Premier Horse Agistment

Split Rock Mountain

To be digested, horse's feed has to be in very small pieces

Horses need regular dental care if they are to obtain the maximum benefit from their feed and thus maintain their condition and energy. The horse's natural diet requires a great deal of chewing and grinding. If the horse's ability to grind down its feed is compromised, the food will not be fully digested and the horse will lose condition.

Unlike in humans, in horses the permanent teeth continue to erupt throughout the animal’s life. As they erupt, they are worn down by the chewing and grinding described above. Thus, younger horses have teeth with long, deep roots, while very old horses have shallow roots, their teeth eventually falling out. 

The most common dental problem encountered in horses is sharp molars. The horse’s upper jaw is wider than the lower jaw and the upper teeth, the molars, are also wider than their lower counterparts. The horse chews by grinding its lower molars and the food against the upper molars, in a circular motion. If this wear is uneven, sharp edges and ‘hooks’ develop on the inner edge of the lower molars and the outside edge of the upper molars. These edges can be sufficiently sharp to cut the tongue and inside of the cheek, making chewing painful. 

Treatment of sharp molars consists of rasping off the sharp edges with a dental file, restoring the shape of the teeth as closely as possible to normal. The horse is ideally lightly sedated during this procedure, which while not painful, probably feels uncomfortable and may be a bit alarming for a young horse. Sedation enables the veterinarian to make a thorough examination of the horse’s mouth without the risk of the horse tossing its head about. The horse's mouth is held open with an equine dental speculum, thus precluding the risk of the dentist being bitten!