Dentistry
Horses need regular preventive dental maintenance on average every six months to two years. We float horse teeth regularly in our practice. Unlike people, horses' teeth have an eruption rate of two to three millimeters per year. This means that they continue to grow in length throughout the horse's life. The teeth should wear in correspondence to yearly eruption rate. If they do not, abnormal wear and painful sharp edges ("points") may result. Malocclusions (improper position of the teeth) can lead to many health issues and behavioral problems.
Young horses require floating more often than adult horses because their tooth enamel is softer and wears faster. This results in sharp points developing much faster than in older horses. This effect is especially noted in young horses in training.
Very old horses may also require more frequent floating, as they are reaching the end of their teeth, and the enamel is softer there also. The teeth may be completely grown out, or close to it, and uneven wear may result. As teeth fall out with old age, uneven wear also results and sharp points can occur.
Identifying dental problems as early as possible is important. Look for the following symptoms which may indicate dental problems:
horse dropping food while eating
eats hay before grain
grain in water bucket
difficulty chewing or excess salivation
loss of body condition
large undigested food particles in manure larger than one quarter inch
head tilting or tossing
bit chewing
tongue lolling
tries to rear while bridling
fighting the bit or resisting the bridle
bucking or failing to stop or turn
foul odor from the mouth or nostrils
traces of blood in the mouth
nasal discharge
swelling of the face
Other horses may not show noticeable signs, because they adapt to their discomfort.
Dental treatment ("floating") requires sedation and the placement of a mouth gag to hold the mouth open. We use power floating equipment to allow us to perform floating quickly and more accurately than with hand tools. This reduces the time under sedation, as well as the time the mouth gag must be in place.