1. Do you know my age??

2. Horses' teeth are often used to estimate the animal's age, hence the sayings "long in the tooth" and "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth".

3. The Importance of Determining the Age of Horses
Uses:
Validate advertised age when buying
Confirming age when racing or showing
Feeding for proper nutrition at various life stages

4. Aging by Teeth Not foolproof An art that requires skill and experience
Very old method of aging horses
Error increases with horse’s age
Becomes an educated guess after horse is older than 14 years
Stabled horses tend to appear younger (less tooth wear)
Pastured horses tend to appear older (more tooth wear)
Bishoping- altering teeth to hide age

5. Equine Tooth Structure
Canines
Incisors
Wolf Tooth (when present)
Mandible
Premolars
Molars
Maxilla
Horses have 24 temporary teeth and up to 42 permanent teeth

6. Deciduous- ID3/3 CD0/0 PD3/3 MD0
Permanent-I 3/3 C 0-1/0-1 P 3-4/3 M3/3

7. How many teeth does a horse have?
A typical adult male horse has 42 permanent teeth, while a typical mare may have 36 teeth, because mares are less likely to have canine (bridle) teeth.
A horse’s permanent teeth are about four inches long.

8. Dentition Hypsodonts Two times Young horse has 24 deciduous teeth
Incisors 3/3
Canines 1/1
Premolars 3 or 4/3
Molars 3/3
Male total of 40 or 42; female total 36 to 40
Young horse has 24 deciduous teeth
Milk teeth
12 incisors
12 molars

9. Do horses have “baby” teeth?
Like humans, horses have two sets of teeth in their lifetimes.
The baby teeth, called deciduous teeth, are temporary.
The first deciduous incisors may erupt before the foal is born.
The last deciduous teeth come in when the horse is about eight months of age.
These “baby” teeth will begin to be replaced by adult teeth around the age of 2 ½, and by age 5-6, most horses have all of their permanent teeth.

10. Estimating age using tooth eruption
There are 24 deciduous teeth (“caps”). These come out in pairs, and are pushed out later by the permanent teeth.
The “caps” are usually present at birth or by 1 to 2 weeks of age.
Rule of 3 eights: I1- 8 days, I2- 8 weeks, and I3- 8 months
-charts may show these as Di1, Di2, Di3
The number of permanent teeth may vary, depending on if the horse has wolf teeth or canines.

11. Aging - Incisors Premolar eruption pattern:
Deciduous eruption pattern:
6-8 days
6-8 weeks
6-8 months
Premolar eruption pattern:
PM 2 years 8 months
PM 2 years 10 months
PM 3 years 8 months
Permanent eruption pattern:
years
3.5 years
4.5 years
Molar eruption pattern:
1 year
2 years
years

12. Cups, stars and spots:
The cup is the center of the infundibulum. Wear of the occlusal surface causes the cup to get smaller and eventually disappear from all lower incisors at about 6-8 years of age leaving the enamel spot in its place. The enamel spot is the deepest part of the infundibulum. The dental star corresponds with the pulp cavity and appears at 8 years of age in the first incisor. It appears as a line and then changes to a large, round spot as the occlusal surface is worn further.

13. The anatomic relationships between incisor anatomy and the cups and stars seen on the occlusal surface as they wear are depicted in the images and diagrams immediately above. The image on the right is shows an incisor of a young horse cut longitudinally while still in the jaw.

14. Equine Tooth Structure
Central Incisors
(also pincers or nippers)
Intermediate Incisors
Corner Incisors
Age is determined using the 12 front teeth (incisors)

15. Mouthing a Horse for Age
In Real Life: Hold the tongue out and to the side with your hand. This restraint provides an unobstructed view and is not painful to the horse.

16. Tooth Emergence Temporary Teeth (Baby Teeth)
Temporary pincers: Birth - 10 days
Temporary intermediates: 4 – 6 weeks
Temporary corners: 6– 10 months

17. Tooth Emergence Permanent Teeth
6 years old
Canine teeth appear: 4-5 years
Permanent corners: 4 ½ years
Permanent intermediates: 3 ½ years
Permanent pincers: 2 ½ years

18. Tooth Wear As horses age, “caps” disappear from incisors
15 years old
6 years old
As horses age, teeth become more triangular-shaped

21. What are wolf teeth?
Wolf teeth are the remnants of the first premolars that have now become obsolete with the evolution of the horse.
The most common first premolars seen in the horse are the uppers and they are shaped similar to small canine teeth.
This is why they are often described as wolf teeth. These sharp teeth, if present, are in the area of the mouth where the bit fits.
Wolf teeth may cause the horse some discomfort when pressure is placed on the bit. Therefore, these teeth are usually removed in young riding horses.

22. Wolf tooth
A typically small maxillary wolf tooth (premolar [PM] 1) is present just rostral to PM2.

23. First premolar (PM1):
Wolf tooth
6 months
Deciduous premolars:
Present at birth.
Shedding teeth or caps.

24. Usually appears around the age of 10 years.
Galvayne’s Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses age
Usually appears around the age of 10 years.

25. Groove is usually half way down at age 15
Galvayne’s Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses age
Groove is usually half way down at age 15

26. By age 20 the groove usually extends the full length of the tooth
Galvayne’s Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses age
By age 20 the groove usually extends the full length of the tooth

27. Groove begins to recede around age 21
Galvayne’s Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses age
Groove begins to recede around age 21

28. Galvayne’s Groove
A mark on the upper corner incisors that appears and disappears in a predictable pattern as horses age
Groove is halfway gone by age 25 and disappears completely around age 30.

