Elodie Stuit

THREE MAJOR INFORMATIONS:

1) Horses have teeth which grow all their life. They grow 2 to 3 mm per year and their growth decreases from 18 years old.

2) Every horse without exception is naturally predisposed to grow overteeth from 2 years old whatever their breed, size and use is.

Those overteeth look like very sharp enamel points located on the edge of the teeth and are due to a natural asymetry between the two jaws. Indeed, the lower jaw is not aligned with the edge of the upper jaw which is wider by about 20 to 30%. Overteeth appear on the cheek side for the upper jaw and on the tongue side for the lower jaw. You can't see them visually because they are on the molars and premolars, that is to say inside the mouth. You need a mouth opener and a hand touch to feel them. The wearing away of overteeth is a determining element for a good oral health and consequently for a good general health.

3) Some horses, in addition but independently from overteeth can present other pathologies which are dependent on the mouth's anatomy, age and possible accidents:

- wolf teeth, pig teeth, slant teeth, absent teeth, worn out teeth, supernumerous teeth, broken teeth

- congenital deformations (parrot beak or bulldog jaw)

- thicknesses (ganglions, abces, overbones)

All those pathologies lead to important problems of mastication and lead to pain when horses are being ridden, or simply resting.

In the wild life, a horse partially manages to regulate the growth of its teeth by finding an intuitive balance between the growth and the wearing. Indeed, the horse is going to select abrasive aliments, to roll stones in its mouth, to "do its teeth" on tree trunks. Above all, he's going to chew about 18 hours a day in its natural position (in the ground) so that the jaws are aligned and perfectly functional.

In short, he has everything needed to insure a good wearing out, thus a performant mastication, thus a good digestion, especially since he is moving to go for food. In spite of this optimum wearing out conditions, know that teeth problems remain a death factor for wild horses.

Nature didn't plan:

- that horses can't chose their food
- that horses don't need to walk to find their food and remain static
- that horses eat in a non natural position (in a feeding pot 1,20 m high)
- that horses chew maximum 4 hours a day (industrial granulés)
- that horses live in reduced spaces
- that humans put bits in horses' mouth

Horses can't regulate anymore the wearing out of their teeth and the overteeth which should have a reasonnable size can take intolerable proportions. They can give wounds on the cheeks and the tongue (hence unconfort and pain), they block the chewing system and as a consequence can give several problems on the entire body (digestion, constipation, loss of weight...).

First warning signs of oral problems (those warning signs correspond to presumable oral problems but can correspond as well to other problems):
1) In and outside the mouth

- odd chewing, longer and longer, hesitating chewing, the horse twists its mouth or head
- loss of food between the teeth, hence waste (do the test with carots or granulés)
- stocking of hay/herb balls between teeth and cheeks that you can find later on the ground
- stinking breath
- hyper viscous saliva (like oil)
- swollen gums
- bad smell from the mouth or nose
- the nose is running white
- damaged tongue (with bit marks)
- nervous tongue contraction always in the same way (like a tic)
- outside swelling along the upper dental arches
- presence of ganglions between the throat and the chin
- blood on the bit
- teeth grinding
- horse who is bitting for no good reason

2) General health state

- loss of weight
- tendency to be constipated
- full barley grains are found in droppings
- stinking droppings
- prostrated horse, bad mood

3) When being ridden:

- aprehension or refusal to take the bit (head raised or chattering teeth)
- very hard to guide (precisely for turning)
- snatched reins
- big head bangings to the top (becareful, wolf teeth!)
- loss of performance
- hyper sensitivity with any actions of hands leading to nervous reactions

Environment:

The horse dentist goes to horse clubs, private horse stables, breedings, societies or to your home, to take care of all members of the horse family: saddle horses, heavy horses, ponys, donkeys, mules. The presence of the owner or a third party to hold the horse is essential.

The aim is to optimize the conditions of security and serenity of the technician, the person who holds the horse and the horse himself.

The intervention can take place in a stabulation, outside in a closed garden or a closed yard. If there is no other choice (old horses who can barely walk), it is possible to work as well in a field. I use battery Equipment thus i can work from anywhere.

Managment of the horse's behaviour:

Around 20 minutes of patience is needed from the horse, start point to the end.

In 9 out of 10 cases, horses don't bother and are rather good and calm. They let themselves lead by the voice and the contact of the technician.

It is fundamental to work in a climate of gentleness and confidence.

If ever the horse is very stressed and could be potentially dangerous, or if he has pain, or because the technician is about to do a painful act (removal of wolf teeth for instance), in those cases, the horse has to be sedated by a vet (horse dentists are not allowed to do any injections).

The intervention:

The technician takes time to speak with the owner. He has to know the environment in which the horse evolutes, what he eats, what he does (rest, work, what work), if the intervention is preventive action or if there are warning signs and what signs.

Then, the technician observes the general state of the horse and establishes the first contact.

Afterwards, a manual and visual diagnosis is done outside and inside the mouth thanks to a mouth opener which keeps the mouth mecanically opened.

Once the diagnosis is given, the treatment can start.

I work with modern material from Horse Dental Equipment. The different electric drills are in diamond. The manual rasps are in diamond, titanium and tungsten. Each horse has an individual sheet in order to follow the treatment progress.

The levelling (profiling) of the overteeth is painless for the horse because we don't touch the heart of the teeth but the edge of the teeth (excedent enamel). Nevertheless, the treatment is a bit unpleasant, similar to our own dentist's drill (vibrations and noise).

GOLDEN RULES TO OPTIMIZE THE GOOD BUCCAL AND DENTAL STATE OF ONE'S HORSE
ONE CONDITION: MY HORSE IS IN A FIELD AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE

1) He can graze about 18 hours a day and thus wear his teeth because of the time spent grazing.

2) He has access to thick grass and other graminae, to tree leaves, to hay which are abrasive aliments improving the teeth wearing. Minerals and vegetal proteins are included in natural alimentation.

3) He can "do" his teeth on tree trunks and roll loose stones between his teeth

4) He eats head towards the ground, ie in a natural position so that dental arches fit together properly, hence a regular wearing.

5) He eats in a natural position so that the saliva glands frees enough saliva to ensure assimilation of aliments.

6) He eats in a natural position which prevents him from straining the nape, the lower and upper jaws being linked with cervicals.

7) He takes the time to eat regularly in small quantities. He chews well, thus has a good digestion. He barely knows the word "constipation" since he has to move all the time to go for food.

8) He eats without restriction and selects the food which is good for him. His general health state remains very good until an old age.