Standing sedation is the type most often used on the farm for calming a horse while keeping him upright.

“Basically, we’re taking the edge off,” says Magdalena Niedermeyer, DVM, of Burnt Fork Veterinary Clinic in Stevensville, Mont. “The horse is still standing, but he seems drunk. Sedation is not anesthesia, so if a horse really doesn’t like something, he can still tell you while sedated.”

Horses are often given a mixture of drugs instead of just one to ensure they are not a threat to themselves or those around them during the procedure. The type and amount of each drug used will depend on the horse’s size, state of mind at time of sedation, and how long the horse will need to remain sedated. Horses that are more anxious at the time of delivery may require more drugs than a horse that is calm.

How Equine Sedation is Administered

There are multiple ways to sedate a horse, but the bottom line is that the more quickly the drug gets into the horse’s bloodstream, the more rapidly he will become sedated.

Often the drug and administration route are chosen by a veterinarian; vets will often discourage horse owners from administering injectable sedation on their own. While this is because a good portion of horse owners don’t know how to administer drugs properly, it’s also related to the type of drugs being used.

Be aware that many drugs that sedate horses are powerful, and if inadvertently given outside of the vein or into an artery, they could have harmful effects. Additionally, if human contact occurs, some drugs could impose serious health risks, including death.

Sedation can be administered in the following ways, from most rapid to least rapid.

Intravenously (IV)

• Effects within minutes.

“IV sedation is the quickest sedation used by veterinarians for procedures such as joint injections, dental examinations, minor surgeries, and other standing procedures, in addition to emergency situations or colic,” says Holly Helbig, DVM, Equine Technical Services Veterinarian with Zoetis.

Intramuscularly (IM)

• Effects within 5 to 15 minutes.

IM sedation goes directly into the muscle and does not require the administrator to locate and administer through a vein.

Sublingual (under the tongue)

• Effects within 40 minutes.

“Sublingual administration requires the medication be placed under the tongue so it can be absorbed through the oral mucous membranes, directly into the bloodstream,” explains Helbig. “It is very effective because it bypasses the digestive system.”

Oral

• Effects within 40 minutes.

“When medication is labeled to be given orally, it’s designed to be placed in the back of the mouth and swallowed, like a deworming paste,” says Helbig. “It is then absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and into the bloodstream.”

It’s important care still be taken when handling a sedated horse, no matter how the drugs were administered. A sedated horse is conscious, meaning he can still react to sound and movement.

It’s critical that everyone around the horse pay close attention and not be lulled into a false sense of security that he will ignore most things going on around him. Loud noises, like the banging of feed bins or clanging of stall doors, could elicit a forceful reaction, and possibly endanger those around the horse.

How Do Horses Act Under Sedation?

A sedated horse is easy to spot: He will often stand with his legs splayed out, looking like he’s trying to catch his balance. His head will droop, sometimes to the floor.

“Typically, when the poll [drops] below the level of the withers is when the horse is in the correct plane of sedation for work to be performed,” says Helbig. “While the horse is settling into sedation, he may abruptly ‘catch’ himself with a leg, or buckle or cross his legs (ataxia and incoordination). This is normal—don’t try to hold up the horse or wake him by patting his head or neck.”  This will delay the onset of action and prevent the horse from achieving the maximum plane of sedation. 

“Depending on the environment [including heat, humidity, sun or shade], the horse may also sweat over his neck, shoulder, flanks or around the ears. This is also normal and transient,” says Helbig.

Though it’s not entirely clear why a horse may sweat from sedation, it’s not a cause for concern, she says.

“It is believed that the sedation stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, causing an inability to thermoregulate. Vasoconstriction caused by these drugs also increases body temperature, [and] that triggers sweating.”

If asked to walk, the horse often looks like he’s drunk, moving his legs in an uncoordinated manner, unable to walk in a straight line. Though this can be disconcerting to see, a horse rarely falls, even while holding still.

“Even if they are unsteady, they can usually reposition and correct their balance themselves,” says Niedermeyer.

Helbig agrees.

“The same passive-stay apparatus that allows horses to sleep standing up allows us to sedate horses and keep them on their feet,” she says. “The apparatus has three main components: Patellar locking, the reciprocal mechanism, and the check apparatus, which are an arrangement of muscles, tendons and ligaments that, when activated, allow the horse to lock their limbs standing with virtually no muscular effort.”

How Long Does Equine Sedation Last?

“The duration of effect [of sedation] varies by the type of sedation and route of administration,” explains Helbig. “It can range from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. Some types of sedation are fast-acting and metabolized quickly, while sedation given IM or orally will have a much slower onset than medications given IV. A higher dose of sedation will likely result in a deeper level of sedation and a longer time the horse will be sedated. Your veterinarian will be able to give you an approximate amount of time for this to occur based on the type of sedation used and the dose.”

Sedated horses can be unstable. Typically after a procedure, two people (one at the head and one at the tail as an anchor) help safely guide the horse back to a clean, quiet stall to wake up, says Helbig. If a stall is not available, being alone in a ring or flat paddock is also acceptable.

The horse should not be offered hay, grain or water as he recovers; his muscles are still relaxed from the sedative, putting him at risk of aspiration or choke.

A horse coming out of sedation will begin moving his ears, chewing and licking his lips, and begin looking for food as the sedation begins to wear off, says Helbig. He will often urinate as well.

“There isn’t much owners can do for the horse [coming out of sedation] besides allow time for the medication to be metabolized, so it’s best to leave him alone until you see him starting to look around and interacting with his environment,” she says.

Key Takeaway

Equine sedation is crucial to various forms of veterinary care. Multiple methods of sedation are available to horses, and the type of administration—as well as the amount of medication used—varies based on procedure and the horse itself. The sedation process for horses is quite similar to the process in humans, though of course, we are dealing with a much larger animal which requires careful administration and precautions.

This article about equine sedation appeared in the October 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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There are some things you can put off doing—I really should reorganize the tack room—and then there are things that require scheduling routine maintenance—I need to replace the tires on the trailer before show season. One thing that you can’t afford to leave to chance is scheduling regular dental examinations for your horse. If not made a priority, it can lead to pain, behavioral issues, poor performance, and worse.

According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, “Horses with dental problems may show obvious signs, such as pain or irritation, or they may show no noticeable signs at all.” Because a horse may hide their discomfort—or the horse is brand new to you—it is even more critical to schedule an annual exam, looking for signs of common dental issues.

