Walking On, Volume 8, Issue 4, April 2021 | Page 12

For the Health of It

Equine Dentistry - Inside the Horse ’ s Mouth

By Tammy Patterson
All teeth are made up of enamel - a hard but brittle structure ; cementum - produced continuously at the base of the tooth enabling the tooth to attach to the periodontal ligament ; dentine - this is produced continuously and is a soft structure supporting nutrients for growth .
Incisors
Horses have 6 on their top jaw and 6 on their bottom jaw . All of these are deciduous ( baby teeth ), and are lost when the permanent teeth come in . Generally horses lose their 1st incisors at 2.5 years , their middle incisors at 3.5 years and their corner incisors at 4.5 years . These are used primarily in a pincer action to tear off grass or pick up food . They begin their life oval in shape but as the horse ages become more triangular . The incisors are used as a good indicator when aging horses . The combination of wear patterns and the shape of the tooth enable a skilled eye to work out the age of horses .
Canines and Wolf Teeth
Canine and Wolf teeth are remnants of the evolutionary process . Canine teeth were thought to have been used then the horse was a much smaller creature , living in woodland eating different structures . They were also thought to have been used if / when defending themselves . They are not usually seen in mares although some are known to throw rogue canines . Geldings can show up to 4 canines , one in each quadrant of the mouth . Wolf teeth used to be premolars but over the years of evolution they have become vestigial teeth ( whose roots have not fully formed ), giving 12 • Walking On
them no purpose at all . Mares and Geldings can show between 1 and 4 wolf teeth and can appear from 6 months of age .
Premolar and Molar Teeth
These teeth have a very substantial root , the maxillary molars ( uppers ) have 3 roots and the mandibular ( lower ) have 2 roots . The maxillary check teeth are wider and squarer than the mandibular teeth which are longer and thinner in shape . They are the teeth used to masticate ( grind ) the hard structures eaten by horses . They have a thick enamel outer which folds in around the edge of the tooth which , with the support of the inner dentine , provides a structurally strong grinding surface .
Tammy is a avid equine rider who trys to promote the correct ways to be treating horses . Tammy works part time for a company who specialise in Reynolds cap extractor [ http :// www . equinedentistryblades . co . uk ] as well as horse dentistry equipment in the UK . For more info , please visit , Equine Dentistry Blades [ http :// www . equinedentistryblades . co . uk ].
Article Source : https :// EzineArticles . com / expert / Tammy _ Patterson / 170805
Article Source : http :// EzineArticles . com / 3732848