Dentistry
Equine Vets in Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire
Georgina Parkin
(BVSc., Cert E.P., MRCVS.)
Email: enquiries@gemequine.co.uk
Phone: 07791806970
Equine Dentistry
Power Floating & Manual Rasping
GEM EQUINE provides a comprehensive dental service with modern facilities including superb power tool equipment. Sedation can be provided when necessary allowing for a more thorough procedure and a stress-free horse.
Modern management techniques and the demands of equine sport and lifestyle impact upon the normal wear pattern of the horse’s teeth. This may lead to the formation of excessively sharp enamel points or where confirmation or tooth loss drive abnormal grinding, severe overgrowths of teeth may have to be resolved.
Indication of a Dental Issue
- Dropping food (quidding)
- Formation of hay balls (corn dollies)
- Weight loss
- Bitting difficulties
- Loss of performance
THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED! Regular inspection, generally on an annual basis, is recommended to ensure comfort and peak performance.
Abnormal Wear Patterns
Hook
Sharp protrusions that develop on teeth when an overbite, underbite or other dental deformity causes an imperfect meeting of the top and bottom arcades. Most common on the upper cheek tooth and lower last molar.
Ramp
Typically premolars with a surface that slopes like a ski jump. Ramps can cut or scrape the tongue or cheek, especially when a horse is bitted.
Step Mouth
A cheek tooth row with one molar that has grown unopposed, so it juts above the rest of the arcade. A gap in the opposite molar lineup usually initiates the abnormality.
Wave Mouth
A severely restricting abnormality that occurs when two or more teeth in an arcade are high, creating a series of ascending and declining grinding surfaces.
Shear Mouth
A dental configuration in which the molars’ grinding surfaces are worn at a sharp 60-75 degree angle. Normally, the angle is 15 degrees.
Tooth Structure
- Incisors
- Upper Canine Tooth
- Lower Canine Tooth
- Wolf Tooth
- Cheek Teeth – Upper Premolars
- Cheek Teeth – Upper Molars
- Cheek Teeth – Lower Premolars
- Cheek Teeth – Lower Molars
- Crown
- Root
