Common Sense in Equine Dentistry

Common Sense in Equine Dentistry :Common Sense in Equine Dentistry


Slide 2:How does the owner know what is good dental care for their horse? From birth nature balances the horse’s mouth naturally. Using this perfect system is the key to maintaining harmony in the horse’s mouth and longevity for the horse. Balanced Equine dentistry uses this system to obtain harmony with out excess or neglect.


Slide 3:How many horses need regular dental care? All of them do, but it often becomes either a neglected or over used area of horse care. Owners either do nothing until they really see a problem with the eating habits of their horse or they follow a rigid schedule of floating every six months as a matter of course, whether the horse needs it or not. This presentation is an attempt to educate owners and care givers on proper care based on what fits the horse.


All horses need regular dental care – no matter how big or small they are :All horses need regular dental care – no matter how big or small they are


What is Balanced Dentistry :What is Balanced Dentistry Balancing the mouth for the horse is really only removing what would inhibit the normal movement of the jaw. This way the mouth can self maintain the normal angles and function the horse was born with. Balanced dentistry does NOT entail the removal of excessive tooth surface or rounding for comfort, both of which are detrimental to the proper function through out the equine body.


Slide 6:Imbalance in the mouth creates compensations and imbalances in the body. A balanced mouth is a critical piece on the way to a balanced body, the ultimate result being the horse’s ability to balance with the addition of a rider and to perform at their highest potential.


Slide 7:The incisors, TMJ and molars have equal pressure at rest when balance is achieved


Slide 8:This view is of a horse with no or minimal care


Removing Points :Removing Points The float head in this picture should be on the same plane as the table surface angle, not level to base of the jaw.


Slide 10:How correctly balanced incisors should look How balanced incisors are depicted in drawings


Dental Development of the Horse :Dental Development of the Horse Horses are born with the first three molars, or premolars in their mouth. These teeth are already in contact with each other. This gives the mouth the necessary stability for the Temporal Mandibular Joint (TMJ) to function correctly.


Slide 12:This way the incisor teeth can start to erupt properly so they will come into wear or contact with each other. This sets up the correct alignment to allow proper rotation for the jaw to keep the teeth in a state of balanced eruption related to an equal amount of wear.


Slide 13:The pattern of permanent tooth eruption always maintains this type of balance. Before a cap is shed there is a permanent set of teeth in contact to maintain stability in the mouth. This type of cycle continues until age five; deviations from this schedule are sometimes breed-specific.


Where to Start :Where to Start For the young horse it is very appropriate to be checked every six months. The dentist will check the caps (baby teeth), ensuring that they are shedding properly and the permanent teeth are coming into balanced wear. This way he can set the horse up for success, providing balance in the mouth that will last a lifetime.


Slide 15:For horses over 5 years of age having their mouth checked, realigned and balanced once per year is generally good care. Sometimes there is more balancing to be done more often, other times a check-up will reveal that there is no work to be done at all.


Slide 16:More frequent care is needed after improper care or the lack of care.


Slide 17:Occasionally an injury resulting in a greater imbalance in a horse’s mouth will need more frequent adjustment to correct over time.


Slide 18:All of the above has to happen while taking into consideration what can be done in relation to the age of the horse.


What Causes an Unbalanced Mouth? :What Causes an Unbalanced Mouth? When the horse sheds his teeth at the age of 2 ½ to 4 ½ it may happen that the caps do not get pushed off properly and therefore the permanent tooth underneath cannot erupt correctly.


Slide 20:Incorrect eruption creates misalignment of opposing teeth, which can set up a movement restriction of the jaw, which in turn creates unworn areas of all teeth, leading to sharp points and edges on the molars as well as on the incisors.


Slide 21:Retained caps interfering with normal alignment and balance of the incisors


Slide 22:Horses who do not live in “natural” living conditions with the head low for most of the day, but are stalled or singled out of a herd and live with a predominantly head high position develop hooks on the lower molars due to incorrect wear of the dental surfaces.


Slide 23:A lack of grazing (the uptake of coarse grass with the incisors), ingestion of soft hay or processed feed (pellets, sweet feed etc.) also contributes to physiologically incorrect wear, contributing to an unbalanced mouth.


Slide 24:Bit Seats are a big area of concern for the correctly balanced and self-maintaining mouth. When bit seats are ground into the first premolar they create instability at the very front of the molars. The horse needs the full surface of these premolars to maintain stability in the mouth and the TMJ.


Slide 25:This allows a balanced development not only in the mouth but in the whole horse as well. By reducing the contact surface of the first premolars it is possible that they hyper-erupt to rectify the out-of-balance situation causing premature failure.


Slide 26:If the correct angle of incisors and molars is not observed, irregularities present before dental work tend to return quickly. Therefore, the horse owner may be advised that the horse needs dental work every six months. Frequent over floating and excessive adjustments will reduce the longevity of the tooth. Not all dentists work from the same paradigm. In the age of power tools, many horses are floated excessively and with disregard of the natural angles that determine correct function.


