Page Title

BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS

OUR PHOTOS

CORRECTED

BEFORE
(Slight Wedge)

The owner of this horse told us he had just had his teeth done (during a routine vet check) 5 months prior to when these photos were taken. .
In addition to the wedged incisors, there were 1 inch hooks in the back and waves along the surfaces of the teeth....impossible to grow in
only 5 mos! This is a perfect example of why it is imperative to hire a knowledgeable professional who specializes in equine teeth, whether
he is a vet or not. There is NO EXCUSE for this. Luckily, Dustin was able to repair this horrible job.

The horse developed a wedge from having to chew on one side. After correcting the problems in the back of the mouth, the incisors were
cut and re-aligned. Incisor work is vital, especially in many older horses. Many equine dentists and/or vets will work the back teeth over
and never touch the front, leaving the back teeth where they don't even touch....which means they are OUT OF OCCLUSION. If the teeth
don't touch, the horse can't eat properly because it can't grind up it's food.

BEFORE>
sharp edges jabbing
the inner cheeks

AFTER
smooth edges

The horse pictured above is our horse, Diamond Ruth. Her molars (back teeth) had just been corrected from a severe wave
complex, which is mostly common in older horses. Any normal person would look at her front teeth (photo top left) and think her
teeth are fine. What you don't see is that the molars (back teeth) don't touch after having the waves corrected. (SEE PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT) When the molars don't touch, the horse can't grind up it's food. Therefore the slight wedge needed to be removed
from the incisors in order to bring the back teeth closer together. If your equine dentist doesn't check the occlusion of the
molars when he's done, he won't know if the molars touch or not, and in some cases (especially older horses with severe
problems) incisor reduction might be necessary in order to properly balance the mouth. If incisor work is overlooked, then your
horse WILL NOT be able to eat properly. Many equine dentists don't perform incisor work at all, so be cautious when having
your older horses worked on. If the front teeth are crooked then you can assure there are major problems in the back. Ask your
dentist if he performs incisor reduction, and if he doesn't, call someone who can. THe use of power instruments is necessary in
order to properly perform incisor reduction. Hand floats will not work.

INCISORS - after correction

THIS IS THE
MOLARS
BEFORE THE
INCISORS
WERE CUT
AND
RE-ALIGNED

THE TEETH
DON'T TOUCH
SO THE
HORSE CAN'T
GRIND HER
FOOD

AFTER

THE SURFACES
OF THE TEETH
ARE TOUCHING
SO THE HORSE
CAN NOW EAT
PROPERLY

FYI - horses' top
molars are
wider/larger than
the bottom molars,
as seen here

This is a 25 year old mare with a big problem. One of her molars was busted and piercing into her cheek
(see photo bottom left). She was having trouble eating and was losing weight. We removed the tooth
and you can see the difference it made. Her owner said there was a noticeable difference in her comfort
level and after only one week she began to gain weight.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Believe it or not, this horse isn't very old. Needless to say, he had never received any dental care whatsoever which is why his
incisors look the way they do. His incisors were at such a severe angle, he could not properly eat and could only chew his food on
one side. When the incisors look this way, the jaw will not slide back and forth without popping open, therefore causing the molars to
become so far apart they won't touch. He was also missing a couple of teeth, which had caused the opposing teeth to grow very tall
and to penetrate into his gums. He had severe waves along the surfaces of the teeth as well as hooks in the back and in the front.
Not to mention he had sharp points along the edges of his teeth which were slicing up the insides of his cheeks. There was
NOTHING good about this horses teeth! We filed off the sharp points, removed the hooks, filed down the tall teeth, corrected the
waves and performed incisor reduction. When we were finished, he immediately began eating normally. The owner was thrilled.

Talk about LONG IN THE TOOTH! This horse wasn't very old, but had REALLY BAD teeth! The upper incisors had grown
crooked and out of control because there were no teeth opposing them on the bottom. The horse had suffered some kind
of injury (maybe a kick to the mouth) which caused him to lose most of his bottom teeth. When a horse loses a tooth, the
opposing tooth will keep growing and eventually end up in that space because there is nothing for it to grind against.
Remember, their teeth grow constantly, which is why it is SO important to have them checked at least once per year. Even
though you might think it would hurt, this is NOT a painful procedure for a horse. Horses don't have nerve endings in their
teeth like we do. The only thing they can feel is the vibration from the instruments being used. Incisor reduction should only
be performed by a knowledgeable professional who will know exactly how much he can take off without getting into the
pulp chamber or "quick" (to put it in laymans terms).

BEFORE

AFTER

This horse had long hooks on the front top molars, as shown here. These teeth were about one inch too long
and were pounding out the opposing teeth on the bottom. The first molars (on the top and bottom) should be
slightly rounded, making a nice smooth bitseat. If there are no bitseats, your bit will only hit the teeth when
you pull back on the reigns, thus giving you very little control. Once bitseats are formed, the rider has much
more control over the horse. The bit will slide into the groove created by the upper and lower bitseats and will
pull on the cheeks instead of banging into the teeth. Good bitseats are what make a horse "soft" in the face.

BEFORE - LARGE HOOKS

AFTER - "BITSEATS"