Education

Equine Dental Care

Horses need routine dental care, not only to remove sharp points that occur normally in their mouths, but to look for and assess any potential abnormalities that could be causing them discomfort or more serious problems.

It used to be believed that routine dentistry or a routine "float" was needed simply to remove the sharp points that horses normally make. We strongly believe that this is not the complete picture when it comes to your horse's oral health. Removal of sharp points is only one component to good preventative dental care. However, we believe an important part of dental care is a thorough dental exam. The basis of our dental care program is a five point oral exam that will help us recognize and evaluate any oral problems your horse may have, including cavities (decay to teeth), fractured teeth, periodontal (gum) disease, oral soft tissue injuries, or a tooth root abcess or infection. The five points to this exam are to evaluate the external face, oral soft tissues, occlussion, periodontal status, and endodontic status of the teeth. Once this exam has been performed, we can properly proceed with the dental equilibration (float or removal of sharp points) which will bring your horse's mouth into proper balance and optimize its chewing function. If we diagnose any further problems on the oral exam, we may recommend further diagnostics if necessary, and discuss appropriate treatment options to help restore good oral health.

A Normal Healthy Equine Mouth

Healthy Molars

Healthy Incisors

Some Tooth Anatomy

Numbering Systems

There are two ways to number teeth. The most commonly used system in horses is the triadan system. The second way to number teeth is the anatomic system.

Triadan Numbering System

The triadan system uses three numbers. The first number identifies the quadrant. There are four quadrants in the mouth as illustrated to the right (100, 200, 300, 400). The quadrants are identified as 100 for right maxillary, 200 for left maxillary, 300 for left mandibular, and 400 for right mandibular. The second and third numbers identify the tooth, which is always represented by two numbers (ex. 01, 06, 10).

Horses can have up to 11 teeth in each quadrant, if wolf teeth and canines are present. This equals up to a total of 44 possible teeth in an adult horse.

Anatomical Numbering System

The anatomical system uses a combination of letters and numbers to describe a specific tooth.

The first letter of the tooth is used to identify the type of tooth
I = Incisors, C= Canines, P = Premolars, M = Molars
Numbers are used to describe the first, second, third, etc.
"R" and "L" are used to describe right and left.
"man" and "max" are used to describe mandibular and maxillary.

An example of this system for a tooth would be "RmanP2" to describe the right mandibular second premolar.

Tooth Eruption Schedules

Incisors:

Permanent Incisors Erupt:

Central (01's): 2.5 years
Middle (02's): 3.5 years
Corner (03's): 4.5 years

Cheek Teeth:

Permanent Premolars Erupt:
(Caps are shed)

First Premolar (06's): 2 years 8 months
Second Premolar (07's): 2 years 10 months
Third Premolar(08's): 3 years 8 month

Permanent Molars Erupt:
(No Caps are ever present)

First Molar (09's): 1 year
Second Molar (10's): 2 years
Third Molar (11's): 3.5 years

In Foals:

Incisors are Present at Birth

Deciduous Premolars (Caps) Erupt:

First Premolar (06's): 6-7 days
Second Premolar (07's): 6-7 weels
Third Premolar (08's): 6-7 months