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.

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The post Equine Dental Care 101 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The morning air was cool and the sky streaked with swaths of pink and gold as I climbed out of my truck, coffee cup in hand. I had six dentals lined up at a nice barn where I did quite a bit of vet work, and I wanted to get an early start because it was getting hot earlier and earlier in the day.

I was hauling my equine dental floats and headstand down the barn aisle when a boarder came around the corner. She was leading a bug-eyed horse who skittered sideways at the sight of me and the equipment. The lady had her hands full for several minutes trying to gain control of her big horse, and visualizing the horse trampling my stuff, I dragged it off to the side of the barn aisle. The tote made a loud rattling sound.

“Don’t move!” she barked. I wasn’t clear who she was addressing—me or the horse—but I waited for her to get out of my way so I could continue to my waiting patients. I tapped my foot and looked at my watch.

When the horse looked a little less bug-eyed, and had three out of four feet on the ground, the woman studied me.

“You doing teeth today?”

I said that I was.

“What’s your training and how much do you charge?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any room in my schedule today,” I said pleasantly, thinking that this wasn’t going to go well. “I’m happy to schedule you for another visit.”

She snorted.

“Vincent LeBeau, the equine dentist, flies in to take care of my horses. He’s a miracle worker. Last time he did their teeth, he equilibrated their TMJ joints for maximum athletic performance. My sweet Belladonna was having problems with her right lead and he fixed her. He also says that vets don’t know anything about teeth because they don’t get any dental training in vet school.”

Equine Dentistry: Science vs. Science Fiction

I sighed. I was a well-seasoned equine practitioner, and over the years I had devoted a great deal of time and money pursuing advanced equine dentistry training. I had honed my skills on hundreds of horses and took pride in my work, yet I had heard this false rhetoric more times than I could count.

Somehow the disciples of Vince and other lay-floaters like him assumed that I knew absolutely nothing about teeth and had no business doing equine dental work. It was ironic, especially in light of the fact that calling oneself an equine dentist without the requisite schooling and certification was illegal, as was performing medical procedures on animals without a veterinary license.

Vince and his ilk were like a disease among the horse owners, and it was exhausting to spend time and energy educating clients on proper dental technique and safe sedation, only to watch a percentage hop on the Vince-TMJ-equilibrating-bandwagon anyway. Occasionally he’d get reported to the state veterinary board and some pencil-pusher would send a half-hearted cease and desist letter, but the law had no real teeth, and Vince knew it.

It was amazing the nonsense that people would believe, and boring old me with my boring old rooted-in-medicine-and-science approach and lack of miraculous skull adjustments just couldn’t compete. Maybe if I started wearing a tutu to my dentals and flung glitter everywhere, I’d be more interesting.

Debunking the Man & His Myth

I sighed and commenced rolling my gear down the barn aisle. It was pointless to engage with this woman, and I had a lot of work to do. Good ol’ Vince could have her.

But she wasn’t done with me yet.

“You should take Vincent’s dentistry course! He certifies equine dentists all over the country. Maybe you could shadow him for a day!”
I gave her a pained smile and kept walking. I was not going to respond; I was going to keep walking and keep my mouth firmly shut.

“It would be an amazing opportunity for you,” she called. “You shouldn’t let your ego get in the way of a chance to learn from an expert!”

I dropped my equipment with a thud and marched back to the woman and I said every single thing that I’d been wanting to say for months about illegal fake dentists and sedation and Vincent, and skull adjustments and ridiculous TMJ nonsense and non-existent lead change improvements. Her mouth hung open as I drove a few more points home, then I wrapped it up with a grand finale on veterinary practice laws.

Satisfied, I marched off to my waiting clients, performed my six dentals with aplomb as though a room full of Vincents were watching, then packed up and left.

Vince Returns

I was back the next day to look at a lame horse, and the owner rubbed her hands together anxiously as I palpated the leg in question. I found a flexor tendon that was warm and swollen, and a quick ultrasound showed a moderate tear in the structure.

I was explaining the treatment plan to the woman, detailing what the next few months would look like, and she studied me doubtfully. I could always tell when a client was about to defect to another treatment guru, and she definitely had that look in her eye.

Sure enough, I was at the barn a few weeks later and there was Vincent LeBeau, performing a skull adjustment on the horse with the tendon injury and waving some sort of wand at the horse’s torso. Soon after, the horse reinjured the leg in his stall.
I was rechecking an ultrasound one day and gleefully waited to hear her denounce Old Vince as the quack that he was.

“Dr. Diehl, thank goodness for Vince! He’s doing a lot of healing body work on my horse and it will help prevent future injuries. You really should consider studying under him!”

This article originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Vet Adventures: Adjusting Your Perspective on an Equine Dentist appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.