Does Your Horse Need Their Teeth Checking? 5 Key Steps

Keeping a horse means routine is key, from feeding schedules to tack preparation. Horses thrive on routine, much like us, and quickly adapt to how things are done. Establishing a fixed schedule helps ensure nothing vital is missed.

Incorporating regular dental check-ups into your horse's annual care routine is crucial. Dental problems can cause significant discomfort and alter your horse's behaviour, whether in the saddle or on the ground, due to pain.

Veterinarians and horse dentists recommend a dental examination at least every six months, regardless of visible symptoms. Early detection of dental issues makes treatment easier and quicker, contributing significantly to your horse's comfort and health.

Finding a horse: 5 essential dental check steps

A thorough dental exam typically involves five key steps to assess the teeth, gums, and overall oral health of your horse:

1. Complete oral examination: Assessing the symmetry, identifying painful or abnormal areas in the mouth or head.
2. Evaluate chewing capability: Checking the bite, incisor alignment, and cheek teeth shape to ensure efficient food processing.
3. Examination of soft tissues: Including gums, tongue, lips, cheeks, mucosa, and palates to spot swellings, ulcerations, or injuries.
4. Endodontic evaluation: Inspecting teeth and root structure for signs of decay, abnormalities, or problems needing further investigation.
5. Overall oral tissue health check: Detecting issues like tartar build-up, gum recession, and bad breath.

The Oral Examination

This first step is often done without sedation, giving the dentist a clear view of mouth symmetry and allowing detection of painful or unusual areas early. Abnormal swellings might indicate problems such as damaged or rotten teeth, cysts, tumours (neoplasia), sinus issues, trauma, or enlarged lymph nodes and saliva glands.

If serious abnormalities are found, further diagnostic tests like X-rays may be advised for a clearer understanding.

Evaluating How a Horse Chews

Proper chewing is essential for nutrient absorption. The vet or dentist checks the alignment and evenness of lower and upper incisors, and ensures cheek teeth have the correct shape. Abnormalities can cause discomfort, often fixed by rasping teeth to the appropriate shape, promoting comfortable chewing.

Examining Soft Tissue

This includes thorough inspection of gums and other soft structures such as the tongue, lips, cheeks, mucosa, hard and soft palates, and interdental spaces. The dentist looks for signs of bleeding, swelling, abnormal growths, ulcers, and wounds. Retained teeth may also be detected here, often necessitating X-rays before treatment.

Other common signs of dental issues include food pocketing (causing puffed cheeks), bleeding or swollen gums, odd gaps between teeth, receding gums, bad breath (halitosis), and tartar accumulation.

The Endodontic Examination

Here, the dentist assesses tooth condition, colour, and structure. Abnormalities like discolouration or decay require further investigation, typically with X-rays. Food trapped between teeth can also signal dental concerns needing attention.

Conclusion

Equine dental care is vital for your horse’s health and behaviour. Regular checks every six months by a qualified vet or horse dentist are essential, even if no obvious signs are present. Early intervention helps maintain comfort, prevents complications, and ensures that your horse can eat and perform well without pain. If necessary, diagnostic imaging like X-rays will supplement the examination to guide effective treatment decisions.