Horse teeth emerge continually throughout a horse's lifetime. Did you know that?

A young adult horse will have teeth which are 4-5 inches long, but the majority of the tooth remains below the gumline. When a horse eats, he grinds his teeth to gnash his food, causing wear on his teeth. Fortunately, his teeth continue to erupt up through the jawline through his life to compensate for this. The rest of the tooth emerges from the jaw, erupting about 1/8" each year.

As your horse's teeth continue to erupt and wear down, they can form sharp hooks (usually in the back teeth) which can be painful for your horse, especially when a bit is placed in his mouth. His teeth can also wear unevenly, causing his mouth the close improperly. This also can produce discomfort or pain for your horse.

This is why equine dentistry is so important. A equine professional who is qualified to perform equine dentistry can be a life saver for your horse. The practictioner (usually a DVM--doctor of veterinary medicine) will "float" your horse's teeth. This is done by filing down the sharp hooks and smoothing out any unevenness. Most veterinarians today use power equipment to perform floats rather than files or hasps. This type of equipment allows the process to be done quickly and with a great deal of precision. The risk with power equipment is that the tooth can become quite hot, causing permanent injury to the nerves or tooth itself. Experienced equine dental practitioners will irrigate your horse's teeth, use short the equipment in short bursts, and feel the teeth frequently to prevent such injury from occurring.

Other tooth problems can usually be identified during the procedure, such as infected or impacted teeth.

When a horse reaches old age, the crowns of the teeth are very short and the teeth are often lost altogether. Very old horses may need to have their food ground up and soaked in water to create a soft mush for them to eat. Return to basic horse care from horse teeth