolus of the surrounding bone in the young horse. Unlike humans, who's teeth are fully erupted at maturity, the equine teeth slowly erupt over most of the horses life at a rate of about 2 - 3 mm/year. In the ideal world this eruption rate just matches the wear rate and the rate sustains healthy teeth over the life of the horse. Domestication and the recent availability of inexpensive concentrates has changed this balance and to some degree the problems faced by horses today:
- The teeth do not wear down as fast resulting in the formation of sharp enamel points.
- Bridles, halters, and bits create areas where soft tissue is caught between the tack and the teeth.
- Horses are living much longer than they did in the wild so often the teeth are wearing out before the horse does.
As a result equine dentistry faces new challenges to address these problems. Often the reasons for intervention and the effect of our interventions have not been studied so we are left with the opinions of those who work on a lot of horse teeth. Recently case reports and some experiments have been being published along with a explosion of equipment to address these problems.
Many horses, particularly older horses, suffer from dental disease. Clinical signs can range from mouth odor and pain to the point that it is functionally impossible for the horse to chew enough food to maintain weight. It also seems apparent that functional teeth can develop problems that cause discomfort when tack is applied. There is a thought among some who feel we have gone from not effectively addressing serious problems to the opposite extreme where functional teeth are being worked on to the detriment of the horse and the owners pocket book.
In this article we explain the anatomy of the horses teeth in the foal and adult horse and we make recommendations for routine dental care based on your goals and the horses endeavors while examining the controversial aspects of some procedures. Also discussed are common tooth problems addressed by dentistry and their treatment. More severe problems of the horses mouth are covered at Disorders of the Horse's Mouth.
~Word Count: 3187 words (The average magazine page contains about 600 words);
~Last Updated: September 08, 2009;
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Discussions on Equine Dentistry
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Titles |
Subtopics |
Posts |
Updated |
 | Tongue Lolling | 1 | 8 | Sep 12, 09 |
 | Donkey not eating much and grinding teeth | 1 | 25 | Aug 20, 09 |
 | Dental surgery today | 1 | 24 | Aug 4, 09 |
 | Teeth pain or other? | 1 | 14 | May 28, 09 |
 | Mouth ulcers, now very moody | 1 | 7 | Apr 17, 09 |
 | Ulcerated lip and chronic oral ulcers | 1 | 19 | Mar 27, 09 |
 | Need advice on some dental work | 1 | 14 | Feb 7, 09 |
 | Qudding with Weight Loss | 1 | 4 | Jan 9, 09 |
 | Power Point Presentation on Equine Dentristry | 1 | 9 | Oct 30, 09 |
 | 3yr old incisor teeth | 1 | 4 | Jan 31, 09 |
 | 5yo gelding with canine teeth probs | 1 | 4 | Jul 27, 08 |
 | Sweet Tooth | 1 | 9 | May 20, 08 |
 | Wolf teeth (warning, bit yucky...) | 1 | 19 | Apr 10, 08 |
 | "Yearly" power floating necessary? | 1 | 2 | Feb 8, 08 |
 | Is this a baby or permanent tooth that has these spots? | 1 | 2 | Jan 16, 08 |
 | Swelling on face of 10 day old foal | 1 | 5 | Jan 15, 08 |
 | "Thunking" sound when chewing | 1 | 10 | Nov 26, 07 |
 | Research Summary: Outcome of correcting incisor misalignment | 1 | 1 | Nov 10, 07 |
 | Possible incisor problem in 6 month old filly | 1 | 2 | Sep 13, 07 |
 | Research Summary: Effect of diet on chewing | 1 | 1 | Jul 11, 07 |
 | Literature Review: Preventive Dentistry | 1 | 3 | Sep 23, 07 |
 | Long term tooth root infection - leading to acute respiratory attack? | 1 | 9 | Jun 14, 07 |
 | Canine teeth and testosterone level in mare | 1 | 9 | May 6, 07 |
 | Equine dentist | 1 | 14 | Mar 23, 07 |
 | Disparity among vets regarding floating | 1 | 36 | Feb 17, 07 |
 | Quidding | 1 | 4 | Jun 24, 06 |
 | Pulled tooth - no hay for 2 weeks?? | 1 | 7 | Oct 27, 05 |
 | Concave scrunching of upper teeth | 1 | 6 | Jul 28, 05 |
 | Teeth and lameness | 1 | 7 | Jun 21, 05 |
 | Update of Dental Care article | 1 | 17 | Jun 2, 05 |
 | Capped Tooth | 1 | 2 | Dec 5, 04 |
 | Wave Mouth | 1 | 5 | Nov 4, 04 |
 | Cavities in a 6 month old?? | 1 | 15 | Aug 30, 04 |
 | Yearling with lumps under her jaw. | 1 | 2 | Aug 23, 04 |
 | Foal Teeth | 1 | 3 | Mar 2, 04 |
 | Canine teeth problems | 1 | 4 | Jul 12, 05 |
 | Sores in the mouth & unhealthy looking gums... | 1 | 35 | Dec 28, 03 |
 | My colt seems to have pulled a baby tooth out of alignment. | 1 | 7 | Dec 22, 03 |
 | Why is my gelding missing one his 3rd insisors? | 1 | 5 | Dec 18, 03 |
 | Should I be concerned? | 1 | 7 | Dec 2, 03 |
 | How will extraction of 4/6 tooth affect riding | 1 | 2 | Oct 31, 03 |
 | Using a Dentist vs. a Vet | 1 | 18 | Jun 5, 05 |
 | Teeth Erupting In 3YO | 1 | 3 | Feb 17, 03 |
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