Established
nearly 10 years ago Walkers Equestrian has proven itself
to be one of the most efficient and cost-effective equine
dental businesses in the Midlands.
Based
in Hartlebury, I have undergone extensive training in modern
equine dentistry, both in the USA and UK and provide a complete
dental healthcare service.
Equipped
with modern efficient rasps and motorised tools I carry
a full mouth speculum for safe and thorough oral examination,
head torch, large syringe for cleaning the mouth and a full
array of floats (rasps) fitted with modern tungsten carbide
blades.
I
carry out my dentistry both at home and on clients premises
to limit the stress and worry caused to both horse and owner.
Read
about my trip to the Golega Horse Festival in Portugal to
examine and perform equine dental work
Walkers
Equestrian dental service has the following benefits:
Fully
trained in modern equine dentistry
I
will be (usually) visiting the horse annually or 6 monthly
to examine your horse's mouth
Equipment
I
carry in my car the following equipment for equine dentistry:
stainless
steel bucket
large
dose syringe for mouth washing
full
mouth speculum (gag) for safe and thorough oral examination
head
torch for examination in the mouth
full
range of modern efficient rasps with solid carbide blades
'wolf'
tooth extraction kit
deciduous
(baby) cheek tooth extractors
anti-bacterial
mouthwash
dremmel
and a variety of hand pieces for advanced procedures
Most
of the floats (rasps) are fitted with solid carbide blades.
These are more efficient than normal blades and will get
the job done much faster.
Our
Procedure for Oral Examination / Dentistry
1.
History is obtained from owner, e.g. age, sex, previous
rasping history, any problems with eating, any ridden problems,
tetanus status etc.
2.
Horse is examined for condition score (fat or thin), droppings
are examined for evidence of chewing efficiency, dental
arcades examined from outside (over skin)
3.
Mouth washed
4.
Incisors are examined for wear, abnormalities, lateral excursion
and balance.
5.
Full mouth speculum is applied and cheek teeth examined
6.
Enamel points are rasped smooth
7.
Any other problems treated e.g. wolf teeth, hooks, ramps,
over-jets, bit seat, with horse sedated if required
8.
Tartar removed from incisors, canines smoothed if long/sharp.
9.
Mouth washed again, incisor bite reassessed.
Horse's
Teeth
A normal adult
horse has a minimum of 36 teeth. It may also have up to
four wolf teeth and/or canines. Of these, there are six
upper and six lower incisors, which are used for tearing
grass and other forage. On each side of both jaws, it has
three pre-molars and three permanent molars (cheek teeth),
which it uses for grinding food. The grinding surfaces of
these cheek teeth are called tables. They are not horizontal
though, but tilt downwards and outwards at 10-15 degrees.
The upper jaw is about 25% wider than the lower jaw, which
moves in a circular motion, bringing the cheek teeth tables
into contact.
By the time
a horse is five years old all it's teeth should normally
be through and the gums should be a healthy pink colour
with no bruising.
Glossary
of Terms:
Arcade:
A row of teeth.
Bit Seats:
Rounding off the front surface of the first upper
and lower cheek teeth to make the horse more comfortable
with the bit.
Cap: The
remains of a deciduous (baby) tooth that covers an erupting
tooth and is then shed. Retention of caps may delay eruption
of the permanent cheek tooth causing the development of
eruption cysts
Cheek Teeth:
The premolars and molars at the back of the mouth, both
top and bottom, which are used to grind up food.
Diastema:
A space between teeth. This may be the normal space between
the incisors and the cheek teeth or an abnormal space that
develops between one or more cheek teeth.
Hook: A
pointed end or protuberance on a tooth through abnormal
wear.
Incisors:
The top and bottom teeth (12 in total), found at the front
of the mouth and used for grazing.
Quidding:
The dropping of partly chewed food from the mouth.
Slant Mouth:
Contact between the top and bottom incisors at an angle
instead of being horizontal.
Step Mouth:
Through abnormal wear, the grinding surface of the cheek
teeth arcade is arranged in step like fashion instead of
the normal smooth curve.
Shearmouth:
Through abnormal wear, the angle of contact between
the top and bottom cheek teeth has become greater than the
normal 10-15 degrees and may have reached 45 degrees.
Tushes or
Tusks: The canine teeth found between the incisors and
the cheek teeth. Theoretically used for fighting and present
in most male horses. Usually very small or absent in mares.
Wave Mouth:
Due lo uneven wear, the grinding surface of the cheek
teeth arcade has a wavelike appearance instead of a smooth
curve.
Wolf Teeth:
The first premolars that appear in front of the cheek
teeth in around 15-25% of horses. If small and correctly
positioned, they are unlikely to cause problems.
N.B.
A dental technician is not permitted to perform any act
of veterinary surgery. Horse dentists are working towards
a controlling body and standard qualifications.
