Horses have hypsodont teeth, which by definition means they have a long enamel crown and a comparatively short root. What this means at a practical level is that as horses eat course fiber, such as hay, and their teeth are worn away that there is extra tooth hidden beneath the gumline that can emerge to take its place. When a horse is young the reserve tooth is as much as 3 inches long. As the tooth erupts and is ground down throughout their lifetime this reserve tooth is gradually reduced. When old horses loose teeth it is quite literally be cause their roots have grown right out of their head.

The reason we float horses teeth is that the grinding process is not always even. Horses often develop enamel "points" on the sides of their teeth where there is less grinding. These sharp points poke into their cheeks or tongue and can cause painful ulceration. "Hooks" occur when the teeth are not evenly matched front-to-back and can either occur at the front of the top teeth and interfere with the bit or in the back of the mouth and make completely closing the jaw uncomfortable. "Ramps," "steps," and "waves" are other abnormalities caused by abnormal grinding that can prevent a horse from being able to eat well and predispose them to TMJ (jaw joint) pain that can lead to problems under saddle. 

Routine oral exams can identify tooth abnormalities before they interfere with your horse's performance or well being. Dental exams should be performed annually in horses 5-18 and every 6 months in horses <5 years old or >18 years old. Dr Nostrant and Dr. Harrison would be happy to perform a complete visual and palpation exam of your horse's mouth at the time of your spring vaccinations to help guide your dental care in the year to come.

Why powerfloat? 

North Bridge Equine is committed to offering the latest and greatest in care to our patients so has invested in powerfloating technology. Power floating uses a rotary grinding disk to correct problems with dentition. The carbide disk is atraumatic to your horse's gums and allows efficient and low impact access to even the furthest reaches of your horse's mouth. Compared to hand floating, powerfloating is proven to cause less bleeding and bruising of your horse's gums and less stress on their

 temporomandibular joint (TMJ - jaw joint). Powerfloating is also more effective than hand floating at targeting localized problems such as hooks, steps, and waves. Short term sedation while powerfloating allows the floating process to be peaceful, thorough, and efficient. Your horse will wake up eager to try out his or her new chompers and improvement in appetite and comfort in the bridle are instantaneous!