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 The
Horse's Mouth
Equine
teeth are hypsodont teeth - they extend high above the gumline for better
abrasion of feed. Instead of a continuous coat of enamel (as found in
human teeth), equine tooth surfaces have rings and ridges of enamel
surrounded by cement and dentin. These materials wear at different rates.
The softer cement and dentin wear down first, leaving sharp points and
ridges of the harder enamel.
Horses
have 2 sets of teeth: deciduous, or baby teeth, and permanent teeth.
As the 24 deciduous teeth are replaced, the horse also grows additional
teeth for a full set of 36-44 permanent teeth. All of these are folded
to some degree.
Equine
teeth include:
- Incisors:
the front teeth
-
less folded than molars
-
top fold makes up an infundibulum with a cup at the top
-
curved
-
separated from the molars by the bar or interdental space, an
area with no teeth (where the bit rests)
-
young horses have 12 incisors
 Molars:
the grinding teeth
- extend
along both sides of the upper and lower jaw behind the bar
-
lower molars are narrower than upper molars
-
lower molars usually have 2 roots
-
upper molars have 3 or 4 roots
- Premolars:
deciduous grinding teeth
- present
in young horses
-
there are 12 premolars
- Canine
teeth: permanent teeth
- erupt
at 4-5 years of age in male horses
-
only 20-25% of females have canines
-
occur behind incisors in the bar
 Wolf
teeth: rudimentary premolar teeth
- erupt
in front of the molars
-
considered permanent since they aren't shed
-
not all horses get wolf teeth
-
serve no purpose in the modern horse
-
usually removed to avoid problems with the bit
-
blind (unerupted) wolf teeth usually removed to prevent gum problems,
pain
- Caps/cap
fragments: unshed
fragments of deciduous teeth
- prevent
normal eruption of permanent teeth
-
must be removed to allow for normal dental development
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