Common Dental Problems

Here at Westhills EVS, we continually express how important it is to have your horses mouth examined at least once a year, as dental diseases are common and many horses end up suffering silently. Last week when discussing anatomy, we talked about the abnormal wear and sharp points that can develop naturally due to a horses chewing motion, but there are several other dental issues that can cause problems for horses in all life stages. Some of these can include:

1.    Fractured, displaced, loose or missing teeth

• Much like with your own teeth, a horse having a fractured or loose tooth can cause significant pain in the mouth. Since horses possess hypsodont teeth, which are continuously growing, a missing or abnormal tooth can cause significantly more problems in their mouth as the opposing tooth does not have anything to grind against. Loose teeth can also pack feed or other objects in the areas that are mobile, causing pain or eventually the displacement of healthy surrounding teeth. Signs of the this can include bad breath, reduced appetite or off feed, head tilting, dropping feed, weight loss or pain when handling head.

2. Tooth calculus/tartar

• Tartar often builds up on the lower canine teeth and sometimes on the incisors. It is normally a yellow-brown chalky deposit that develops around the tooth and more commonly found in horses fed a high sugar content feed. It can cause gingivitis (gum disease) and in extreme cases, tooth decay. Tartar is typically noticed by your veterinarian on yearly exam and will be removed to prevent any further damage.

  photo credit: emmajohnston.co.uk, equinedentalvets.com, horseandhound.co.uk

3.    Foreign body

• Just like any other animal, horses can get things stuck in their mouth either while grazing or as a result of their curiosity. An example of a foreign body that we tend to see atleast a couple times of year is a piece of wood that is just the right size to get lodged in between the upper teeth. We have also come across metal, rocks or anything else that they can try to chew on. Signs of a foreign body in your horses mouth typically include drooling, inappetence, swelling, foul smell or weight loss.

4.    Tooth root abscess

•  A tooth root abscess or infection in the horse is another relatively common dental disorder occuring primarily in the cheek teeth. It is a broad term including infection of the tooth roots, surrounding tissue and possibly the peridontal ligament and bone, creating an abscess pocket surrounding the tooth. Some common signs of a tooth root infection are weight loss, dropping feed, decreased appetite, head tossing or shyness, jaw swelling, foul odour from the mouth or nose and/or nasal discharge. The smell and discharge can occur from both the mouth and the nose due to bacteria from the tooth infection creating what is called a fistula, like an abnormal passageway, between the oral and nasal cavities. A thorough oral exam as well as radiographs are often neccessary and recommended to find the exact location and the severity of infection. If caught early enough, the infection can possibly be cleared up with a course of appropriate antibiotics. However, dental extraction of the infected tooth is most often the necessary treatment due to the permanent damage that has been caused to both the tooth and the surrounding tissue. Aftercare is minimal post extraction of the tooth, as long as the owner keeps up with regular dental care going forward. As discussed above, this is because the tooth opposing the one that has been reomoved will no longer have an opposing grinding surface and therefore will need to be manually floated down every six months or so. Pictured below are some radiographs showing the pockets of infection both before and after removal, as well as a look at the deterioration of the teeth affected by the abscess, post removal. Teeth 106 and 107 were removed.

5.    Retained deciduous (baby) teeth or “caps”

• Horses shed 24 baby teeth between the ages of 2 and 5 years of age. It is not uncommon for a baby tooth to get stuck or simply not shed properly, referred to as a “retained cap”. Retained caps can lead to a number of issues such as difficulty chewing, resisting the bit, pain and/or improper eruption of adult teeth. This is one reason that juvenile oral exams/floats are so important in horses between 2 and 5 years of age. When a veterinarian comes across a retained cap, they can safely remove it before any permanent damage is done. The most important thing, however, is that these baby teeth are not removed too early. A professional working on your horses teeth will NOT be removing teeth before the adult tooth is visible erupting below it, and it is deemed as retained.

  photo credit: bwequinevets.co.uk