Phone: 979.732.9981 • Fax: 979.733.9755
Horse Oral & Dental Care
Proper care of your horses' mouth and teeth will help to ensure long term health. To do this, the mouth and teeth should be routinely examined and treated if necessary. Horses do not develop tartar, like dogs and cats, but instead have their own set of problems involving the teeth. This is because a horse's teeth never stop growing. They are ground down by the powerful chewing action of the teeth. However, the teeth do not necessarily wear in the correct amounts and correct places. Improper wear can result in uneven teeth, which leads to mouth pain and damage, along with behavioral and systemic medical problems. The irregular teeth can develop sharp points that hurt the tongue and gums of the horse. This causes pain, soft tissue damage, and interferes with proper chewing and swallowing.
A horse with mouth pain may refuse to flex his head downward, as this increases the pressure and pain. The horse may also have problems and increased pain from the bit. The horse may resist having the bit in his mouth and once it is placed, the animal will jerk his head, turn his head, and chew. Additionally, horses with mouth problems may avoid chewing, chew abnormally, drop feed, leave roughage and harder foods, and salivate excessively. All of this interferes with proper break-up of the foods and can lead to impactions and colic. Horses with dental problems are also prone to weight loss, failure to thrive, and lack of weight gain.
Proper teeth care can prevent dental problems and mouth pain. Dr. Ridlen will examine your horse's mouth and make recommendations for proper tooth care. Typically, the horse's teeth will need to be floated approximately once per year. Some horses with jaw abnormalities will require treatment more than once per year; others may not need the procedure are often. Floating of the teeth involves grinding the tooth surfaces into proper alignment, so that no painful points or protrusions exist. This allows the horse to once again chew properly and digest all that is eaten.
Dr. Ridlen uses a specialized power float. This allows him to rapidly and correctly treat any points on the teeth. This procedure requires the use of a mouth speculum. Additionally, sedation makes the procedure safer, faster, and more accurate. If you have any questions regarding floating of teeth and proper dental care, Dr. Ridlen will be happy to answer the questions.
Proper tooth care can prevent many of the problems that people used to think were a 'normal' part of aging. Older horses used to lose weight and body mass because they could not chew correctly; these animals no longer need to suffer. Annual tooth floating will keep the teeth in the correct shape and the horse will be pain-free, so the animal can eat and maintain body weight.