Equine dentistry started centuries ago with filing horses’ teeth, but it was not until the past decade that motorized dental instrumentation coupled with research allowed vast improvements. These advances have helped all horses, but performance or working horses have seen the most benefit.

Why is dentistry particularly important in horses that are ridden or driven?

While all horses benefit from routine dental care, horses that are ridden or driven with bits might be more sensitive to sharp points or other dental abnormalities. Most horses that have not had routine dentistry (smoothing sharp enamel points) in more than a year tend to develop abraded (scraped) or even ulcerated areas in their mouths. Although not all horses show signs of being bothered by these abrasions, other horses, particularly when they are being ridden, show signs of discomfort. These signs can be anything from resisting in one direction to abnormal head carriage, head shaking, or evading the bit.

A recent study indicated how dentistry could make a difference to a performance horse. The purpose of this study was to measure how much the mandible (lower jaw) moves from front to back when the horse’s head is lowered and raised, and compare the amount of movement before and after routine dentistry. After the dentistry, the horses could move their mandibles significantly more than before. This is important because any time you collect your horse, or even if you use the reins to slow him, he needs to bend at his poll, which means his mandible must be free to slide forward