Common Equine Dental Problems

A few of the most common dental problems include:

◆ Lost, broken, or infected teeth (or gum disease)
◆ Sharp enamel points on their cheek teeth (impedes chewing, causing cuts and ulcers on the cheek and tongue)
◆ Hooks (overgrowths) on the upper and lower cheek teeth (can cut into the gum of the lower jaw)
◆ Retained caps (deciduous teeth/baby teeth)
◆ Abnormally long and/or sharp canine teeth (makes inserting/removing the bit difficult)

Dental problems in a horse can emerge at any point in their life. Thus, regular exams are needed to prevent and treat oral issues. And when it’s time to take a peek in your new horse’s mouth, an equine dental technician is equipped to do just that.

What to Look for in Your New Horse’s Mouth

Mary Deane, EqDT, an equine dental technician and member of the International Association of Equine Dentistry (IAED) and the Equine Dental Providers of America (EDPA), is an avid horsewoman and actively educates other riders on why scheduling routine dental exams is vital to maintaining a healthy and happy horse.

Mary recommends yearly exams “to start between the ages of 2 to 4.” Foals can be checked for congenital abnormalities and yearlings can benefit from floating as teeth develop sharp points. The key is not to put routine exams off for many years thinking the horse isn’t an “adult” yet. The baby teeth (deciduous teeth) are temporary; around age 2 ½ they begin to be replaced with adult teeth.

Mary explains that as the horse ages, “the opposing tooth erupts, causing the teeth to grow unevenly. Filing and balancing the teeth yearly will even out the occlusal surface.” Performance and age are factors in how often an exam should be done. Mary states: “A lot of show or racing horse owners will have them done twice a year. For riding or pasture horses, once a year is recommended.”

When performing a dental exam on a client’s new horse—or her new horse, One Four F—Mary describes what she’s looking for. “The first thing I do is assess the horse overall, including the head, body, and feet.” She asks about the horse’s diet and how often they are ridden. She uses an equine dental halter and speculum to examine “the horse’s gums, the incisors, check the grind of the teeth, and look for the angle of the incisors.” She rinses the mouth to clear out any remaining food. She smells for infections, looks for abnormalities in or around the mouth, and checks for wolf teeth (small teeth located in front of the second premolar) or any supernumerary teeth (extra teeth).

Mary examines the occlusal surface of the molars, looking for sharp points or hooks by running her fingers over every single tooth. Mary explains, “You can see more with your hands by feeling than you visually can.” She will then float the horse’s teeth using hand float blades (files). Floating removes sharp enamel points, and smooths down rough surfaces by filing, ensuring the teeth are balanced and come together evenly with equal pressure. After floating, she uses her fingers to recheck, making sure she doesn’t miss anything. Mary is keenly attuned to the horse’s comfort, offering soothing words, affectionate head caresses, and works with a gentle touch. She says, “I’ll work for a while and then I’ll give them a break.”

If at any point her exam reveals a nasty smell indicative of infection, an abscess, broken teeth, or she feels the horse should be sedated for comfort and safety reasons, Mary will stop. She will tell the owner to seek the expertise of a veterinarian. “The horse may need extractions, be prescribed antibiotics, or require sedation.” (In Maine—like many states—only a veterinarian can administer sedation.)

Equine dental technicians are not veterinarians; their scope of work varies as state laws govern it. However, they play a huge role in educating owners on the importance of preventative dental care. And they work collaboratively with veterinarians to improve horses’ lives.

Dr. Stacy Anderson, DVM, MVSc, PhD, Dean of Lincoln Memorial University’s Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine, says, “Equine veterinarians must begin to allow veterinary technicians (or nurses) to practice to the top of their licenses to improve practice efficiency and meet the demands of equine clients. In many states, veterinary technicians are allowed to provide routine dental care as written in practice acts… With the shortage of equine practitioners impacting the ability to provide care to all equine patients, the industry needs to take a closer look at how leveraging a credentialed veterinary technician or nurse could positively impact their practice and allow them to better service their clients.”

The Rewards of Working as an Equine Dental Technician

Although her work as an equine dental technician is physically demanding and stressful at times, Mary finds immense satisfaction in being able to help a horse and its owner uncover and treat a source of pain. She says: “What I love most about my job is being able to observe the beautiful connection between the horse and rider.” Working with horses fulfills a lifelong goal. “When I was a little girl, I had one Barbie and about five play horses; I dreamt for the day I could have my own real horse. It didn’t happen until I was in my 30’s, and I’ve loved every second since of being a horse owner!”

This article about horse dental care from the perspective of an equine dental technician is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post The Horse’s Mouth from an Equine Dental Technician appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

“After age 15 is when we typically see senior dental changes; most senior horse dental problems we see in their 20s, but some are as early as age 15,” says Christine Staten, DVM, a large animal veterinarian and owner of Adobe Veterinary Center in Tucson, Ariz.

Dental conditions frequently found in senior horses include:

◆ Broken teeth
◆ Worn-down teeth
◆ Overgrown teeth
◆ Steps and waves
◆ Periodontal pockets
◆ Abscesses
◆ Infected spaces between teeth (“diastema”)
◆ Incisor disease (equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis, aka EOTRH)

Staten points out that studies show dental problems are more common in senior horses who didn’t have regular dental care when they were younger.

“Routine dental care can decrease or delay the onset of many of these malocclusions [misaligned teeth],” she notes. “Early dental care helps keep growth rate more consistent so the teeth can take that horse into his older years.”

Inconsistent Growth

Horses have hypsodont teeth, which grow and erupt throughout their lives. One reason for senior mouth troubles is the fact that tooth eruption is not consistent.

As the horse ages, tooth eruption can slow down or stop completely as a tooth grows and falls out. Because growth rate is specific to each individual tooth, the mouth can end up unbalanced as each tooth “does its own thing” independent of other teeth.

“Where you get problems is when one tooth may be slowing down, while the tooth next to it is still growing,” says Staten. “Abnormalities like steps and waves develop specifically because of the unpredictable eruption rates of each individual tooth. No horse is going to get into their 20s and have all their teeth growing at the same rate.”

The inconsistency in eruption rate can also cause small spaces between the teeth, known as diastemata. When food gets caught in these gaps, it can be uncomfortable for the horse, but may also lead to periodontal disease. If abscesses develop, infection can spread to the tooth root and even the sinuses.

Regular exams by a qualified provider will catch these and other senior mouth problems and allow them to be corrected. In some cases, extraction (tooth removal) is required.

Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resportion Hypercementosis (EOTRH)

Veterinarians are seeing more and more cases of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH).

