Horse_Illustrated_-_October_2019

[ 50 horseillustrated.com | october 2019 ]

is called equine odontoclastic tooth resorption

and hypercementosis (aka EOTRH).

EOTRH is an extremely painful condition

seen in some older horses. While the cause

is not yet understood, EOTRH occurs when

the body begins to reabsorb the incisors and

sometimes the canines. This causes the horse

to drool, have bad breath, and sometimes

demonstrate “smiling” behavior when the lips

are curled back to expose the incisors.

While there is no cure for EOTRH, removing

the affected incisors helps alleviate the pain of

this senior horse dental condition.

Dental exams

Regular dental checks should be part of your

horse’s routine health program. “Floating” is

the term used to describe the act of rasping a

horse’s molars to maintain an even grinding

surface with the opposing tooth, and helps

prevent the formation of sharp points in the

mouth. Floating is not meant to smooth out

the molar’s grinding surface: its bumpy ridges

on the top are needed for proper grinding.

When younger, yearly dental checks and

minor floating are usually enough to keep a

horse’s mouth in top shape unless underlying

malocclusion issues are found. As a horse ages

into his 20s, floating every six months may

be advised by your vet, depending on issues

found and signs your horse may be showing.

Mouths with lots of problems can’t be all

fixed in one visit. If large points are found on

an exam, a few visits over a series of months

may be needed as large chunks of tooth should

not be rasped down all at once. Excessive float-

ing can cause heat damage to the tooth root,

so it must be done in short bursts.

Floating can be done either manually with

hand floats, which are long rasps pulled back

and forth over a horse’s molars by hand, or

mechanically by a tool called a power float. A

thorough floating is best done with the horse

under light sedation. For this reason, it’s recom-

mended to have a veterinarian do the floating.

Since it can be hard to grasp how large

a horse’s molars are and how they grind

together, take a look inside your horse’s mouth

during his next dental exam. If your veterinar-

ian uses a speculum to hold the mouth open,

ask if you can place a hand in your horse’s

mouth to feel the surface of his teeth.

If your horse has some points, feel how

sharp they are—you might be surprised. And

During a
power float,
your vet
will sedate
the horse,
open his
mouth with
a speculum
and use
specialized
tools to even
out sharp
points or
waves.