Juvenile Equine
Dentistry
By Dr. Mike Cissell, Large Animal Surgeon,
Prescott Animal Hospital & Equine Center
I
think that at some point we all
remember being a little nervous about
going to the dentist. However we went
anyway because we also knew that good
oral health was important for our general
health. The same can be said of oral health
in the horse. One of the most important
aspects for an owner to understand about
horse oral health is that the anatomy of
the mouth changes as the horse ages just
as our mouths change.
Typically a foal will erupt its first teeth at
approximately 6 days of age. The first teeth
to come in are the central incisors. From
there they will gain the next incisors at
6 weeks, and then at about 6 months of
age. These however are just baby teeth, also called deciduous teeth, and are
eventually replaced by the adult permanent teeth. Just as the incisors erupt
at different times, so to do the cheek teeth, or molars.. A major difference
between the incisor teeth and the cheek teeth is that not all cheek teeth
have a deciduous predecessor. Due to the time points at which different
cheek teeth erupt into the mouth it is possible for abnormalities to occur
which can lead to potential permanent problems. The last adult permanent
tooth erupts at approximately 4 years of age, and therefore it is important
to have oral exams performed during these first years to ensure that eruption is occurring normally.
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There are numerous issues that can develop during tooth eruption in the
young horse. Some of these issues are solely cosmetic and temporary such
as an “eruption bump”. An eruption bump is typically found on the bottom
of the lower jaw and appears as a swelling that is associated with eruption
of the tooth at that site and will go away without treatment. However some
issues can be much more concerning, like when a horse develops an extra
tooth within an arcade. This is referred to as supernumerary teeth, and can
lead to misalignment of the rest of the teeth and potential dental disease.
As with any issue in our horses, it is always best to have things detected
earlier rather than later in an attempt to reduce the severity of the problem.
It is a good idea to have your veterinarian perform a sedated oral exam
once every six months from the ages of 1-5 years old. Since the dental
anatomy can change rapidly at this age, this will help to catch potential
problems early so that they
may be treated before they
could become a major
problem. As always, any
time you have a concern
regarding the health of
your horse it is advisable to
contact your veterinarian as
it takes good teamwork to
help keep horses as healthy
as possible.
AZintheSaddle.com
Erin Rae Smith
Owner/Trainer
American Saddlebred Training,
Lessons and Sales
480-239-5348
April 2015
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