“This is very specific to senior horses,” says Staten. “It’s extremely frustrating because we don’t know what causes it or how to prevent it.”

She explains that, for unknown reasons, the tooth roots begin to get resorbed by the body, and the body reacts by building excess cementum on the roots of the tooth. As tooth roots become diseased, the front teeth become infected, unstable and very painful. Because the onset of EOTRH is gradual, most owners don’t notice until the horse is in obvious pain.

“The first signs are usually small red dots or ‘pimples’ on the gums above or below affected teeth,” Staten explains. “In later stages, gums start to recede on those incisors and because the roots are thickened, you can see bulging under the gums. It’s a slow process and we don’t know how invasive or painful it will get for a particular horse.”

Treatment of EOTRH requires extracting the affected teeth, which in some senior horses can include all 12 incisors and sometimes also the canine teeth. Radiographs are taken to determine which teeth need to be extracted.

After extraction of diseased teeth, the horse can immediately return to eating.

“Most horses weren’t using their front incisors anyway because it was so painful, so their transition to eating is instant,” notes Staten. “The day of surgery, the horse is eating better than the day before. It is a dramatic-appearing surgery, but the pain of keeping the diseased teeth in is much higher than the potential pain of the procedure.”

The “carrot test” is a simple way you can determine if your horse has painful incisors. If he can use those front teeth to bite and break a carrot, he’s likely not experiencing significant pain. But if he can’t, this is a sign those teeth are in some pain and require dental care and attention.

Nutrition’s Impact on Horse’s Dental Health

When the teeth can’t do their job—because they don’t meet properly, are worn down or perhaps even missing—nutrition is compromised, sometimes dramatically.

Feed must be chewed appropriately for the horse to absorb nutrients. In addition, horses have to go through the mechanics of chewing in order to produce saliva, which is crucial for proper digestion.

Over 23 years as a veterinarian, Staten has found that virtually all skinny horses have dental issues of some sort.

Remarkable Turnaround

Staten was called to a local rescue to determine whether euthanasia was needed for a 19-year-old horse who came in with a Henneke Body Condition Score (BCS) of 1 out of 9, with 9 being most obese.

“He was clearly starved,” Staten recalls. “When I first saw him, I didn’t think he could be saved, but then I looked in his mouth. A top molar had fallen out, and one of his bottom molars had grown into the space [left behind] and was embedded in the gum. He couldn’t even shut his mouth or chew normally because none of his top and bottom teeth touched.”

After Staten reduced the problematic bottom molar to normal size, the horse was able to eat and chew.

“Within four weeks, this horse was a BCS of 5,” says Staten. “He looked like a new horse.”

Staten has also had cases where owners assumed their horses needed to be retired, but their lack of performance was due to dental problems that could be corrected.

Importance of Dental Exams for Your Horse’s Care

The case of the rescue horse underscores the importance of the annual full oral exam. Problems such as this that are far back in the mouth can’t be caught without an oral exam done under sedation using a speculum to closely examine the entire mouth.

Older horses may require “floating” as often, or even more often, than younger horses. Because their teeth are growing differently, they can have sharper and larger points.

“Routine dental exams are going to catch problems when they’re small and they can be more easily corrected,” says Staten.

She recommends senior horses have a complete physical exam that includes an oral exam every six months. This can be scheduled at their wellness check-ups and vaccine appointments.

“At minimum, the senior horse needs a sedated oral exam every 12 months,” she notes. “Every single senior horse needs something corrected annually. We’re not talking about just ‘floating.’ That’s a very important part of it, but we’re looking for abnormalities and other disease processes in the mouth.”

In her practice, Staten has numerous owners who are still riding their horses into their late 20s and early 30s. But even fully retired horses need that annual dental exam.

Keeping up with your senior horse’s dental care can only enhance his golden years—and may even extend them.

Signs to Watch For

Not every horse with dental problems shows obvious signs, but many will show that something is amiss if you’re paying attention. Any of the following can indicate a problem in the mouth:

◆ Dropping feed (“quidding”)
◆ Salivating more than normal
◆ Bad odor from mouth or nostril
◆ Tilting or tossing the head
◆ Mouthing/chewing the bit more than usual
◆ Red spots on gum directly above or below teeth
◆ Failing the “carrot test”

This article about senior horse dental care appeared in the October 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Dental Care for the Senior Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Here, a veterinarian and a human dentist shed some light on the differences between horse dental care and human dental maintenance.

Tooth Growth

Horses’ teeth start growing early in life.

“A foal’s teeth start to develop in the uterus, and the central incisors are often present at birth or erupt during the first week of life,” says Chris Wickliffe, DVM, an equine veterinarian based in Oregon.

At 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 years old, primary teeth start falling out and permanent teeth begin coming in, Wickliffe explains. In most horses, all permanent teeth are present by 5 years old, but growth doesn’t stop there.

“Because horse feed is very coarse, they literally grind their teeth off over time,” Wickliffe says.

As the tooth gets ground off, it generates a reflex in the periodontal ligament that pushes the tooth into the mouth to replace what was ground off. This process slows as the horse gets older until he runs out of tooth.

During their lifespan, horses will grow 24 primary teeth and up to 44 permanent teeth.

Human teeth, like those of our hooved companions, show up early.

“Within the first six weeks of life, human teeth begin to form,” says human dentist Jarred Hanley, DMD.

Human teeth are programmed to grow and erupt (come through the gums) in a specific order. Hanley says the first primary tooth erupts around 6 months old, while the first permanent tooth doesn’t arrive until close to 6 years of age. This eruption process continues until the third molars show up at around 17 to 21 years of age.

Most humans develop 20 primary teeth and 32 permanent teeth.

Equine Tooth Structure

Horses and humans both grow four different types of teeth: incisors, cuspids (canines), bicuspids (premolars), and molars.

A horse’s tooth root is located at the bottom of the alveolar bone (the bone where the tooth forms) and comes up through the middle of the tooth, stopping before the gum line, according to Wickliffe. Above that is the pulp cavity, a chamber-like area covered by multiple layers of dentin, cementum and enamel.

Horses have hypsodont teeth, found in grazing animals that eat fibrous material. These have high crowns with extra material for all of the wear and tear they experience.

“Most horse’s teeth actually end in cementum around the outside,” Wickliffe says, highlighting an important difference from human teeth. Cementum is softer than enamel and prevents the teeth from shattering under the pressure used to grind food.

Molars are made up of multiple layers of dentin, cementum and enamel. Wickliffe also notes that a horse’s molars and premolars have multiple roots, with most molars having four to five.

