Horses require regular dental intervention because they have a type of tooth which grows, or erupts, continuously. This makes them far more prone to developing abnormalities in bite alignment, occlusion and gum disease. Abnormalities in the mouth can cause significant pain, both when being ridden but also when grazing.

All horses in time develop sharp enamel points. This is a normal development because of the motion of chewing, the continual eruption of teeth and the anatomy of the top and bottom jaw. Despite this being a normal change, the use of horses for riding and modern feeding habits has led to the necessity for dental intervention. Sharp points over time can cause ulcerations to the cheeks and tongue, causing pain during feeding and riding.  

The treatment of sharp enamel points involves the floating of teeth.  Accredited veterinarians use a Power Float, a battery operated rasp, allowing for fast and accurate correction of the teeth. 

The first part of a thorough dental procedure is to conduct a full examination by both feel and visualisation using a mirror. Your veterinarian is trained and authorised to use sedation, pain relief and antibiotics when required. This allows dental procedures to be carried out in a manner that minimises stress and pain, enabling a thorough job to be conducted and the right treatment advice to be given. 

There are a range of other conditions which can develop in the horse’s mouth including:

• abnormal eruption and growth leading to long or irregular teeth
• hooks on the cheek teeth
• packing of feed between teeth causing gum disease
• loose teeth
• retained baby teeth (or caps)
• “wolf teeth” which are a small tooth at the start of the cheek which impact the mouthing/bitting of young horses.