Figure 5B: A
Figure 4: A cheek tooth diastema – with food pocketing and recession of the adjacent gum. This is a very painful condition.
B
Side-on view of extracted tooth, fractured into 2 pieces. The blackened area represents the decay inside the tooth, which was not visible from the mouth
Figure 5A - A fractured cheek tooth (occlusal 'grinding' surface) - the result of extensive infundibular caries. These holes were packed with rotting food material eating away at the tooth, weakening it and resulting in a tooth root abscess.
These can cause cuts and ulcers on the cheeks and tongue, which may be painful when eating and when ridden.
Rasping of sharp enamel points and reduction of focal dental overgrowths are routinely carried out during a dental examination.
Wolf Teeth Up to 80% of horses (colts and fillies) will have wolf teeth by the time they are a year old. These teeth are most commonly present in the upper jaw, just in front of the first cheek teeth. Wolf teeth can also erupt 1-3cm forward of the first cheek teeth. These are oſten ‘blind’ (hidden under the gum). Wolf teeth are variable in size, even within the same horse (Figure 3). Sometimes only one upper wolf tooth is present and less commonly lower wolf teeth are found.
There is no real purpose for wolf teeth in the modern horse. Wolf teeth are oſten removed in ridden horses to prevent perceived interference with the bit and to avoid damage to the soſt tissues around the teeth. Removal of wolf teeth can be performed by the vet on the yard with sedation and local anaesthetic. Qualified EDTs can only remove wolf teeth under the direct supervision of a vet, who should be in attendance to administer sedation and local anaesthetic.
Diastemata The equine cheek teeth should be tightly apposed and act as one functional grinding unit, but in some individuals a gap (‘diastema’) can develop between adjacent teeth. Food can be forced into this gap (Figure 4), and if it gets trapped it can start to decay and lead to disease of the surrounding gums. Some horses may require specific remedial dentistry, including cleaning and packing of the gaps, or further widening of the spaces to allow the food to empty naturally.
Caries Peripheral Caries (holes in the teeth) can be associated with diet and are more common in haylage-fed horses and those fed sweetened, sticky feeds. Where this is causing problems, changes in dietary management can be helpful (Figure 5a).
Infundibular caries are confined to the upper cheek teeth. These can sometimes result in large erosions, infection and/or fractures. Smaller caries can be identified earlier with thorough dental examination. Most of these remain low-grade and may be monitored, but in more advanced, select cases, they can be ‘drilled and filled’ in an effort to save the tooth from fracture or infection.
Tooth fractures Traumatic fractures of equine teeth are rare, and it is usually the incisors that are more susceptible to damage from falls, kicks or mouth play behaviour. More commonly, cheek teeth fractures are identified with no obvious history of trauma. In some cases they are secondary to other dental problems, e.g. caries (Figure 5a and 5b). Loose fracture fragments or sharp edges may cause pain when eating. In some cases the fracture exposes tooth pulps and may lead to deeper tooth infection. The approach to management of tooth fractures varies widely, depending on the type of fracture. Options include endodontics and tooth extraction.
Conclusion Dental care is an important element of your horse’s healthcare and regular thorough dental examination, oſten using sedation, will allow problems to be identified early. Rossdales can also offer a more in-depth dental diagnostic and surgical service (for tooth extraction, fillings, etc) at our hospital in Newmarket, should your horse need further or advanced treatment.
www.rossdales.com
Vet Profile Mark Grant MA VetMB BSc PhD CertAVP(ED) BAEDT MRCVS
Mark is partner responsible for the team providing ambulatory veterinary services to Rossdales’ leisure horse clients. He is an RCVS Advanced Veterinary Practitioner in Equine Dentistry and a previous BAEDT practical examiner. In addition to a large routine dental caseload, Mark also spends much of his time at Rossdales Equine Hospital where he sees dental referrals.
Please mention Central Horse News What’s On when responding to advertisements THE SPRING SPECIAL 2020 17
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