Routine Equine Dentistry

Many horses need regular preventive dental maintenance every 1-2 years. Unlike people, horses' teeth have an eruption rate of 2-3mm per year. The teeth should wear in correspondence to yearly eruption rate. Malocclusions, or improper position of the teeth, can lead to many health issues and behavioral problems.

 Identifying dental problems as early as possible is important. There are many problems that may be related to poor dental health in the horse: loss of food while eating; grain in water bucket; difficulty chewing or excess salivation; loss of body condition; large undigested food particles in manure ; head tilting or tossing; bit chewing; tongue lolling; foul odor from the mouth or nostrils; or nasal discharge or swelling of the face. Other horses may not show noticeable signs, because they just simply adapt to their discomfort. 

                                                                                               
                   This is a 2 year old with a severe overbite of the upper jaw.                                   This led to large hooks forming on his upper molars 
                                                                                                                                                                          causing difficulty eating.

                                                                                                   
              With regular dental care his bite has improved allowing 
                               him to chew more normally.