Horse incisors, however, have one central root and single layers of cementum, dentin and enamel, similar to human teeth.

Human Tooth Structure

Human teeth are also rooted in the alveolar bone, according to Hanley. In humans, this bone forms our upper and lower jaw. Human teeth have two different components: the crown and the root.

Humans have brachydont teeth, meaning low-crowned teeth that don’t continuously erupt. The crown is the portion of the tooth seen when a person smiles. Human crowns are capped with enamel, the hardest part of the tooth.

“Enamel provides a hard, durable chewing surface that is resistant to deformation,” says Hanley.

Underneath the enamel is a layer of dentin, which recognizes sensitivity.

Finally, under the dentin lies the vascular core of the tooth where the dental pulp resides. This is where the blood supply, nerve endings and other internal components of the tooth are located.

The second component of human teeth, the root, makes up the lower part of the tooth and is generally below the gums. Cementum covers the outer part of the root, followed by a layer of dentin. The dentin surrounds the inner pulp canal that leads up into the crown of the tooth, according to Hanley.

Equine Dental Care

Horses depend on humans to plan their dental visits. Wickliffe recommends having dental exams accompany annual well-horse visits so your veterinarian can see the full picture of your horse’s health, including the horse’s dental wellbeing.

“Teeth lend themselves to a lot of problems throughout the horse,” he adds.

A typical exam includes:

◆ Wellness check
◆ Manual dental exam
◆ Sedation for a more detailed exam (if needed)
◆ Video scope of teeth and mouth (if needed)

During a manual exam, the veterinarian runs their finger along the cheek teeth (premolars and molars) to check for tartar and enamel points. If the horse allows it, a veterinarian may pull the tongue to the side and rinse the mouth for a better view, Wickliffe explains.
If additional examination is needed, sedation may be required so a veterinarian can check for abnormalities in hard-to-see areas, Wickliffe adds. Some practices will use a video scope.

At a minimum, Wickliffe recommends annual horse dental checks.

Human Dental Care

Human teeth require a little more upkeep than our equine partners. At-home care, like brushing, flossing and mouth rinse, in addition to dental visits, is essential, according to Hanley.

A typical office visit includes:

◆ General health history
◆ Oral cancer screening
◆ Examination
◆ X-rays (if needed)
◆ Hygiene cleaning

When looking for cavities, dentists will assess what they can see and touch with instruments, and then will use X-rays to see hidden areas, like the inside of a tooth.

“Any exam is going to be broken up between clinical and radiographic findings,” says Hanley.

Dental checkups should occur at least twice a year, but may require more frequency depending on an individual’s health history, says Hanley. As with horses, providing a complete health history helps a dentist better understand any dental challenges that may arise.

The Bottom Line

Horses and humans have some interesting dental similarities, but they also have key differences. Humans should plan accordingly and schedule preventative visits for themselves and their equine sidekicks. Fewer toothaches mean more time to make happy memories with your horse.

For more equine health content, read Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Horses’ teeth can give owners an idea of how old their animal is, but it is not an exact science. During the 18th century, horse trainer Sydney Galvayne developed “Galvayne’s Groove,” a system for telling a horse’s age by the wear patterns on a tooth’s surface. Horsemen and veterinarians long considered this an accurate predictor, but research in the 1990s proved the tool isn’t foolproof, according to Kentucky veterinarian Jack Easley, DVM, MS, ABVP, AVDC (Eq).

“Dental aging by visualization of anatomical changes on the chewing (occlusal) surfaces of incisor teeth can only provide a rough estimate of age and becomes less accurate as the horse ages,” says Easley, who specializes in equine dentistry.

While teeth can’t be used to determine a specific age, Easley says changes to the horse’s teeth can be used to group horses into four age categories: birth to age 4, 5 to 10, 10 to 15 and over 15 years of age. Assessing an older horse’s age is based on tooth wear, whereas gauging a young horse’s age is based on the teeth present, those being shed and new ones erupting through the gum line. Easley describes the tooth characteristics he looks for when approximating a horse’s age.

Baby Teeth

Shortly after birth, baby (deciduous) teeth emerge on a fairly regular schedule that includes eruption, shedding and the appearance of permanent teeth. The cycle continues slowly through age five. The first teeth to emerge are the central incisors. Between six and nine months of age, three sets of premolars have also grown in.

“They erupt their incisor teeth in the front first,” he says. “The premolars in the back of their mouth come next, and then at a year of age, they start erupting permanent teeth.”

The process of gaining, losing and replacing baby teeth follows a general timeline, but can vary based on the individual horse. Easley compares the teething process in horses to that of children to illustrate how varied the cycle can be.

“If you look at a classroom of first graders, some of them are missing teeth, others already have permanent teeth, and others all baby teeth,” says Easley. “The erupting and shedding of teeth happens on a bell curve that gives an average age over six to nine months.”

Adult Horse Teeth

By age five, most horses have all 36 total permanent teeth. That includes 12 incisors and 24 cheek teeth. Not all horses have wolf or canine teeth, but in horses that have them, they emerge around age 4. Between ages 5 and 10, a horse’s teeth has cups or indentations on the surface. The cup area is surrounded by enamel and tends to be darker. Over time, the cups fade, providing clues to the horse’s age.

By the time a horse reaches 10, Easley says those cups have disappeared and is replaced by a mark on the tooth called a dental star. At the same time, the chewing edge of the tooth begins to become more rounded than oval-shaped. Hooks begin to develop on the upper-corner incisors around this time, but eventually wear off by the horse’s teenage years.

“Once the horse is over 15, then they start to lose the dental star and the tooth is a shaped a little differently,” he says. “From 5-10 years, the occlusal surface of the teeth change shape from an oval, side-to-side direction to a trapezoid shape. Around the age of 15 up until 20, they are more in a triangular shape. As a senior horse, the teeth become more round and then oval in a front-to-back direction.”

Additionally, as horses age, their incisors slant forward and form a point at the spot where the central upper and lower teeth come in contact. The gums are also an indicator of age. On young horses, the gum line runs nearly straight along the tooth, but sags in older horses.

Outside Influences

Tooth wear isn’t a foolproof tool for telling a horse’s age because changes in the horse’s teeth can be influenced by genetics, nutrition, the environment and management practices. For example, permanent teeth in Standardbreds, draft and Miniature Horses tend to appear later than in stock breeds. What the horse is eating can also influence how old their teeth look.

“Horses that eat mainly grass are wearing down their teeth at a much faster rate, because grasses on sandy soils contain high levels of pumice materials known as biological silicate,” explains Easley. “The horse may only be eight, but his teeth may look like a 10- or 12-year-old.”

