Advantages
of Modern Dentistry: Motorized tools are replacing hand tools for a number of
reasons. Efficiency:
The procedure is cost effective. With traditional
methods, many corrections of wave mouth, dental occlusion
problems or hooks required several visits to complete. Hand
floating was frequently done without a full oral exam. This
may have taken off edges but resulted in leaving many
problems undiagnosed and therefore untreated. Now, a single
annual visit is usually sufficient to maintain dental
health. A speculum opens the mouth wide to enable a full
dental exam. Owners can see ulceration of the tongue and
cheeks as well as how irregular the teeth can grow. The
veterinary dentist can observe his work as he does it
ensuring that all problem areas are addressed. Safety:
A safety rim around the grinding wheel prevents harm to gum
or cheek tissue. A speculum with special elastic safety
straps holds the horse's mouth open during the procedure.
This speculum is more comfortable for the horse. It slides
in and out of the mouth easily and eliminates inadvertent
chewing of either the veterinarian's hand or the tools. The
horse is sedated in order to avoid head shaking and injury
to himself, the operator or the assistant. Precision:
The rotating grinding wheel is small allowing problem
teeth to be treated individually. Hard to reach places, such
as the back of the mouth, are accessible because the
motorized equipment requires little clearance to get the job
done. Traditional manual floats required room for long, push
/ pull strokes to file down a tooth. This meant that the
hooks at the back of the mouth were often just left or would
have to be cut. Now these back hooks are "a thing of the
past". Visual and
manual examination of this gelding's mouth showed a number
of sharp edges and evidence of ulcerations on the inside of
his cheeks. Regular oral
exams are vital to your horse's health at any age.
Foals should
be examined for any congenital abnormalities such as "parrot
mouth" as it may be possible to correct some conditions if
detected and treated early in the foal's life. Yearlings
and two year olds are susceptible to problems arising with
shedding of baby teeth and retention of "caps" which require
special attention at this stage in their development.
Horses five
and older may benefit from "performance floating" to insure
comfortable "bitting". Dental care
needs to begin at birth and carry on throughout the life of
the animal. Inside the
mouth after dentistry New power
tools promote longevity and improve the quality of life for
your horse. The horse
relies on you and your veterinarian to provide regular
dental examinations in the interest of maintaining good
health. The majority
of modern horses have poor mouths as a result of irregular
wear. We breed horses for their external looks and
performance and tend to ignore breeding for a good mouth.
What happened in the wild if a horse had a poor mouth? He
simply died or was eaten, resulting in a natural selection
for horses that could chew properly. Now the horse relies on
you and your veterinarian to provide regular dental
examinations in the interest of maintaining good
health. The equine
jaw is structurally predisposed to irregular wear which may
interfere with training and /or cause a variety of medical
problems. The object of routine dental management is to
maintain normal dental occlusion (bite). In this way, many
of the problems of irregular wear may be prevented. Our goal
is to ensure proper chewing and comfortable acceptance of
the bit. When eating,
the horse grinds his lower cheek teeth against his upper
cheek teeth, from side to side. Incomplete sideways movement
results in sharp edges forming along the cheek surface
(outside) of the upper teeth and the tongue surface (inside)
of the lower teeth. Another
common problem is that the upper cheek teeth are set farther
forward than the lower cheek teeth. This means that the
first upper cheek teeth and /or the last lower cheek teeth
have no opposing surfaces to grind against, resulting in the
formation of sharp hooks. Such edges
and hooks can cause ulcerations (cuts) on the cheeks just
from the action involved in chewing. The bit draws the cheek
or tongue against the sharp edges of the first cheek teeth
and can cause painful ulcers or lacerations. The
consequences are avoidance of the bit and/or discomfort when
eating. Before
introducing the bit to any horse it is essential that his
teeth be in optimum condition. It is sometimes necessary to
remove enough of the tooth surfaces by "floating", to
prevent teeth form contacting one another at all because
some snaffle bits force a portion of the cheeks between
these teeth. It is not difficult to imagine how laceration
of these tissues may cause tenderness in the mouth which
could develop into resentment to the bit. The
dentistry procedures performed on your horse vary according
to the horse's age. Recognition
of congenital abnormalities such as "parrot mouth" or "sow
mouth" begin at an early age. Both conditions are thought to
be inherited and are considered an unsoundness. Depending on
the degree of contact between between the front teeth,
surgical treatment can be performed in cases of "parrot
mouth" provided the foal is under six months of age.
Surprisingly, sharp edges can occur with the baby teeth at
this early age and floating may be required. Wolf teeth
should be extracted before any training with the bit is
started. These are small teeth with short roots sitting
against the front of the upper cheek teeth. They serve no
functions (similar to our wisdom teeth) other than to cause
irritation when the bit sits against them. If the wolf teeth
are displaced or delayed in eruption, interference with the
bit may also occur. Deciduous
(baby) teeth can be so firmly lodged that the underlying
permanent teeth become impacted. Food lodges in between
causing discomfort and infection. This occurs more often
with deciduous cheek teeth commonly referred to as "caps".
It is not uncommon to have to reexamine a 3 year olds mouth
repetitively in order to remove 2-3 sets of caps as they
become ready since they may shed a total of eight to twelve
caps and four to six incisors (front teeth). If not shed
late in their 3 year old year the caps from the third set of
cheek teeth become ready for extraction. Impacted
teeth may become infected. The infection may extend into the
jaw or sinuses. As in three year olds, removal of caps and
floating (removal of sharp edges) is performed in this age
group. Dentistry in
this age group includes removal of hooks present on the
first and last cheek teeth, floating of sharp edges and
"rounding" of the first cheek teeth in performance horses to
provide comfortable "bitting". This "performance floating"
prevents ulcers o cuts from developing by ensuring a smooth
contact between the cheeks or tongue against the first cheek
teeth. The
abnormalities encountered in the aged horse include uneven
wear resulting in weave mouth and/or hooks on the first and
last cheek teeth, gingivitis, abscesses and loss of teeth.
All these conditions can seriously affect the way the horses
chews and digests food. Weight loss or colic may result if
left untended. Dentistry
for the adult horse should be performed on an annual basis
and should include biannual oral exams and a thorough power
float yearly. Our
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By Dr. N. Kleider 
Kleider
Veterinary Services
8036 - 232 Street RR#6 Langley, British Columbia V1M 3R8
Office (604) 888-7565 Fax: (604) 888-4033 nkleider@aol.com
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