Dental care is an important part of a horse farms health programNever look a gift horse in the mouth. But gift or not, it is something that must be done. Teeth are probably the most neglected area of a horses health care, even by knowledgeable, experienced horsemen.

Several dental problems may occur, and we will talk about most of them here, but the primary problem is one that is a natural result of how a horse eats: the development of enamel points on the teeth. The design of the horse leaves a great deal to be desired: big body and little scrawny legs, unreasonable intestinal arrangement, limited eyesight, etc. Another design flaw is the teeth: They keep growing throughout the life of the animal.

Enamel points

A horse, of course, is a herbivore (although I have known a couple of stallions that could have been described as omnivoresthey liked the occasional pound of flesh mixed in their diets) and, as such, must grind its feed for proper digestion. This is done by a rotary chewing motion, and a horses teeth are designed to accomplish this: The surfaces of the cheek teeth are flat, and the uppers slant down and out while the lowers slant up and in.

As the feed is ground, the outer edge of the upper teeth and the inner edge of the lower teeth have less contact with the opposing teeth and are not worn down by usage, so they keep growing, hence the formation of sharp edges, i.e., enamel points. After a while, the points on the upper teeth irritate or abrade the inside of the cheeks, and the points on the lower teeth do the same to the tongue. Eventually, it becomes painful to chew properly, so the horse does one of three things: 1) stops eating (or eats less); 2) stops chewing, or 3) takes a mouthful of feed, chews a couple of times, says ouch, and opens its mouth, at which point most of the feed falls out and onto the ground or stall floor.

Number one is pretty obviousthe feed tub is not emptied; number two is the least apparent. The feed is all ingested, but instead of being chewed properly (if at all), it is swallowed whole. An examination of the feces will reveal varying amounts of undigested feed. Number three is obvious if attention is paid. There will be grain on the ground below and around the feed tub. Feed is wasted and the horse suffers. In time, all three lead to a horse in poor condition.

Floating

This problem can be solved by floating the teeth to remove the enamel points. The general recommendation is to do this at six-month intervals, but that is not necessary for all horses. In fact, some horses never seem to need it (I think these are the abnormal ones), so, rather than routinely float twice a year, a better plan is to have each horses teeth checked every six months and float only those horses that need it.

I know of no veterinarian who enjoys floating teeth. I know I do not. It is the closest thing to actual physical effort that our job requires, and if we had wanted to work up a sweat we would have chosen another line of work. Fortunately, in areas of large horse populations, there are equine dentists whose raisons detre are the teeth of the regions horses. Most of these dentists are honest, hard-working, capable, and possibly more knowledgeable than your vet on the subject of horse teethand this next statement will cause an angry response from some, if not all, of them.

Many dentists request that you allow them to do the floating alone; it is not necessaryor even desiredthat anyone be present but the horses. I have found on two occasions that a dentist spent his time alone with the horses and billed my clients, but somehow forgot to do any floating. This is not a blanket indictment of these menfar from itit is merely a suggestion to be aware.

Proper attention to teeth floating will result in savings on your feed bill and horses that remain in good condition, which results in better performance and production.

Other problems

Most of the other dental conditions are associated with young horses. Prognathism (parrot-mouth) is probably the most common congenital dental problem in horses and may be corrected in many cases if detected early. This necessitates, of course, looking at the teeth of a foal. If prognathism is present, the application of bite plates may be started by six months of age.

As the permanent teeth come in, the deciduous teeth may not be shed and interfere with the horses range of jaw motion. It is sometimes necessary to remove them. Also, caps may be retained, and these need to be removed. Exams should be performed during the time when permanent teeth normally erupt to determine if either of these conditions exist.

Many horsemen advocate the routine removal of wolf teeth. If this is the case, it should be done before the horse enters training. In fact, it is best to do it at around one year of age (12-to-15 calendar months) for a couple of reasons: 1) it is easier to do at this time because the periodontal membrane has not yet turned to stone, and 2) healing can be completed and the rare infection controlled before a foreign object (a bit) is forced in there.

Tooth problems later in a horses life include the development of hooks on the second premolar and/or third molar because of inadequate wear by the opposing teeth. This is primarily a problem in prognathic mouths. Without removal, these hooks can lead to even further bite abnormalities.

It is also sometimes necessary to shorten canine teeth. With age, they may become abnormally long and interfere with bitting. To correct this, they may be filed down.

Also, routine oral examinations can reveal broken teeth, supernumerary teeth, gum problems, foreign bodies, tongue lacerations, etc.

Most dental and oral problems are readily corrected if detected early. This may be done by routine examinations beginning on day one and continuing on a twice-a-year basis. Unfortunately, the mouths of most horses are rarely looked into, even if they are not gifts.

--Brent Kelley, DVM

Nasal discharge may indicate abscessed molar

OCCASIONALLY a horse will have a problem with a back tooth (the molars, or grinders) that creates an abscess. A severe cavity or a tooth injury that affects the deeper tissues can open the way for infection.

An abscessed molar in the horses upper jaw often drains into the sinus cavities, and from there the discharge can ooze out through a nostril. The drainage may be bloody or thick and filled with pus. This type of discharge usually has a bad odor because of the bacteria involved. Any time a horse develops an abnormal drainage from one nostril, it should be cause for concern and the reason should be determined. It should be noted that unilateral, odiferous discharge indicates sinusitis with or without molar abscess.

If left untreated, an infected abscessed tooth may get worse and spread to the facial bones or enlarge to obstruct the nasal passages. Antibiotics will usually control the infection temporarily, but as long as the abscessed tooth remains, it serves as a source of new infection as soon as the antibiotics are discontinued. Food particles and juices from the horses mouth continue to seep up through the bad tooth, creating a continual source of contamination and infection.

The best treatment for this condition is removal of the tooth, which requires brief anesthesia of the horse and surgical extraction of the molar. The resulting hole must be plugged so that the area can heal without contamination, preventing any further infection.

Drainage from just one nostril can be a sign of several different problems, but tooth abscess is one possibility that should be checked.

Heather Thomas