Palmetto Equine Dental Group

Wry Nose!
Wry nose is a congenital syndrome involving lateral deviation and possibly shortening of the premaxillary ~ incisive & maxillary bones.

🦷 Common Equine Dental Malocclusions 🦷

These are some of the most common issues found by equine dentists. One of these may be affecting your equine partner. Send us a message or call/text (803)634-3236 to schedule a dental exam today.

💥We are now accepting new clients and can’t wait to serve your and your equine partners💥

Send us a message or call/text (803)634-3236 to get on our schedule 😊

Some of you may have heard me say the term “Shear Mouth”. This shows an extreme case of shear mouth causing unbalanced arcades, along with producing other malocclusions.
As a result of this, the following signs/symptoms can be found/seen:
~pain/discomfort
~weight loss
~resistance to biting/bending
~tmj/poll sensitivity
~balance/hoof differential
~change in temperament
~choke
~sinusitis
~periodontal issues
~ inefficient consumption of forage resulting in waste $.

Please, let this be a reminder to show just how important it is to have all equines young & old to have routine dental health and wellness care at LEAST once a year.

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”

We’ve all heard I️t, but what does I️t mean? I️t was considered rude to check the mouth of a horse because I️t was the modern day equivalent of checking the price tag on a present. A horse’s mouth and teeth can tell you a lot about their age, habits, overall health, and therefore their value.

Age: by checking the length and shape of the teeth, the Galvayne’s groove, and the occlusal surface of the incisors, a trained eye can provide you with an accurate estimate of the horse’s age

Health: like all other mucus membranes, your horse’s gums should be pink. Pale or white gums can signify anemia, shock, or internal bleeding. Bright red gums can indicate endotoxemia, yellow is linked to liver issues, and blue can indicate lack of oxygen in the blood or lung issues. Gums that are generally pink but have a dark red line at the incisor teeth gum line can be a sign of toxemia, dehydration, circulatory abnormalities, or gingivitis. Chinese medicine correlates purple gums to pain. (Disclaimer: this is veterinarian territory, but I️t always helps to know what to look for)

Bad habits: Severely chipped or worn upper incisors indicate that the horse is likely a cribber or chewer. Cribbers may wear their teeth down enough to cause overbites or underbites, and may cause irreversible damage to barns and fences. I️t can also affect the horse’s neck muscles, TMJ, and is believed to make them more prone to colic.

Always look your horse in the mouth! Better yet, have a trained equine dental professional assist you, gift horse or not. Cribbers and horse’s young and old will all benefit from proper dental care and oral exams.

CAN BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS BE A SIGN OF DENTAL PAIN?

Yes absolutely! In my experience a wide range of behaviour problems can be caused by the horse having dental issues. However, many horse owners and caretakers do have difficulty recognising pain-related behaviours associated with dental pain.

Fascinating research looking at the relationship between horse behaviour and dental problems – specifically in the cheek teeth – has been published by equine scientists in Finland. In this study, a dental examination was performed on 183 adult horses and cheek tooth findings were scored. The researchers found that 95% (yes you read that correctly – 95%!) had one or more abnormal findings in the cheek teeth.

The 183 horses were made up of 74 mares, 103 geldings, and six stallions of varying breeds with ages ranging from 5-28. All horses were sedated for the dental examination. The examination was performed with an endoscope in 104 horses and with a mirror in 79 horses. Six horses had received pain medication during the previous week.

Each owner was asked to complete a questionnaire including 35 questions concerning the eating behaviour, bit-related behaviour, and general behaviour of their horse. The owners reported a wide variety of behaviours, including eating slowly, turning the head when eating, dropping food from the mouth, headshaking when the bit was used, headshyness, resisting bridling, avoiding drinking cold water, and aggressive behaviour. Weight loss, halitosis and even impaction colic had been reported in some horses. The behavioural signs noted were compared to the dental results.

The team found that 76% had infundibular and 65% had peripheral caries. Fissures were reported in 69%, diastemas (gaps between the teeth) in 38%, secondary dentine defects in 32% and fractures in 27% of the horses. Nine of the horses had no dental findings. At least one finding in one cheek tooth or more was detected in 95% of the horses.

Broadened or darkened fissures, complicated fractures and secondary dentine defects (of at least the second degree) were associated with the horse displaying at least five behavioural signs. Horses with at least one potentially painful cheek tooth finding displayed significantly higher number of abnormal eating, bit-related, and general behaviours than horses with no findings.

The results suggest that the cheek tooth findings highlighted in this research are potentially painful. I would recommend reading the study and taking note of the behaviours listed. If your horse is displaying any of the behaviours mentioned (or indeed any unusual oral behaviour) then please arrange a dental examination for your horse by a qualified dentist as soon as possible. We all know how painful dental issues can be! Regular dental examinations are vital to ensure dental disease is found early and the development of painful conditions prevented.

The study is open access and free to read: Laukkanen et al. Behavioral Signs Associated With Equine Cheek Tooth Findings. J Equine Vet Sci. 2023 Feb; 121:104198.

🎉🎉 Winner winner 🎉🎉

Congrats Katie Easler!!! You’re the winner of our giveaway 🤩

🦷 Tag three friends, like and share this post to enter before 5 PM 🦷

Hurry and get your last chance to enter our giveaway!!!

Winner will receive $100 off their next equine dental🤠

🦷 Tag three friends, like and share this post to enter before 5 PM 🦷

Hurry and get your last chance to enter our giveaway!!!

Winner will receive $100 off their next equine dental🤠

10 more days to enter ‼️

7 pounds...

This is why dental exams are SO important. For this pony it could have made all the difference.

Important things to know with this cold weather we have been having❄️

Contact us today to get your equine partner a dental exam! Set them up for success in these colder months 🦷

(803)634-3236

Don’t forgot to enter at a chance to win $100 off a dental!!!

🦷 Who wants a chance to win $100 off their next equine dental? 🦷

Open to horse owners in South Carolina & Georgia.

To Enter:
🎲 Like page
🎲 Like & share this post
🎲 Tag 3 friends in the comments

Winner will be chosen February 28, 2023.

🍀 Good Luck 🍀

Do you notice any of these things with your equine partner?

If so, they may be in need of a dental exam! Contact us today at (803)634-3236 to schedule 🦷