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T O P I C R E V I E W
nikki
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 10:20:38 AM can anyone expalin in detail about tooth bumps please?
cheers nikki
13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
faymouse
Posted - 17 Jul 2009 : 01:40:30 AM Where else?
and there I was thinking I was the only one that kept horse teeth
gossy
Posted - 16 Jul 2009 : 11:45:56 PM Thats where we all keep them isnt it??
Kharidian
Posted - 16 Jul 2009 : 10:39:26 PM Faymouse, I've got several of Kharidian's baby teeth - three incisors, one of which I pulled out as it was "hanging by a thread" and making eating difficult, a molar cap and two wolf teeth removed by the tooth-man. Apart from the wolf-teeth and the incisor I pulled out, the others were found, by chance, in his feedbowl on various occasions. I keep them in a small plastic container in my cutlery drawer....of course!
Caryn
gossy
Posted - 16 Jul 2009 : 9:26:22 PM its funny, both my youngsters are so different, the nearly four year old ahs had quite bad tooth bumps from the age of 2 and have now nearly completely gone,the other that is just over 3 has never had any.
SallyEllis
Posted - 16 Jul 2009 : 4:44:34 PM My boy has huge tooth bumps that have come up in the last week poor chap....He was 2 in April
rosie
Posted - 16 Jul 2009 : 08:14:30 AM How informative you are gossy! Ace. We noticed with our youngster (27 months old)that he started his tooth bumps about a month ago. Not found any teeth yet but probably littered about the field somewhere!
gossy
Posted - 15 Jul 2009 : 11:59:01 PM thank you, im pleased that you think im useful at least.
faymouse
Posted - 15 Jul 2009 : 10:42:15 PM gossy, anoraks are VERY useful looked at my 2.5 year old TB's lower jaw today and can see very definite lumps where her new teeth are. Last time I had a youngster,nearly 30 years ago I managed to find one of her first baby teeth in the field and it was just a flat cap, I've kept it in a matchbox ever since.
gossy
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 9:32:01 PM i know im an anorak!! lol
faymouse
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 4:20:07 PM That was really enjoyable reading,very informative.
nikki
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 2:23:57 PM brilliant thanks for that
gossy
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 11:38:00 AM Don't panic about baby teeth Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 11:00 Comment on this story
W ITH the lighter evenings and the occasional sunshine most of us are finding a little more time to spend with our youngsters. Noticeably the winter coats are falling out and the summer coats coming through but also the baby teeth are falling out as the permanent teeth push through. I receive many calls from worried owners finding what looks like broken tooth around the yard or that the youngster looks like it has just walked into a wall teeth first – don't panic this is normal. Between the ages of two and a half and four and a half the young horse will shed 24 baby teeth pushed out by permanent teeth. Six months prior to the young horse shedding baby teeth, hard bony lumps will appear to the undersides of the horses lower jaw, these are commonly known as dental lumps. Again no need to panic as these are permanent teeth (pre-molars) forming in the jaw waiting to push through into the mouth and if all goes to schedule these lumps will disappear six month after the shedding period. These lumps are more noticeable in horses with more defined heads or in the summer when the coat is smoother. The same thing is also happening in the upper jaw but not usually noticeable to the naked eye. Pressure from over tight nosebands is to be avoided. The wild horse would probably have an easier time shedding baby teeth having gorse type bushes to pull on and of course no bit to contend with. However the domesticated youngster will often be seen rubbing the side of its face on a stable door or chewing a lead rope.
