Why & How Often Does My Horse Need A Dentist?
by Nic Graham EqD
Look to see if your horse has any of the following
symptoms:
1. Loss of weight.
2. Difficulty or pain when chewing some or
all feed.
3. Change in character when eating.
4. Makes strange movements whilst eating.
5. There is whole grain in the horses
faeces.
6. Has bad breath.
7. Shows pain when you touch his
head/face.
8. The horse has chronic nasal secretion.
9. Suffers intestinal colics and/or has
digestive problems often.
10. Refuses to come down onto the bit.
11. Has problems with flexion or collection.
12. Doesn't have acceptable impulsion.
13. Is stiff or rigid when ridden.
14. Does not flex equally on both sides.
15. Moves the head constantly in a violent
manner.
16. Is irritable.
17. Has deformities in the jawbone or
manibular.
Frequency of Dental Visits
Newborns to Yearlings
Only if Dental problems are occurring
Check for normal occlusion of the mouth, you can
do this yourself by having the head vertical and
running your fingers along the incisors to see if
they meet evenly. This will be an indication of
whether the jaw is in correct alignment.
Maloccluded mouths can be corrected by an
Equine Dentist who may be able to encourage a
more desirable alignment. If left untreated it will
create huge dental problems in the future.
18 Months
First Visit
If your yearling has a normal mouth then your
first date with an Equine Dentist should be
performed around the age of 18months. We
usually start to see ulcers occurring in the mouth
for the first time as well as hooks starting to
develop at this age. Hooks can have long term
effects on the developing skull structure.
2 yo – 5 yo
6 Monthly
A young horse will shed their deciduous (baby)
Teeth referred to as a cap. These teeth often do
not shed on time becoming a huge problem in the
horse’s mouth. Retained caps cause impaction or
mal-positioning of the permanent teeth.
A very important thing to consider at this age is
removing their wolf teeth (Certainly before a bit
ever enters into his mouth)
If you cannot see their wolf teeth then they may
be blind, which is ever more unpleasant with a
bit.
Remember your baby is shedding 18 deciduous
teeth, with his permanents erupting. I’m sure all
the mothers and fathers would understand what it
was like when your babies were teething!
5 yo – 16 yo
Annually
At this age we are looking for hooks, ramps,
Excessive transverse ridging and stepped
molars, also to make sure that the Incisors are in
full excursion. In other words without these
problems the horses jaw can move more freely.
You will find the horse will round at the poll easier
without stiffness or tension caused his teeth.
It is also at this age when we need to start
looking for dental diseases and keeping the
mouth in Occlusion this will ensure maximum life
for all teeth.
16 yo – Aged
Annually – Unless previous Dental Problems
We see the same issues as we see in the
previous age group, but as the horse goes into
his 20’s the teeth are beginning to wear out and
keeping them working in 100% Occlusion is
important in them maintaining weight and being
free from pain.
Also to note that Bacteria in the horse’s gums
can cause endocaditis, kidney problems etc…
Remember your horses teeth develop problems
in his youth that can be life threatening to him as
he gets older.
Your Horses Teeth in Relation to
Nutrition & Digestion
Teeth are the starting point for nutrition. The
horses natural teeth worked perfectly when it was
living on the plains chewing for 22 hours a day.
But many horses are now stabled or confined to
small paddocks and fed a processed diet. Their
natural evolution has not changed to suit this,
because their feet and teeth are continually
growing to suit that life on the plains.
We continually need to trim and shape both to
suit the lack of wear they get from living with
mankind. If we don’t then they will not occlude
(meet) and the horse cannot chew his food
sufficiently. This will cause the horse to have
difficulty in maintaining condition and is a big risk
of colic.
FACT: Research has shown that the connection
between horses that die of twisted bowels and
poorly maintained teeth.
The mouth is the beginning of the digestive
system. It gathers and prepares the food for
digestion. Any inefficiency to this affects the
whole digestive process.
The front teeth need to be free and balanced to
perform the task of grazing. With most horses
living in an environment where processed foods
are necessary, the Incisal (front) teeth often need
realigning because wear patterns differ: eating
feed from high up feeders, not enough wear
because of barren paddocks, position of feeders
and feeding patterns.
Symptoms such as chewing of surroundings,
wood, trees, buckets and lack of backward
movements can signify restrictions in this area.
All horses teeth grow up too 3mm per year,
anterior and molars, so both need addressing.
Check out your own horses smile?
There’s also the cost issue. You can reduce the
feed by several kilos a day if the teeth are
regularly taken care of. A horse that can't chew
its food can get impactions of the throat and also
intestines (one of the causes of colic symptoms)
and it can also cause diarrhoea. Avoid
unnecessary disease and suffering. A high
performance horse needs all the nutrition and
energy it possibly can from his food. If he can't
chew properly, he can't digest properly. Improve
performance by having a pain free horse that can
chew and digest efficiently.
“Many dollars of hard earned cash is passed
through the gut undigested because of
unbalanced axial flow ”
Is Your Horses Bit the Correct Fit?
We offer bit fitting service where we determine
the correct design (custom-made) bit for your
horse. Like saddles not all bits fit correctly and so
many issues are addressed when the mouth has
a true fitting bit this can also improve the
disposition of the horse and make for safer riding.
No mouth is alike including your horses. A bit
purchased for one horse may not fit the next one.
It is also one of the most valuable tools in your
riding. Incorrect fit of a bit can create many
behavioural problems with our ride.
As we all know, any dental pain is extremely
uncomfortable and ill-fitting bits can alleviate and
cause trauma and create whole body problems.
A horse may not be resisting a rein but may be
unable to accept it because of a problem tooth.
Head-tossing is often the result of palatal
pinching not inattentiveness.
Often after Dental treatment and re-balancing of
the mouth a newer softer bit can be the
introduced as the issue of pain is not connected
anymore (by the horse) with the bit.
Whole Mouth Dentistry
Our Equipment
The equipment we use for our procedures are the
newest designs in technology. Included is the
water induction handpiece which uses water
through a pump to cool teeth and keep tooth dust
settled during prophylactic and equilibration
procedures. This handpiece has been thoroughly
researched and designed to be extremely
advantageous reaching those almost impossibly
positioned upper 11 buccal cusps. The burrs
used are all of diamond tungsten or carbide. We
emphasized the importance of hygiene,
sterilisation techniques, and prevention of cross-
infection.

