Equine Dentistry Has Been Changing
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Equine Dentistry is becoming more involved and more like human care, as veterinarians go on to graduate courses specifically designed for horse dentistry. ?These medical specialists use new, more sophisticated tools and equipment, and have been trained in advanced methods of treating distortions of the mouth of foals, of routine care for adult horses, and of ways to keep horses healthy as they age.
For many decades, taking care of a horse's teeth consisted mainly of 'floating', or filing off sharp points of enamel and keeping the teeth uniform to provide a level grinding surface. Wolf teeth, which are vestigial teeth that erupt or are impacted in the upper jaw in the space between the front teeth and back molars, were also removed, since that space is where the bit goes. Wolf teeth make any horse hard to train, since the signals of the rider are accompanied with random pain.
As they horse aged, broken, abscessed, and decayed teeth were removed. Problems in mouth formation and how the teeth met (similar to the 'bite' that people dentists check) were mot usually corrected; breeding a horse with a malformed mouth was discouraged.
Today a foal can be fitted with the equine version of braces, and gum exams and treatment are used to hopefully prevent teeth from rotting or becoming infected. Antibiotics are used to keep infections of the mouth from becoming systemic, and gel implants can help recessed gums and pockets of infection grow healthy tissue once more.
After five years of age, the exams may be done yearly to be sure there are no points, broken teeth, gum infection, tooth decay, and mouth ulcers. Modern dentists often use sedation, dental mirrors and picks, various antibacterial washes and implants, and other means to keep a horse's mouth, and thereby his whole system, free of infection.
Things that may seem far out, like antibacterial mouthwashes, antibiotic gel implants to help clear up pockets of infection in the gums, and even corrective plates for foals with misshapen mouths, are being used in horses. Preventative care is the goal, to avoid future problems rather than treating them as as inevitable in older horses.
Keeping the horse's mouth balanced, so that it will chew on both sides of its mouth and can grind food efficiently, will prevent many other mouth and health problems. Equine dentistry used on a regular basis is as important to your horse's well being as worming and hoof care.
Equine Dentistry
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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