Many horses today are turned out in purpose designed horse friendly paddocks with access to grass and water only secured by electric fencing and sometime frustrating for the teething youngster. Ok, so that's life, we all have to go through the teething process. Unfortunately for the young horse, smack bang in the middle of this process, we want to put a bit in his mouth. If however the youngster is feeling oral discomfort then this communication can feel some what fuzzy leading on to what we think are behavioural problems. One of the biggest problems I come across in young horses are root silvers. These are tiny sharp root fragments left stuck in the gum from the shedding of a cap (baby tooth). These very often go unnoticed and are regularly found in adult horses. I know these root fragment are very painful as I often get a sigh of relief from the horse as I remove them, and the feedback from clients on the change of attitude of the horse. Inside cheek lacerations are also common in horses of all ages. Every horse has its own individual character and deals with things in its own way. I meet many horses with horrendous mouths that carry on regardless, yet another horse with a minor problem will throw its toys out the pram. So what is the best time to introduce a bit to the young horse ? My personal preference would be at two years old because the youngster has a nice full set of baby teeth. If he is already familiar with the bit before the shedding starts at two and a half then hopefully the youngster won't associate this with the bit. It is always a good time to have an equine dentist look at a youngster before any proper bridle work begins and it's a good experience for him to meet the dentist. For futher information Bill can be contacted through his website www.horsedentistry.biz
gossy
Posted - 14 Jul 2009 : 11:12:57 AM EQUINE TEETH
Horses' teeth grow continuously until some time between the ages of 25 and 30. Grass, their natural food, contains silica which is an abrasive and which constantly wears down the horse's teeth. The fibers of heavier grasses require a bit of grinding on the part of the horse. Additionally the horse reaches down to bite off grass and then raises his head to chew which changes his jaw position constantly. A horse living on natural grass will be more likely to naturally polish off the surfaces of his molars into a level. Thus the horse's dental apparatus is pretty well adapted to his natural diet.
In order to efficiently grind their food, horses' upper molars are spaced a little farther apart than their lower teeth. While important in the wild, this offset can produce problems in the domestic horse. Horses on alfalfa and less fibrous feeds tend to chew less and the material which they are eating is generally less abrasive. Accordingly there will be surfaces which do not get polished off evenly. Raised edges may appear along the edges of the molars; typically along the outside of the upper set and the inside of the lower set. When these "unground surfaces" get large the horse cannot rock his lower jaw laterally as he chews due to his teeth being locked between the opposing ridges. Thus the problem self propagates, the ridges slowly appear larger as they are no longer being worn down, and as the horse rubs these ridges when chewing, he's actually wearing down the sides of these ridges into sharp points.
These points can be quite razor-like, actually cutting deep into one's finger when rubbed across them while inspecting the mouth. These sharp points they often cut into the horse's cheeks when they chew and cause soreness where a bit or halter pushes the cheek against a sharp tooth. They can also cause slab fractures which are discussed later in this section.
In some cases a horse may have to chew unnaturally in an attempt to grind up his food. This action can often result in increased uneven wear on the teeth and in some cases generate significant excess pressure on one or more tooth which can result in serious complications including causing teeth to literally be worked loose. (The teeth on the right were removed from a rescue mare. She had never received dental care and three teeth had actually broken loose from her jawbone.)
(The red "chunks" are rotten tissue)
In addition, the now restricted jaw movement can result in hooks being formed on the first molars on each side of the upper jaw. Because of the limitation of chewing movement caused by the ridges, the horse tends to rock his jaw backwards. This results in the first molars being unevenly worn with the unworn portions hanging down like stalactites. By this time the horse typically is not grinding his food well and in addition to the discomfort in his mouth, he is probably lacking in nutritional efficiency.
You can see from the sketch how wolf teeth and the forward hooks on upper molars would definitely cause some discomfort when the horse is carrying a bit in his mouth. Here are some views of actual teeth The arrow points to hooks formed behind the last molars. These hooks prevent the horse from being able to move his lower jaw forward (which among other things, is necessary for collection and a proper headset.)
On the upper jaw, similar hooks form along the font edges of the first molars which also serve to "clamp" the jaw in place. This generates unnatural pressure on the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ).
The red arrows in the image on the right point to the temporo-mandibular joints on this skull. If you look closely you will see permanent damage to the joint surfaces which likely resulted in this horse having impaired motion and chronic arthritic pain.
