2-6 years Horse replaces deciduous (baby) teeth with permanent teeth. Up to 20 more permanent teeth erupt. I look for and remove caps/cap fragments from baby teeth and remove wolf teeth if present and necessary Adults Generally adult horses need yearly dental care to maintain a balanced mouth. Some horses may require twice a year maintenance to monitor and correct wear problems. Geriatric The older horse could be placed on a 6 or 12 month recall depending on missing teeth. Regular maintenance and balancing of the horses dentition can add years to their life. |
| 443~618~6438 Krystin@HorseFloss.com |
Why your Horse needs a Dentist
 | Dropping of food while eating | |
| Sipping of water intermittently between eating | |
| hay or concentrate feed. | ||
| Rolls or balls of hay are dropped from the | |
| horses mouth | ||
| Large particles of hay or whole grain in the | |
| manure | ||
| Poor performance | |
| Excessive salivation | |
| Head tilted | |
| Bleeding mouth | |
| Poor head carriage | |
| Not willing to move forward | |
| Lameness issues | |
| Chipmunk Cheeks | |
| Large forehead muscles | |
| Locked in one direction | |
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| Recent studies have shown that up to 80% of all domestic horses have significant dental abnormalities compared to their wild counterparts. Through domestication, we have altered their grazing habits,diet and breeding. Wild horses that have free access to pasture will graze for approximately 14-18 hours per day. While chewing, the apposing tooth wears away a small amount of the tooth surface, maintaining a natural balance. The grasses found in a natural habitat have a much higher silicate content, which is far more abrasive than the farmed pasture of today. This lack of silicate in their diet and grazing time allows unwanted pathology on the horses teeth to form faster then the rate of wear. Cross breeding horses with different sized heads and jaws, has resulted in teeth is not only very uncomfortable, but it impedes the normal chewing action and will cause abnormal pressure and rotation of the TMJs. Overgrown teeth can restrict the lower jaw from dropping forward making it very difficult for any horse to work "on the bit". Asking the horse to do this with out the free movement of the jaw can cause pain or inability to perform properly. This is why when providing routine dental care my goal is to improving your horse's life through Natural Balancing! I do this by addressing the incisors first, restoring them to the proper length and angle which allows for the proper movement of the jaw and of the TMJs. Doing this makes profound changes throughout the horse's body, not just in the mouth. |
