Suzanne Redford
Equine Dental Services
Dental Care in the Older Horse
Having provided us with a lifetime of loyal service, the older horse deserves some extra care
and attention in later life. This applies to many aspects of the horse, including their teeth
and mouth.
To understand how age effects the horse's teeth, we need to look at the tooth structure. From
the diagram below we can see that the teeth are made up
of three main sections - the clinical
crown, which is the part of tooth present in the mouth, - the reserve crown, which is the
part of the tooth below the gum line and the root. As the clinical crown is worn down through
eating, the reserve crown erupts through the gum line, ensuring a constant amount of tooth height
in the horse's mouth. However, there is only a certain amount of reserve crown, and once this has
worn down (expired), the horse is simply left with the root of the tooth. The root, unlike the crown,
does not contain any enamel, causing this softer tooth surface to wear down in the middle from the
grinding of the food, this is known as 'cupping away'. If this occurs it may be difficult for the
horse to grind their food effectively, preventing them from getting the most nutrition from their
food. In cases such as this, it may be necessary to soak food such as nuts and cubes, to assist
with their eating.
Other problems that can occur in older horses include periodontal disease, gum disease
(gingivitis), loose teeth leading to food getting impacted in the mouth and missing teeth.
The teeth may also have a tendency to lean to the outside, pressing against the horse's cheeks,
or the inside towards their tongue. These problems can be corrected with good dental procedures,
however due to the limited amount of tooth life left in the older horse's mouth, it is often better
to adjust the mouth to best suit the horse in question, rather than attempting to give the horse a
text book perfect mouth.
Although it is not possible to stop the ageing process, it is possible to help the older horse,
by having their teeth regularly checked and maintained, preferably every six months. It is also
important to note however, that teeth benefiting from a lifetime of care, will better assist the
horse in later life, therefore regardless of age, all horses will benefit from regular dental care.