Dental Flashcards
How do you determine the age of a horse?
Inspect its teeth
What is the most important aspect of caring for older horses?
Good Dental Care
Name three anatomic structures of the horse’s tooth.
Cup, cement, central enamel ring, pulp cavity, dental star, enamel, ivory
What are occlusal surfaces?
Biting surfaces
Specifically, where can Galvayne’s groove be found?
At the gum margin of the upper corner incisor
What is the name for the small rudimentary teeth in front of the first cheek tooth?
Woof Teeth
What are wolf teeth classified as?
Premolars
Are wolf teeth on the bottom jaw rare?
Yes
What are the front teeth used for age determination called?
Incisors
When do the baby incisors erupt?
First week
How many incisors does a mature horse have?
Twelve
What is a general term for when the horse’s incisors are improperly positioned?
Malaligned
At what age do the permanent central, intermediate, and corner incisors erupt?
Central 2-1/2 years, intermediate 3-1/2 years, corner 4-1/2 years
What is the “angle of incidence”?
The angle formed where the top and bottom incisor teeth meet
What is the angle of incidence in young horses and older horses?
160-180 degrees in young horses and less than 90 degrees in older horses
Three pre-molars and three molars make up what teeth of a horse?
Cheek
Which is more common- retention of the first three large cheek teeth or the deciduous incisors?
Retention of cheek teeth is more common
Generally horses have how many cheek teeth on each side?
Six on each side
A deciduous tooth is what type of tooth?
A baby tooth, one that is temporary and will be shed, also called a milk tooth
How many permanent teeth do mares commonly have?
Thirty-six
At what age do the first permanent teeth appear in the horse?
9-12 months
What is the tissue that anchors the tooth to the surrounding bone called?
Periodontium
What is “periodontal disease”?
Inflammation of the periodontium
What are the benefits of shortening and blunting canine teeth in middle-aged and older male horses?
1) Easier insertion and removal of bits 2) Less chance of injury to the horse from catching the canines on stationary objects 3) Less injury inflicted during fights 4) Reduced risk of injury to the hand and arm of those performing dental palpation
What is the goal of root canal therapy?
To restore a tooth with diseased pulp to functional status
What is quidding?
Dropping partially chewed feed from the mouth
What naturally causes the shape of a horse’s teeth to change?
Age and wear
What term describes a horse whose middle incisors of the upper jaw are so far foward that they do not contact the incisor of the lower jaw?
Parrot mouth
Drilling a cup in an incisor or staining of the teeth is termed bishoping and is done for what reason?
Age estimation of the horse by its teeth results in a younger estimation
What are the four majors ways to estimate the age of horses by the appearance of their teeth?
1) Occurrence of permanent teeth 2)Disappearance of cups 3) Angle of incidence 4) Shape of the surface of the permanent teeth
This procedure is necessary to file off sharp edges or points on the horse’s molars.
Floating the teeth
How many cheek teeth does an adult horse have?
24
What is an apicoectomy?
Removal of the diseased roots of a tooth that has not been totally destroyed by infection
What are molars?
The last three cheek teeth
What are five things dental abnormalities can cause?
Slobbering, head tilt, bad odor from the mouth, difficulty chewing, head-tossing, bit chewing, tongue lolling, tail wiring, and bucking
What are the names of the two sets of teeth?
Temporary and permanent
A young horse has how many temporary teeth?
24
The teeth appear as what when a horse is young?
Broad and flat
To examine a horses teeth what do you need to do?
Approach the horse from the near side and gently part his lips with your thumb and forefinger
True or False? Sometimes teeth are not visible on a newborn foal.
True
