Renee Tcker, DVM

Renee Tucker, DVM

Equine Health Solutions, PC

Equine Veterinarian for 16 years

Certified in Equine Acupuncture

& Chiropractic Care

Where does my horse hurt?amazon book
  • Body Checkups for the entire horse
  • Easy, step-by-step directions
  • Full-color photos and illustrations

Teeth floating

Save money on equine dentistry

 

Horse teeth are not designed like ours (and I’m happy about that!).  Horse’s molar teeth are ground down, slowly but surely, by chewing.  They start out with really long (4-5″) molars that are mostly under the gumline.  The very bottom of the molar  tooth rests within their jawbone or sinus.  As their teeth are filed down by chewing, the rest of the teeth move into the mouth.  When they’re very old and an occasional tooth falls out, it may only be an inch long.  That’s four inches of tooth ground away over a lifetime!

Often, the horse’s own grinding is not perfect (for some reasons below) and sharp edges can result.  These edges (called “points”) can cut the horse’s cheeks or tongue.  Sharp points will stop the horse from chewing his food completely because it hurts.  This decreases food digestion—which increases your food bill—and it increases your horse’s risk of impaction colic.

 

How teeth floating affects performance

What you may not realize is how important teeth floating is for horse performance.  {Don’t worry, we’re getting to the save money part :) }  As a performance example, try this fun exercise:

Sit up straight and relax your jaw.  Drop your head down toward your chest and notice how your lower jawbone slides forward to facilitate this movement.  Try this a few times and pay attention to your lower jawbone moving forward and backward as you move your head down and up.

Now, with your head up, clench your jaw shut and try this again.  Most people can feel more difficulty getting their head down to the same point.  Many feel a tightness down the back of their neck and sometimes even their back.

Doing this jaw-clenching exercise shows how  horses feels when their teeth need floating.  Why?  Because when a horse’s teeth need floating, those rough edges and sharp points stop the horse’s lower jawbone from sliding forward.  This can cause many performance difficulties such as:

  • unable to flex poll
  • stiff neck
  • stiff body
  • collection difficulties
  • heavy on the reins
  • behind the bit
  • back sore

So, because dental problems (that is, needing their teeth floated; also called an equine dental) cause your horse pain, decreased feed efficiency, performance problems, and potential colic, having your horse’s teeth evaluated by a professional equine dentist is very important!  Have your horse examined once per year, at least at first.  Once the equine dentist is familiar with your horse, you may need an exam less often.

 

Saving money on equine dentistry

So—how do you save money on teeth floating?  By decreasing how often and how much of his teeth your horse needs floated.

And how do you do that?  By being sure that your horse’s jaw movement (i.e. chewing) is as perfect as possible.  The chewing action is normally in a figure-eight pattern.  Perfectly symmetrical movement to the right and left and also complete movement (i.e. full range-of-motion) in the figure-eight pattern will allow your horse to do his natural teeth grinding.

When your horse can do what he was designed to do, he will need less frequent and less extensive teeth floating.

Many horses have uneven dental wear.  They may have sharp points on the right, but minimal points on the left, for example.  There are several reasons for a horse to have uneven dental wear.  They may have “wavemouth”, “stepmouth”, or even an abscessed tooth.

Most importantly, though, your horse’s jaw needs to be aligned to even have a chance of chewing properly.  To demonstrate this, try another fun exercise:

Again sitting up straight and relaxing your jaw, tip your head to one side.  Notice that your lower jawbone slowly slides over to that side.  Now try chewing like that!

That misalignment is similar to what happens when your horse’s atlas (the poll) is misaligned (i.e. subluxated).  When the poll is misaligned, your horse’s head is effectively tipped sideways.  The body prioritizes the eyes being level, so that your horse doesn’t walk around with his head crooked.  But his head and jaw (really the TMJ, or temporomandibular joint) are still off.

 

How do you know if your horse’s jaw is aligned?

There are three Body Checkups you can do to find out.  The atlas, the occiput (which is the back of the head), and the TMJ Body Checkups will be necessary to fully check your horse’s jaw alignment.

The Atlas Body Checkup is available for FREE on this website.  Just click it to check it out and feel free to share with your friends.

If your atlas Checkup results are “probable subluxations”, simply call your certified equine chiropractor to have your horse adjusted.

If your atlas Checkup results are “normal”, remember that the other two Body Checkups, the occiput and TMJ, may be involved and should be examined.

The occiput and TMJ Body Checkups are available in my book, Where Does My Horse Hurt? Please check it out to see what all is included in the book.  I know you’ll love the information, save money, and enjoy helping your horse.

Blessings,

Renee Tucker, DVM