My Horse Broke his Tooth!

     Adult horses have between 36-44 teeth, 12 of which are incisors, 0-4 are canine teeth, and 0-4 are called "wolf teeth". 24 of their teeth are cheek teeth. 

     Horse teeth are unique to other animals and are designed to chew rough forage and serve for the purpose of self defense in the wild ( yes they bite!) 

     Here are some of the most common dental problems domesticated horses run into….

Abnormal Anatomy

Parrot Mouth

      Sometimes this trait is inherited, and sometimes it begins when a foal is developing inside the dam if she is exposed to poisons. The most common deformation is called, " Parrot Mouth". The formal term is Brachygnathism. Parrot mouth is the result of a foal producing an upper jaw that is prominently longer than the lower jaw.  

     Parrot Mouth can be noticeable because the upper lip often hangs over the lower lip. The good news is that parrot mouth can be corrected if caught when a horse is young. Parrot Mouth is not necessarily a big deal for most horses, but it can lead to "hooks" and a regular visit from the dentist is recommended.  

Supernumerary Teeth 

     Another problem that can arise from development is supernumerary teeth, or having more teeth than expected!  This is usually associated with diastemata (gaps in the teeth) or overgrowths. The worst outcome is secondary periodontal disease, but regularly floating teeth and monitoring the growth can keep your Too-many-teeth-gelding healthy. 

Dental Dysplasia 

     DD means your horse has a tooth or teeth that are not growing correctly. It's similar to a child who needs braces, except I'm certain your equine dentist will not be offering that type of service anytime soon! Put plainly, a tooth that does not fit well into the jawline can lead to food pocketing and periodontal disease. 

 Fracture, Loose, or Missing Teeth

     Most teeth fractures are called " idiopathic cheek teeth fractures". These fractures are found most often in the maxillary cheek teeth. A fracture can expose the pulp of the tooth resulting in a very painful experience for your horse. Sometimes it is no problem at all as long as the fracture is not extending below the gumline, but it is certainly meant to be monitored to ensure it is not becoming worse. 

     It is perfectly normal for a younger horse to be missing some teeth. This is because at around 2.5 years of age, the baby teeth are being pushed out as the permanent teeth erupt below. When horses turn 3, their teeth are "in wear", which means that the central incisors have grown in permanently and are long enough to grind together. 

     In light of this, when your horse turns 5, missing teeth are a red flag. A missing tooth in older horses is cause for a call to the dentist to evaluate the partnering teeth and any sort of misshaping of the dental alignment. 

Wave mouth, Shear Mouth, and Step Mouth 

     Wave mouth is more commonly seen in horses that are above the age of 11 and it occurs when proper dental care is ignored. It looks like a wave as the alignment of the front teeth and back teeth are longer than the middle teeth from a side view. This leads to excessive wear that is uneven and can cause teeth to be lost or ulcers to form from cheek biting during normal chewing. 

     Step Mouth means that a horse has one cheek tooth that is longer than the rest of the teeth. This happens a lot if the opposite tooth is broken or is non-existent. It is the product of uneven wear. 

     Shear mouth results in severely sloped cheek teeth. This causes the inner surfaces of the teeth to look like a slider rather than a dental wall. This condition causes weight loss and malnutrition. 

Senior Horses 

     As horses grow old, tell-tale signs of dental problems could look like

• Slow eating

• Weight loss

• Dull coats

• Quidding (dropping feed or balls of hay/grass from their mouth) 

• Strange behaviors while eating such as shaking the head, lifting, or twisting 

     Old horses commonly lose teeth or have problems grinding feed. They can be given highly nutritious food in the form of mash to help them chew and swallow. It is important to feed horses with lost teeth a feed that includes built-in forage, because grazing becomes more difficult and they are receiving less and less grass from pasture time.