Horses evolved as grazing animals, and their teeth are perfectly adapted for that purpose. The forward teeth, known as incisors, function to shear off forage. The cheek teeth, including the molars and premolars with their wide, flat, graveled surfaces, easily grind the feed to a mash before it is swallowed.
The front or incisor teeth initially are deciduous ("baby teeth") and as they are shed between the ages of two and five years they are replaced with permanent incisors. The back grinding teeth (or cheek teeth) are composed of premolars and molars. The premolars (first three cheek teeth) are initially deciduous and are shed in much the same manner, as are incisors. The molars (last three cheek teeth) are permanent in nature when they erupt. Most horses have their full set of adult teeth by the age of 5. An adult male horse has 40 permanent teeth. A mare may have between 36-40, because mare are less likely to have canine (bridle) teeth.
Dental Problems
Horses chew in a side to side manner rather than with an up and down motion. The upper jaw is slightly wider than the lower jaw in order for the chewing motion to be more efficient, but, as a result of this sharp enamel points tend to develop on the gum/ outside (buccal) of the upper cheek teeth and on the tongue/ inside (lingual surface) of the lower teeth. See fig 1 below:
Sharp enamel points may lacerate the cheeks and tongue causing a painful condition, which may inhibit the horses, ability and desire to eat.- see fig 2: Routine dental care involves removal of sharp enamel points with specialized files called "floats". Routine dental care also involves a thorough oral inspection as many horses have other abnormalities present in addition to sharp points e.g.:
Fig 2
Dental problems we may find on a routine
exam:
Retained deciduous
(or baby) teeth (known as caps).
Hooks forming on the upper and lower cheek teeth.- Hooks and beaks
may be removed by floating or by cutting them with molar cutters.
Long and/or sharp canine (bridle)
teeth interfering with the insertion or removal of the bit.
Lost and/or broken teeth.
Abnormally long teeth.
Infected teeth and/or gums.
Misalignment/poor apposition (can be due to congenital defects or
injury).
Discomfort caused by bit contact with the wolf teeth.
The following is
a list of symptoms, which may indicate dental problems:
1. Loss of feed from mouth
while eating , difficulty in chewing, excessive salivation
2. Loss of weight
3. Whole grain or long stems
of hay present in manure
4. Head tossing or tilting,
bit chewing, tongue lolling, fighting the bit or resisting
bridling
5. Poor performance such
as lugging on the bit, failing to turn or stop and even bucking
6. Foul odor from the mouth
or nostrils or traces of blood from the mouth
7. Nasal discharge or swelling
of the face, jaw or mouth tissues.
8. Grass or feed impactions/blockages
in the gut because the feed has not been properly chewed up
due to poor dentition- can lead to colic
Wolf teeth are very small teeth located in front of the upper second premolar and do not have long roots that set them firmly in the jaw bone. They rarely appear in the lower jaw. A horse may have one, two, or no wolf teeth. While not all wolf teeth are troublesome, they are routinely removed to prevent pain or interference from a bit.