Mouth injuries caused by a kick to the face or a bit can change the way a horse’s teeth looks or discourage teeth from emerging at all. That too can complicate the process for determining age by the teeth alone.

The bottom line is that it isn’t an exact science, but there are several clues your veterinarian can use to help determine a horse’s age, if it is unknown. So ask away on your horse’s next dental exam.

Further Reading

• Talking Teeth for National Equine Dental Health Month
• What to Expect During Equine Dental Exams
• Recognizing the Connection Between Dental Pain and Horse Behavior Problems

The post How to Tell a Horse’s Age by His Teeth appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

February is National Equine Dental Health Month, so Jeff Hall, DVM, with Equine Technical Services at Zoetis recently hosted a webinar to share some survey findings that could help horse owners keep their horses’ dental health in peak condition.

Hall states that dental problems can have an impact on a horse’s behavior; this may seem obvious, but it’s often the last thing people think of if their horse has a sudden change.

Tooth Abscess Pain

Hall discussed a paper published in the June 2019 Journal of Equine Veterinary Science (“Behavioral Signs Associated With Equine Periapical Infection in Cheek Teeth”) that hypothesized that removing an abscessed tooth would reduce or eliminate behavior problems, since pain affects behavior.

◆ In the study, 86% of horses that had abscessed teeth removed showed reduced behavioral signs, while 50% showed a complete elimination of these signs.
◆ 88% showed fewer bit-related behavior signs, and 38% no longer saw any bit-related behavior signs after the abscessed tooth was removed.

Owner Survey

According to a 2020 equine dental wellness survey conducted by Zoetis of 4,500 horse owners, 73% of owners had horses with signs of dental pain, and 22% of their horses had not had a dental exam in more than one year.

What constitutes “signs of dental pain?” Some examples of dental pain signs from the survey include: problems with eating and drinking, eating hay slowly, dropping hay, evading the bit, a difference between right and left rein contact, withdrawn or asocial behavior, and head-shyness.

Recommended Dental Care

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) recommends an annual dental exam for most horses, although age and performance level may indicate more frequent exams.

A dental exam takes approximately 10 to 30 minutes and assesses internal and external structures. It requires sedation and a full-mouth speculum for safety.

The cost of a basic dental exam depends on your vet and location but ranges from $35-$100. Some vets don’t charge for the exam, but instead roll the cost into any procedures needed to correct abnormalities.

It’s much easier to invest in an exam to treat and resolve issues by finding them early on. This will reduce your vet costs in the long run.

As an important note, the AAEP recommends that only licensed vets do dental exams and procedures for safety reasons. Equine veterinarians are trained in anatomy, sedation and dental procedures in vet school, some also receive more advanced training beyond vet school.

If you do use a lay dentist (one without a veterinary degree), Hall recommends at the very least having a vet present. While some lay dentists are skilled and do a good job, they should maintain a close partnership with a veterinarian in case a difficult situation arises.

Dental Health Year-Round

It’s ideal to spread out your horse’s feedings for many reasons, such as lowering his stress level and keeping his gut moving. Grazing (in a pasture or on hay) all day as nature intended also helps with proper chewing and tooth wear, thus preserving equine dental health.

If your horse is experiencing any unusual behavior problems, such as those mentioned above, consider having your veterinarian out for a dental exam to see if tooth pain could be the root cause of the issue.

The post Talking Teeth for National Equine Dental Health Month appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Is your horse due for a dental examination? Scheduling dental exams annually is a critical step toward keeping his health, wellness and behavior in check. According to a 2020 equine dental wellness survey conducted by Zoetis, out of nearly 4,500 horse owners, 73% indicated their horse was showing at least one behavior associated with dental pain. The many benefits of recognizing these behavioral problems and following through with an annual dental examination by a veterinarian can include earlier diagnosis and treatment, along with improved health and performance for your horse. As vital as annual dental exams can be, the dental wellness survey also revealed that 22% of horses owned by survey respondents hadn’t received a dental exam in at least 12 months.

What to Expect During a Dental Exam

“I find that horse owners sometimes hesitate to schedule annual dental exams because they are unsure about what goes into an exam and what their horse will experience,” said Jeff Hall, DVM, senior equine technical services veterinarian for Zoetis. “Dental exams are a safe, routine procedure that should be conducted by your veterinarian proactively every year.”

A thorough dental exam can take between 10 to 30 minutes and includes:

◆ An assessment of external structures of the horse’s head and soft tissues (e.g., lips, cheeks and lymph nodes)
◆ An examination of internal structures (e.g., tongue, palate, gums and cheeks)
◆ The visualization and palpation of teeth

During examination, veterinarians use a full mouth speculum. A full mouth speculum is a piece of equipment that fits onto a horse’s head, similar to a bridle, with mouth plates that fit between the front teeth to hold a horse’s mouth open. This allows for a more complete visualization and palpation of most aspects of the teeth.

Reliable and Safe Sedation

To complete a full mouth speculum dental exam, horses need to be sedated for their safety and for the safety of their handlers. Sedation also ensures compassionate care of the horse and precise control of the procedure being performed. When your veterinarian considers equine sedative options, a consistent, reliable sedative is preferred. Additionally, a sedative that provides pain control is advantageous to ensure your horse’s comfort level during the procedure. DORMOSEDAN® Sterile Solution (detomidine hydrochloride) meets equine sedation and analgesic (pain control) needs in just one dose. With nearly 30 years of supporting safety data, veterinarians continue to rate DORMOSEDAN highest of all equine sedation products for efficacy, safety and reliability.¹

Annual oral and dental examinations are a recommended baseline of care for horses by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP).² Depending on your horse’s age, level of performance and overall condition of the teeth, additional examinations throughout the year may be needed.

Work with your veterinarian to schedule your horse’s annual dental exam. Consider scheduling it during your horse’s annual spring vaccination appointment to ensure your horse is set up for success and feeling his best year-round.

Important Safety Information: Do not use Dormosedan Sterile Solution in horses with pre-existing atrioventricular (AV) or sinoatrial (SA) block, with severe coronary insufficiency, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease, or chronic renal failure. Intravenous potentiated sulfonamides should not be used in anesthetized or sedated horses. Careful consideration should be given to horses approaching or in endotoxic or traumatic shock, to horses with advanced liver or kidney disease, or to horses under stress from extreme heat, cold, fatigue, or high altitude. Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Handle dosing syringes with caution to avoid direct exposure to skin, eyes or mouth. See full Prescribing Information.

