Equine Teeth and Ageing

Incisor teeth are responsible for cutting grass, it is then passed to the back of the mouth and ground by the cheek teeth.

The teeth wear as they eat, and the distinctive folds in the tooth enamel of the incisors allow the extent of wear to be assessed when examining the surface if the tooth. Teeth wear at a roughly similar rate in all horses, therefore the extent of wear can be used to determine the age of the horse. It can only be an approximate guide as wear may be eighteen months either side of the expected pattern. Major factors for teeth wear are the forage provided and the facial anatomy.

The upper jaw is wider than the lower so that as the teeth wear they tend to leave sharp edges on the outside part of the uppers and the insides of the lowers. These need regular rasping in order to stop the sharp edges causing ulceration of the cheeks.

Signs that your horse may require a dental check include:

Unwilling to accept the bit
Tenderness of the masseter (cheek) muscle
Uneven of the temporalis ( forehead) muscles
Rearing
Reluctance to travel forwards
Unwilling to allow you to brush their head
Poll tenderness
Restriction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) on one or both sides
Quidding (dropping food)
Choke
Short stride length of the forelimb due to restriction of the hyoid

Upon assessment during equine chiropractic treatment it is important to evaluate the TMJ with its associated musculature, cranial bone alignment and hyoid movement to establish whether there are any issues relating to the teeth.