our expertise: VET COLUMN
Matters of
the Mouth
Tom Hutchins, DVM, DABVP
North Texas Veterinary Hospital
8283 FM 920 • Weatherford, Tx
T
52
he importance of maintaining the health of
your horse’s mouth is a component of routine
health care that is often overlooked or at least
put on the back burner. Routine dental care is
essential to your horse’s health. Periodic exams,
corrections and regular maintenance are especially
necessary for a number of reasons.
We have modified the horse’s diet and eating
pattern through domestication and confinement.
We demand more from our performance horses
beginning at a younger age. We often select
breeding animals without regard to dental
considerations. Proper dental care has its rewards.
Your horse will be more comfortable, utilize feed
more efficiently and perform better and even live
longer.
Horses are grazing animals and their teeth are
perfectly suited for that purpose. The forward teeth
or incisors function to shear off forage. The cheek
teeth, the molars and prem olars, have wide, flat,
roughened surfaces that allow for easy grinding of
feed into a mash before being swallowed.
Horses get two sets of teeth in their lifetime.
The baby (deciduous) teeth are temporary and the
first deciduous incisors may erupt before or shortly
after the foal is born. The last deciduous teeth
come in when the horse is about 8 months of age.
Only the incisors and the first three cheek teeth
have deciduous precursors to the permanent ones.
These teeth begin to be replaced by adult teeth
around 2 years of age.
By age 5, most horses have their full
complement of permanent teeth. An adult horse
may have up to 44 permanent teeth. The one
difference between males and females is the
likelihood for a female to not have canine teeth
otherwise known as bridle teeth. Keep it in mind
that there can be variations when teeth erupt in
Dr. Tom Hutchins
individuals and breeds.
The most common dental problems include
sharp enamel points forming on the cheek teeth,
causing lacerations of the cheek and tongue,
retained caps (deciduous teeth) that are not shed,
and discomfort caused by bit contact with the wolf
teeth. Also, the formation of hooks on the upper
and lower cheek teeth, long and/or sharp canine
teeth interfering with the insertion or removal
of the bit, lost or broken teeth, and abnormal or
uneven bite planes. Other issues involve teeth
that are excessively worn, abnormally long, have
infection in the tooth or gums, or misaligned.
Periodontal (gum) disease is due to excessive
build-up of tartar especially involving the canine
teeth.
Horses with dental problems may show obvious
signs such as pain and irritation or may show no
noticeable signs at all due to the fact that some
horses simply adapt to their discomfort. Indications
of dental problems include loss of feed from
the mouth while chewing, excessive salivation,
loss of body condition, large, undigested feed
particles in the manure, head tilting or tossing, bit
chewing, tongue rolling, fighting the bit, resisting
bridling, poor performance, failing to turn or stop
or bucking, foul odor from the mouth or nostrils,
traces of blood coming from the mouth, nasal
discharge and/or swelling of the face, jaw, or
mouth tissues.
Oral exams should be an essential part of