About Zoetis

Zoetis is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 65 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines, vaccines and diagnostic products, which are complemented by biodevices, genetic tests and precision livestock farming. Zoetis serves veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals with sales of its products in more than 100 countries. In 2019, the company generated annual revenue of $6.3 billion with approximately 10,600 employees. For more information, visit www.zoetisus.com.

For more information, contact:
Jessica Normand, Zoetis, jessica.normand@zoetis.com, 973-443-2907 or Theresa Fitzgerald, Bader Rutter, tfitzgerald@bader-rutter.com, 515-298-2239

¹ Freedom of Information Summary. NADA 140-862.
² Scrutchfield WL. Dental Examination. https://aaep.org/horsehealth/dental-examination. Accessed January 13, 2020.

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Could dental pain be the culprit for your horse’s behavioral problems? A recent study done by researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland that was published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science established a link between common horse behavior problems and dental pain caused by abscessed cheek teeth. Periapical infections (those around the apex of the tooth root) or abscessed cheek teeth are common in horses and will usually induce pain that is displayed in your horse’s behavior. According to the research, half of the cases of periapical infections were diagnosed during routine dental examinations, indicating that horse owners were unaware of the association between undesirable behavioral patterns of their horses and dental pain.

Behavior Problems Linked to Tooth Pain

Common behavioral signs associated with cheek teeth abscesses fall into three main categories. Some signs include:

Eating and Drinking:

◆ Eating slowly or taking frequent pauses while eating hay
◆ Turning the head while eating or dropping hay or grain from his mouth
◆ Dipping hay in water or avoiding drinking cold water

Bit-Related:

◆ Evading the bit
◆ Headshaking, lolling tongue or opening his mouth when ridden and/or driven with a bit
◆ Rein contact worse on one side of the mouth
◆ Resistance to bridling

General:

◆ Withdrawn, intense stare, aggressive behavior, or self-harm to his head
◆ Avoiding social interaction with other horses and people
◆ Bad-smelling breath
◆ Poor performance, such as a decline in athletic ability

Zoetis is committed to educating horse owners about the importance of annual dental examinations and care by an equine veterinarian. Behavioral signs caused by dental abnormalities are crucial to identify. Recognizing these potential behavior changes in your horse that may be caused by dental pain can help with earlier diagnosis, treatment and improved health and wellness for your horse.

If your horse is expressing any of these behavioral signs, work with your equine veterinarian to conduct an oral and dental examination. Annual oral and dental examinations are a recommended baseline of care for your horse. Depending on your horse’s age, level of performance and overall condition of the teeth, additional examinations throughout the year may be needed.

For more information, visit www.zoetisus.com.

The post Recognizing the Connection Between Dental Pain and Horse Behavior Problems appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Being herbivores, horses rely on eating large amounts of fibrous vegetation throughout the day to keep their digestive systems healthy and their body weight on target. The mechanical means by which your horse tears and grinds hay, grass, and any grain that you give him heavily dictates how much he can consume and how well it is digested. It’s no small wonder that when a senior horse’s teeth start to show their age, so does the rest of the horse. The following is a look at equine dentition in more detail and how to keep senior horses’ teeth as healthy as we can with proper senior horse dental care.

Physiology

Horses and most other grazing species have what are called “hypsodont” teeth. This means the teeth have a large crown (the part above the gum line) that continues to grow up from the gum over the animal’s lifetime. This continual tooth growth is necessary due to the constant wear and tear on the molars during
grazing.

If you look at an X-ray of a young horse’s head, you’ll see enormously long molars embedded in the jaw. These teeth will slowly continue to push through the gums during the horse’s entire life. A senior horse’s jaw will have hardly any molars left below the gum. This makes them more prone to losing teeth, which becomes a problem as the molar opposite the missing tooth is likely to overgrow, resulting in uneven wear or the formation of sharp points on the remaining tooth.

A common expression for an older horse with missing or severely worn teeth is that he’s “run out of tooth.” Missing teeth and the gaps they create in the mouth can also impinge on a horse’s natural jaw movement, resulting in pain and inefficient chewing.

Additionally, a horse’s upper jaw is wider than the lower jaw. If you watch a horse chew, you’ll notice his mouth moves side to side, not up and down, to thoroughly grind down fibrous plant material.

Wear and Tear

Over the course of a horse’s life, uneven tooth wear can gradually cause problems. In some cases, this produces a condition called wave mouth, where some molars are taller than others, creating what looks like a rollercoaster on the grinding surface of the horse’s back teeth.

More typically, uneven wear creates sharp points on the edges of some molars. Although these points can and do develop in younger horses’ mouths, they are seen more frequently in our older equines, usually because mild dental issues have been missed or ignored and are compounded as the horse ages.

As you might imagine, a sharp point in the mouth can be extremely painful, with the end result producing a red ulcer either on the side of the tongue or along the inside of the cheek.

These sores can make eating difficult. In younger horses, the molars are tightly
packed together with no room in between. This means they don’t typically get cavities or gum disease like humans do. However, as a horse ages and his teeth are progressively worn, gaps are created between the teeth. This allows feed to accumulate and sometimes get impacted between molars.

This can irritate and inflame the gums and even result in infections, leading to an abscessed tooth. If not addressed, this infection can progress into the sinus or the jaw. Occasionally, older equines may need an infected tooth pulled or, although rare, a root canal, depending on the degree of diseased tissue.

Problems to Look For

One of the classic and most common signs of poor dentition in older horses is “quidding.” This is a term used when clumps of partly chewed food drop from a horse’s mouth while he’s eating.

Quidding occurs because of mouth pain; as the horse tries to avoid an ulcerated lesion, halfchewed food inevitably drops out. Sometimes you may also see a horse drool or play with his food or water instead of gobbling it down, although these can be signs of other problems as well, such as abdominal pain or choke.

Inefficient eating will eventually catch up with a horse in the form of weight loss, especially in a senior that may have other health issues. Compounded with metabolism changes and loss of muscle tone, bad teeth most commonly cause that stereotypical image of a thin senior horse.

Bad breath, called halitosis, can also be a sign of dental issues in a horse. One relatively new dental disease identified in older horses is called equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (aka EOTRH).

EOTRH is an extremely painful condition seen in some older horses. While the cause is not yet understood, EOTRH occurs when the body begins to reabsorb the incisors and sometimes the canines. This causes the horse to drool, have bad breath, and sometimes demonstrate “smiling” behavior when the lips are curled back to expose the incisors.

