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 jaw or teeth, can lead to uneven wear and discomfort for the horse.

Identifying dental problems early 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; 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.

We recommend yearly evaluation of your horses' teeth to avoid some of these problems. Should your horse require dental maintenance or "floating" we have available both hand and power floats, and if needed will sedate the horse to do a thorough oral exam and any floating that may be needed to maintain your horse's oral health. 

 

                                                                                               
                   This is a 2 year old with a severe overbite of the upper jaw.                                        Large hooks forming on his upper molars.

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                   
              With regular dental care his bite has improved.