Slide 27:Power equipment may overheat the tooth by just a few degrees and crystallization of the surface occurs, making the surface slick and preventing proper chewing, which then may lead in the long run to digestive problems like colic, ulcers, etc.


Slide 28:The angle of the molar arcade is directly opposite the angle of the TMJ, which provides the horse with guidance for the jaw to maintain balanced wear of the teeth.  Some methods of dentistry only remove points. Doing only this actually decreases the natural angle that all horses need to have. That alone decreases the ability for balanced wear.


Slide 29:Realigning teeth from a high head position is a misleading view of how the teeth should meet in a functional position for the horse. With the head up the jaw naturally slides back changing the alignment of the contact surfaces. When the situation is left this way, once the horse puts his head down to eat, the teeth meet in a completely different position and contact as the jaw slides forward while grazing or eating from the ground. This is not beneficial to the horse in keeping a balanced mouth.


Slide 30:The idea of adjusting the molars before anything is done to the incisors is starting back to front instead of front to back. The front teeth are the farthest point from the TMJ, which allows movement of the jaw. The smallest imbalance or restriction of movement at the front then predetermines imbalances which will be created on the molar surfaces.


Slide 31:If the front teeth are not balanced and a speculum is placed in the mouth between the incisors it will appear that the molars are more imbalanced than they actually are. This happens because the speculum is level unto itself.


Slide 32:So if the incisor balance is skewed this is transferred to the molars by twisting the jaw, creating a skewed view of the molars. If the molars are then balanced in this manner, after the speculum is removed, the horse is left with a very unbalanced mouth.


Slide 33:Improper dental care may result in an unstable mouth, TMJ issues, setting up compensation for the horse’s entire body, creating a host of other issues.


Slide 34:This presentation was created by Jerry Schmidt, Balanced Equine Dentistry. You may reach Jerry by phone at 360.460.5733 or e-mail: holstein01@msn.com. Jerry travels throughout the United States to provide dental services on a regular basis. For more information about Jerry Schmidt and his philosophy about Equine Dental Care, please view the following slides as well


Bio :Bio Growing up in Washington State on a family farm working with hundreds of cows every day has taught me patience in dealing with animals.


Slide 36:The natural training methods taught by Pat and Linda Parelli were just the beginning. I soon became involved in hoof care, learning about the importance of balance and biomechanics, while leaving the horses sound. While taking care of the hooves of about 100 horses, I also became interested in the teaching aspect of barefoot hoof care and became an instructor in 2005. Looking for better ways to deal with horse’s dental problems after having been exposed to some “conventional” dental care for some of the 60 horses housed at our own farm, I was looking for a better way to deal with the dental aspect of horsemanship.


Slide 37:During a Savvy Conference in Colorado, which I attended with my wife Mary (a Parelli Instructor), I met Spencer LaFlure and enrolled in his Advanced Whole Horse Dentistry Learning Center. WHAT AN EYE OPENER that was from the very beginning. Aligning and balancing a horse’s mouth is not only important for digestion and nutrient uptake, but has an undeniable effect on the balance of the entire body of the horse. Working within their particular symmetries or asymmetries is of utmost importance.


Slide 38:Many years and hundreds of horses later I am certified in Natural Balance Dentistry, offering services to horses throughout the United States. In addition to the required eleven week long classes I have spent as much time as possible with the head of the school, Spencer LaFlure. I am now also an assistant instructor for the Advanced Whole Horse Dentistry Learning Center, helping students gain the knowledge they need to help horses in their care.


The Balanced Equine Dentistry Paradigm :The Balanced Equine Dentistry Paradigm Basic to advanced dentistry concepts are shared with the owner, based on the idea of working on incisors first with angles adjusted over time.


Slide 40:The horse is allowed to position his head low to the ground in a natural position during the procedure. This allows for a neurological release of toxins and balancing the mouth in the horse’s natural grazing position.


Slide 41:Hand held instruments only are used. These particular instruments were tested for years. They fit the horse, are less disturbing and lessen the possibility of soft tissue damage.


Slide 42:Excellent handling skills will keep the horse calm and relaxed. This gives the horse the ability to be involved with what is happening in his mouth, which also creates a calming effect for them.


Slide 43:Maximize surface to surface contact of the incisors and the molar arcades.


Slide 44:Increase range of motion to the jaw to maximize the wearing surface of the teeth, restoring the ability of the horse to shear and masticate his food for better digestion. As a result the horse will be free to get lateral and vertical flexion without resistance.


Slide 45:With detailed knowledge of the horse’s teeth and biomechanics of the mouth I achieve maximum results for the horse without excessive floating. This is especially important in the older horse that has a very slow eruption rate of the teeth.


Slide 46:I observe and communicate to the owner how pathologies in the mouth relate to the horse’s body.


Slide 47:Following dental treatment the horse owner is encouraged to share his or her observations with me. Follow up exams and/or treatment are scheduled in appropriate intervals