While there is no cure for EOTRH, removing the affected incisors helps alleviate the pain of this senior horse dental condition.

Dental Exams

Regular dental checks should be part of your horse’s routine health program. “Floating” is the term used to describe the act of rasping a horse’s molars to maintain an even grinding surface with the opposing tooth, and helps prevent the formation of sharp points in the mouth. Floating is not meant to smooth out the molar’s grinding surface: its bumpy ridges on the top are needed for proper grinding.

When younger, yearly dental checks and minor floating are usually enough to keep a horse’s mouth in top shape unless underlying malocclusion issues are found. As a horse ages into his 20s, floating every six months may be advised by your vet, depending on issues found and signs your horse may be showing.

Mouths with lots of problems can’t be all fixed in one visit. If large points are found on an exam, a few visits over a series of months may be needed as large chunks of tooth should not be rasped down all at once. Excessive floating can cause heat damage to the tooth root, so it must be done in short bursts.

Floating can be done either manually with hand floats, which are long rasps pulled back and forth over a horse’s molars by hand, or mechanically by a tool called a power float. A thorough floating is best done with the horse under light sedation. For this reason, it’s recommended to have a veterinarian do the floating.

Since it can be hard to grasp how large a horse’s molars are and how they grind
together, take a look inside your horse’s mouth during his next senior hose dental exam. If your veterinarian uses a speculum to hold the mouth open, ask if you can place a hand in your horse’s mouth to feel the surface of his teeth.

If your horse has some points, feel how sharp they are—you might be surprised. And once you’ve seen a large, painful ulcer on a cheek or tongue, you’ll never forget it.

After floating, keep your horse quiet until the sedation wears off. His mouth may be a bit tender immediately after the procedure, depending on how much work was required. Give him the day off of riding, but unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian, he should be ready to return to work the following day. Typically no changes in diet are needed.

Reaching senior status is a sign that your horse’s teeth need closer inspection. However, with regular checks, his mouth can be kept in its best condition no matter his age.

Feeding the Senior Horse As your beloved partner ages, his nutrition needs change as tooth growth slows or stops. Eating slower, quidding, weight or muscle loss, and even choke may be caused by dental issues or discomfort. If your horse starts showing signs of dental problems, consult your veterinarian and consider making adjustments to your feeding program. ■ Built-In Forage: Horses need at least 1.5 to 2 percent of their body weight in forage (hay or pasture) daily to maintain proper gut health. As horses age and lose the ability to effectively chew and salivate, eating and digesting long-stemmed forage becomes more difficult. Complete feeds are formulated with high-quality fiber, and they are designed to supply all or part of the daily forage a horse needs in an easy-to-chew and digest pellet. Alternatively, you can add chopped hay or other pelleted forages to your horse’s diet. ■ Palatability: Senior horses can become finicky eaters, making it difficult for you to maintain their weight. When choosing a senior feed, look for a highly palatable feed, but watch out for feeds with excessive sugar and starch content. Consider a feed that includes a blend of molasses and oil to improve palatability and boost fat content (compared to straight cane molasses, which is higher in sugar). A molasses/oil blend can help entice a picky horse to keep eating while keeping the sugar and starch content at the right levels for horses with carbohydrate sensitivities. ■ Easily Digestible: Saliva production can start to decrease in aging horses. Saliva helps horses swallow and digest hay and feed. A highly digestible and easy-to-chew senior feed can help counteract the effects of reduced saliva production. Look for a feed with high-quality fiber sources such as beet pulp and premium hay to help senior horses maintain body condition and normal digestive function. ■ Feed Manufacturing: Feed manufacturing is also important to consider when choosing a senior feed. Look for a pellet that’s tested to be easy for horses to chew and digest, plus easy to soak. Horses with severe dental issues or missing teeth can benefit from a mash made with a soaked senior feed and warm water. A mash can help horses chew and swallow while still providing all the necessary fiber, nutrients and calories needed to maintain weight and stay healthy. — Kelly Vineyard, M.S., Ph.D., Senior Equine Nutritionist, Purina Animal Nutrition

This article about senior dental care originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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As veterinarians, there are always those horses we’ll never forget. For me, when it comes to horse dentistry, there are four.

The first is Shiloh. During my second year out of vet school, the old, beloved mare couldn’t eat for two weeks after my boss floated her teeth with hand floats.

About five years later, there was Mariah, who for some strange reason kept breaking her teeth. It seemed every few months I’d be called out and find yet another of her molars broken. We were at a loss as to how she was doing it.

Next was Roulette, who was so mouth-shy that no one could get near her with a dewormer. When I floated her teeth, a process part of horse dentistry, I found the smelliest, rotten broken tooth in her upper molars. I can only imagine the constant tooth pain she was in.

Finally there was Opie, whom I had taken care of for 15 years and a favorite patient. He too got a fractured tooth, and they called in a vet specializing in horse dentistry to fix it when I couldn’t. That put me on the path to improve my horse dentistry skills. I knew I had to do better for Opie and my other clients.

Modern Improvements

Equine vets have stepped up the horse dentistry game big time. Now we have a board certification association that creates actual equine dentists, which is a great deal different than a dental school that certifies non-vets.

We take X-rays of the teeth and we look at tooth root health. We treat gum disease. We have the ability to fill cavities. We no longer expose the sensitive pulp chamber of the teeth. It’s much more than having Joe from down the road come out and float your horse’s teeth.

The Horse’s Mouth

Equine teeth, adapted by nature to constantly chew grass all day, are being constantly worn down. To accommodate this, the horse’s teeth constantly erupt (grow) from the gums. They essentially have very long teeth hidden inside their jaws that emerge as the surface wears down from grinding food.

The horse’s upper jaw is slightly wider than the lower jaw, so the back molars are not completely aligned from side to side. The upper outside and lower inside of the cheek teeth do not touch, and as the teeth are worn down, sharp ridges and points develop on the inside lower teeth and outside upper teeth, or the teeth become slanted from side to side.

The points can become so sharp that they cut the cheeks and tongue, causing ulcers, and after a while, poor grinding causes the horse to drop food. These points, ridges and slants are what need realigning, or what is known throughout the horse world as “floating.” In the horse dentist world, the new term is “occlusal alignment,” which is essentially restoring the grinding surfaces of the teeth­—the occlusal surfaces—back to their original alignment for the most effective and efficient chewing.

How the Tooth Works

So why was Shiloh so mouth-sore after being floated that she couldn’t eat, and why did Mariah get so many broken back teeth? It turns out there are some areas of the horse’s teeth that we shouldn’t touch. The structures that allow us to grind down the sharp points and ridges are also the structures that can become diseased or get damaged during attempts to realign the teeth.