As these conditions develop the horse's teeth must be once again made level through use of a dental rasp. This process is called "floating," the purpose of which is to rasp off the excess tooth material in order to create a level "table" for the molars to come together. The type of rasp used varies according to the size of the horse's mouth and relative hardness of his teeth. If the conditions are allowed to get to severe, corrective dentistry will be required which involves specialized tools and knowledge. Note: It's not the dentist's intent to make the teeth completely flat. They need some irregularity in order for the horse to grind his food. The table (overall surface where the rows of teeth meet) must be reasonably level overall in order to allow proper jaw movement.
In the case of a missing tooth, the opposing tooth will erupt into the space where the missing one should be, causing some problems. The long tooth should be cut or filed to be the same length as the others.
If the hooks are too large, the rasp, or float, cannot make it past the hooks, so they will first have to be "rough cut" with a special dental tool.
Once the floating is complete, the mouth should be checked to make sure the horse's canines (pointy teeth found behind the incisors in stallions and geldings) are not so long that they press into the opposing gums. If they have grown too long, they will need to be shortened. Some people use hoof nippers to accomplish this task however these teeth can shatter when nipped, causing complications. Grinding or using a dental cutting tool is more appropriate.
Some horses will also have wolf teeth. These are small premolars which appear on the upper jaw above and usually slightly ahead of the molars. These teeth are particularly troublesome as they are not set in the jawbone and the presence of a bit pressing against them can cause significant gum discomfort. If they are present, they should be removed by a veterinarian or equine dentist.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Your horse may be showing signs of burgeoning dental problems. Horses who become harder to keep for no apparent reason, who salivate excessively when eating, who eat slowly and with effort, who continuously drop bits of half chewed food and who show unusually coarse manure are prime candidates for a dental inspection. Other behavioral characteristics suggesting tooth problems may include unusual fussing with the bit, avoidance of bit contact, irritation when put into a dropped noseband, head tucking or head tossing, poor self carriage and not wanting to have his face and muzzle handled.
PAIN AND BEHAVIOR
An uneven matching of the molars can put a strain on the temporal mandibular joint, which can be very painful. In humans "TMJ" problems can cause headaches. In horses it can cause them to go off feed or colic. Oftentimes mysterious colics which have no apparent cause can be traced back to dental problems. Hooks on the far back of the molars can prevent the horse's jaw from relaxing and moving forward when the rider asks him to round up, especially if he's wearing a tight dropped noseband and can't open his mouth to relieve the pressure. This situation can also be painful and result in the horse displaying unusual head movements or being unable to sustain a comfortable frame.
Additionally, young horses will often experience discomfort when shedding their deciduous (baby) teeth. Lumps will often appear under the jawbones while the new teeth are trying to erupt and sometimes the horse can benefit from some human assistance in removing the old baby tooth "caps".
POST DENTAL CARE ISSUES
Horses who have had significant dental malalignment can become very sore in the jaw after floating. The temporal mandibular joint, ligaments and support muscles will have adjusted to perhaps years of operating in an unnatural position. When the bite is corrected, the joint should return to a normal position in its socket which can temporarily cause a strain and pain to modified tissues. The horse may have difficulty chewing and grinding his food, in which case appropriate doses of phenobutezol (bute) should be administered and the horse supplemented with ground feed until the joint stabilizes and the pain subsides.
This discomfort is not usually indicative of improper dental work and should subside in a few days and the horse should benefit from improved dental (chewing) function.
THE POWER OF PREVENTION
Most equine dentistry involves prevention. If your horse's teeth are regularly cared for, the maintenance process will not be overwhelming and you should be able to avoid most dental or health complications. Depending on your horse's diet, hardness of teeth and jaw alignment, he may need floating on an annual basis or perhaps he could last years between floating. By keeping an eye on your horse's teeth, you can determine how quickly your horse's dental surfaces are changing and get them cared for before complications arise.
Part of prevention is knowing whom to call when you need equine dental care. Some veterinary teaching hospitals do not teach tooth floating and your particular veterinarian may or may not be schooled and experienced in this process or in the art of realigning a maloccluded mouth. If (s)he is not, you may need to locate an equine dentist in your area.
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