29. 7 year notch Length with age
Disappears at 8 years,
returns at 11
“long in the tooth”

30. Shape of teeth Round 9-11 years Triangular 14-17 years
Baby erupt
8 days
8 weeks
8 months
Permanents erupt
2 1/2
3 1/2
4 ½
Cups gone
6 years
7 years
8 years
Dental Star
8years
9 years
10 years
Galvayne’s groove
10-30 years
Seven year notch
7years, and 11 years
Shape of teeth
Round years
Triangular years
Biangular years

31. Determine the most likely age for the following horse
Aging Using Teeth
Determine the most likely age for the following horse
7 years
14 years
21 years
28 years
Wear – No Cups

32. Determine the most likely age for the following horse
Aging Using Teeth
Determine the most likely age for the following horse
Oval Shaped Teeth
No Canines
1 year
8 years
17 years
26 years

33. Aging Using Teeth
Which horse is older? A B

34. Common ages for tooth eruption (page 248 LACP)
Type of tooth
Number
Deciduous
Permanent
Incisor
First (central)
birth to 8 days
2.5 yrs
Second (intermediate)
4.5-6 weeks
3.5-4 yrs
Third (corner)
6-9 months
4.5-5 yrs
Canine
Absent
3.5-5 yrs, some around
6 yrs (if ever)
Premolar
First (wolf)
6 months to 3 years (if ever)
Second
birth to 2 weeks
2-3 yrs
Third
2.5-3 yrs
Fourth
3-4 yrs
Molar
First
9-12 months
2 yrs

35. How do diet, pasture management and stabling impact dental wear?
Mother Nature designed horses to be pasture grazing animals.
Horses in the wild normally spend 16 hours a day with their heads down, grazing grass.
For a horse to properly process pounds of wet-grass forage a day, it uses a wide, crushing chewing pattern.
This allows the incisor teeth and cheek teeth to wear at a normal and even rate.
Under artificial conditions, horses are fed an abnormal diet (grain and hay) for shorter intervals during the day, with an abnormal head posture (feed tub or hay rack).
All of these conditions alter the chewing pattern and adversely affect the way teeth are worn over time.

36. What is cribbing and how does it affect dental care?
Cribbing is a stereotypic behavior, or vice, that some horses develop.
The horse exhibits cribbing by grabbing onto an inanimate object (fence posts, buckets, stall walls, etc.) with its incisor teeth, pulling the object and often making a sucking sound.
Because these horses spend the majority of their time during the day preoccupied with this behavior rather than grazing or eating, they quite often have dental wear problems.
The upper incisor teeth (front teeth) are often worn excessively from hours of abnormal attrition. These horses are referred to as "stump suckers.”

37. What does it mean to “float” a horse’s teeth?
Routine maintenance of a horse’s mouth has been historically referred to as “floating.”
Floating removes the sharp enamel points.
Occlusal equilibration is the term now used to describe smoothing enamel points, correcting malocclusion (faulty meeting of the upper and lower teeth), balancing the dental arcades and correcting other dental problems.

38. Equine Dentistry: General Principles
Hypsodont
Reserve crown
Elliptical mastication pattern
Wear pattern:
Results in sharp
enamel points.
Buccal aspect (upper)
Lingual aspect (lower)

39. Triadan Numbering System
100’s = Right maxilla
200’s = Left maxilla
300’s = Left mandible
400’s = Right mandible
Incisors = 1,2,3
Canines = 4
Wolf teeth = 5
Premolars = 6, 7, 8
Molars = 9, 10, 11

40. Upper R Cheek Upper incisors Upper L Cheek
Lower R Cheek Lower Incisors Lower L Cheek

41. Dental Examination Visually inspect: Prior to rinsing mouth
After rinsing mouth
Digitally palpate:
Individual teeth
Gingiva
Palate
Tongue
Record findings on a standard form

42. Historical Clues to Dental Problems
Performance habits
Head tilt
Head tossing
Refusing the bit
Eating habits
Quidding
Slow, deliberate mastication
Exaggerated tongue movement

43. Change in fecal character
Increase in fiber length
Whole grain in feces
Weight loss
Poor body condition
Facial asymmetry
Unilateral nasal discharge
Halitosis

44. Dental Examination: Juvenile
Age: 6 months to 7 years
Incisors
Check occlusion
Inspect eruption pattern
Canines erupting at this age.
Premolars:
Look for wolf tooth.
Inspect for caps.
Periodontal disease
Molars
Inspect eruption pattern.
Exam frequency: semiannual

45. Age: years
Incisors
Inspect for
Injury or damage
Supernumerary teeth
Missing incisors
Misalignment
Wear pattern

46. Age: 7 – 15 years
Canine teeth
Check for sharp points
Check for tartar

47. Age: 7 – 15 years
Premolar and molar teeth:
Enamel points (odontophytes)
Occlusion abnormalities
Hooks and ramps
Unopposed teeth
Wave/Shear mouth
Exam frequency - Annually

48. Dental Examination: Geriatric
Age: 15 years and older
Premolar and molar teeth:
Periodontal disease
o Most common condition affecting horse > 15 years of age
o Gingival recession
o Diastema formation
Molar cupping
Wearing of infundibular enamel
Dental caries
Tooth root abscess
Tooth loss
Exam Frequency - Semiannual

49. Dental Equipment Chemical restraint Dental halter Speculum
Xylazine
Detomidine
Butorphanol
Dental halter
Speculum
Full-mouth
Wedge
Light source
Floats/Motorized instruments
Elevators/Extractors
Perineural anesthesia