Horses’ teeth have a strong enamel covering along with hard reinforcement, called dentin, within a large cavity. This cavity is called the infundibulum. Like us, they have pulp chambers that hold the sensitive nerves.

As the tooth erupts, dentin and enamel are laid down to protect the pulp chambers and harden the center of the tooth within the infundibulum. When we correct the alignment by floating the teeth, we grind down only the edges of the teeth, not the middle of the teeth that touch and grind (called the occlusal surface).

The grinding (occlusal) surfaces interlock with each other in a zigzag pattern with what is known as the transverse ridges. Sometimes teeth are ground down on this occlusal surface in an attempt to flatten those ridges. Only excessive ridges should be taken down.

The danger in grinding down the occlusal surface is exposing the pulp cavity. If this happens, the underlying nerve is exposed and the tooth becomes extremely painful and has the potential to die over the next several months. Studies have shown that there can be as little as 1 to 3 mm of enamel covering the pulp chambers, which makes exposing them and damaging the teeth easy to do.

Wave Mouth

In the case of Shiloh, because of her advanced age, her teeth had worn into what is known as a “wave mouth.” Horses have front teeth, called incisors, used for ripping grass. These are the teeth you see when you lift up the horse’s lips. There are six upper and six lower incisors.

If you are able to open the horse’s mouth and look in the back, you will see the teeth that do all the hard work—grinding hay and grass. There are six upper and six lower large molars on the left and right sides of the mouth, often referred to as the cheek teeth.

The small wolf tooth, if present, is just in front of the first cheek tooth, typically only on the top jaw, and the canines are just behind the front teeth. In the case of wave mouth, the lower cheek teeth form a hump and over-wear the upper cheek teeth, causing a wave.

Where we get in trouble is when we try to correct these misalignments. Sometimes when grinding down the waves and humps to flatten the teeth, we expose the pulp cavity, or the heat generated from the grinding causes heat damage to the pulp chamber.

The front teeth can also get a wave, known as smiley face, or slant from side to side, known as a slant. Where we get in trouble is when we try to correct these misalignments. Sometimes when grinding down the waves and humps to flatten the teeth, we expose the pulp cavity, or the heat generated from the grinding causes heat damage to the pulp chamber.

If attempting to make the teeth look aligned, it is possible to take so much down that the back cheek teeth no longer touch each other and can’t do their normal grinding anymore. This also puts more pressure on the front teeth, making them sore and possibly causing the beginning of a serious disease called equine odontoclastic tooth reabsorbtion and hypercementosis (EOTRH).

Tooth Death

Shiloh was most likely overfloated, something that often happened 20 years ago. If the pulp cavity becomes exposed, sometimes the tooth fixes itself with a patch of dentin to seal off the exposed chamber, but if it doesn’t, the nerve dies slowly, a very painful process.

Since the cheek teeth have multiple pulp chambers that often communicate with each other, this causes the tooth to die. Once it dies, it has the potential to fall out. The process can take months or years.

Dental Caries

In Mariah, Roulette and Opie’s case, their problem wasn’t over-floating or misalignment of the teeth, but rather the tooth itself developed what are known as caries. These weaken the teeth and cause them to fracture.

As mentioned earlier, one of the adaptations of horses’ teeth is the infundibulum. This cavity in the center of the tooth is quite large and runs deep within the tooth. It gets filled in with dentin to help strengthen the tooth.

Only the front teeth and the upper cheek teeth have these specialized cavities. Unfortunately, sometimes these don’t fill in properly with dentin, and a small hole develops in the center of the tooth. This hole can get packed with food and other bacteria and grow in size.

Caries can get very large and involve the pulp chambers. They can get so big and so impacted with food that the tooth splits open, causing a fracture. If left in the mouth, the fractured tooth becomes very painful and can cause gum disease or sinus infections, since the upper cheek teeth are within the sinus cavity.

Diseases

Other areas of concern in the horse’s mouth are the gums and the front teeth. Horses can and do get gum disease. The most common form is a space between the cheek teeth, called a diastema, which allows food to get impacted between the teeth.

This impacted food is a source of infection, and if left unchecked, causes gum disease by creating deep, infected pockets. These pockets can cause loosening of the teeth, leading to possible tooth loss and pain.

EOTRH is a dental disease that is being more commonly recognized. This is a disease of the incisors (front teeth), where the bone surrounding the teeth becomes inflamed.

The initial response by the jawbone to this inflammation is loosening of the teeth because the bone surrounding them becomes reabsorbed. Once the body realizes the teeth are loose, it overcompensates by laying down extra calcium to try and strengthen the area and save the tooth. Instead, there is a lot of pain, destruction of the tooth, excessive enlargement of the tooth roots, and fractures in the teeth.

Begin with an Exam

We’ve come a long way from the days of Shiloh. Now the accepted practice is the oral exam, not just floating the teeth. We sedate each horse and open the mouth fully with a speculum to look at each tooth with a bright light and a mirror or endoscope (special camera that can get to the back of the mouth).

We examine the infundibulum and pulp chambers for caries, fractures or damage to the chambers. We look at the gums with a mirror or endoscope for signs of gum disease. We use special picks and probes to determine how big and deep the caries or gum pockets are. We take X-rays, computer topography (CT) scans and bone scans of the teeth to determine if the tooth roots are healthy.

We clean out caries and fix diastemas by opening the gaps between teeth, which prevents food from becoming trapped. We extract diseased cheek teeth and incisors in a much more humane and pain-free way.

And we’ve gone back to school. Now there are many specialized courses for vets to learn these new techniques. For those who want to take it to the next level, a true veterinary dental association board-certifies veterinarians that want to become dental specialists.

These specialized horse dentists and others are developing new techniques to try and save teeth. They are working on ways to fill in caries before they fracture, giving the tooth a filling and doing root canals.

Horse dentistry is no longer your average Joe’s float job. It’s real dentistry, and vets are getting on board.

Janice Posnikoff, DVM, was the owner and principal vet at Orange County Equine Vet Services in Orange County, Calif., for over 20 years. After spending time in Maryland and Virginia, she now brings her love of dressage and expertise in sport horse medicine to her hometown city of Winnipeg, Canada at Elders Equine Vet Services as an associate vet. She lives and practices there with her five bunnies, close to family and friends.

This article about horse dentistry originally appeared in the March 2018 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

Further reading:

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Equine Dentistry 

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