Dental treatment is an invasive procedure for

human or horse, but a necessity for good health,
safe horse riding and getting 100% performance Copyright © Nic Graham 2009
out of your horse every time.

As your horse communicates with you through

behaviour, it is your responsibility to read these
behaviours and act accordingly. Don’t always
assume that bad behaviour is to ensure you have
a bad ride; it could be a sign of something
happening in the mouth. Social changes,
enforced by us onto the horse, necessitate that
Equine Dentistry advances. Previously, the trend
has been to not adjust the Incisor teeth and in a
perfect world you wouldn’t. In the modern
equestrian world, Balance of the horse head is
definitive.
Like most of the public, I’ve always been a
conscientious owner having my horses teeth
assessed and filed yearly. Yet I still had
problems. Now I’ve found that most of the
mainstream techniques applied with human
dentistry are as applicable to the equine. As a
Certified Equine Dentist, I am focusing on the
TMJ and the performance of the individual horse:
TEMPORO MANDIBULAR JOINT.
Nic Graham is an Equine Dentist undergoing certification
by the College of Equine Dentistry Australia, and also holds
a degree in Dental Technology from RMIT.
She has worked in Geelong for 13 years as a practicing and
licensed Dental Technician.
Horses have always been her passion and a part of her
family since birth. Nic now combines her passion for horses,
and offers her education and experience in dentistry to the
equine community - the same service she gives to her own
performance horses. Nic also teaches Pony Club and is a
successful competitive rider in her own right.
Nic Graham EqD
Phone: 0438 822 704
www.performancedentistry.com.au
info@performancedentistry.com.au

The logic of the balance between the TMJ and

the teeth arcades is paramount. Balance here
ensures correct axial flow thus nutrients are used
to their fullest capabilities. Many dollars of hard
earned cash is passed through the gut
undigested because of unbalanced axial flow.
Many problems diagnosed as behavioural can
often be minor alignment issues. The TMJ works
in conjunction with the skeletal system. Healthy
balance here follows throughout the equines
physique.