The old saying goes, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” While it is rude to question the value of a gift, equine caretakers should routinely look in their horses’ mouths to make sure proper dental care is being met.
Proper dental care starts with horse caretakers establishing a good relationship with an equine dentist, who is usually a licensed veterinarian. These professionals will perform yearly dental exams on equines to make sure they stay healthy through all stages of life.
Just like humans, horses have two sets of teeth in their lifetime. The last baby teeth foals will get come in at around eight months, and all baby teeth will begin to be replaced with adult teeth around age two and a half. By age five, most horses will have their full set of permanent adult teeth. Because of all the changes, younger horses might need more frequent dental exams. However, even adult teeth go through their own changes and need to be kept up. At each dental visit, an equine dentist will perform a dental float, which is the filing down of any large points that are in the horse’s mouth. This is because equine teeth will continue to grow throughout their life.
“The filing does not hurt them,” said Equine Care Manager Melissa Murray. “It’s kind of like filing our nails. There’s just like a pressure to it, but it doesn’t hurt them. What can hurt is not filing their teeth down because the sharp points that form on their molars can actually cut the insides of their cheeks open or their tongues, so they’ll have lesions and sores inside of their mouth that will cause them pain.”
Equine dentists will also look for broken teeth or signs of gum disease, which is why routine exams are so important, so issues are caught as early as possible. A painful condition to be aware of in older horses is Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis, or EOTRH, which is a syndrome that results in loss of the bone and tissue surrounding the roots of a horse’s incisors (front teeth) and canine teeth. The only treatment for EORTH is extracting the affected teeth, which will provide relief from that pain.
Along with scheduling routine dental exams, it’s good for horse guardians to know signs of possible dental issues so they can be caught early.
“Your horse might start to lose conditioning because they’re not eating as well,” said Murray. “You might notice them dropping food as they eat. You’ll also watch for quidding, which is partially chewed little balls of hay that fall out of their mouths. That’s usually a sign that something’s not quite right in their mouths, and you should have a veterinarian come out to examine them.”
Murray says nasal discharge coming from one nostril and foul-smelling breath are also signs of dental infection. For horses who are ridden, they might become more resistant to having a bit in their mouth because they are rubbing against sores.
The key to proper equine dental care is not so different from that of humans – Preventative care is key, and knowing your equine’s behavior so you’re able to notice changes is essential to overall health.
This column was published in Berkshire Animal World’s October 2023 issue.