When was the last time you had your horses teeth checked by a vet or equine dental technician? If you have ever experienced toothache, you will know how painful it can be, as well as the efforts you are prepared to go to in order to relieve the horrendous discomfort.For you and I, painkillers and an emergency trip to the dentist is likely to swiftly solve the problem. Unfortunately, however, our horses dont have this same ability to ask for help when their teeth start to hurt.Regular teeth checks are a vital part of taking care of a horse. For some equines, a yearly check up is enough. In other cases, horses may need to be seen every six months or more often, especially if a problem arises.Whatever length of time passes between teeth checks, the best way to keep horse teeth healthy and spot potential problems early is to keep on top of those visits.Routine raspingDuring a routine teeth check, your horse may need to have their teeth rasped to remove sharp edges and hooks.The upper and lower teeth grind against each other when a horse chews tough grasses in the wild and this process naturally wears teeth down.However, domestic horses typically spend less time grazing and more time chewing hay, haylage and soft feed, which doesnt have the same effect on teeth.Consequently, their teeth wear unevenly and sharp edges and hooks are formed in the horses mouth. These then rub and catch against the cheeks and tongue, causing pain and abscesses.In order to file teeth down to an even level, the horse will wear a gag (see main image) which holds their mouth open so that a rasp can be safely inserted.Unsurprisingly, some horses are not a fan of this and so they are often sedated for the procedure to take place.Signs a horses teeth are hurtingThere are several ways to identify ifyour horse is having problems with theirteeth, and the symptoms tend to dependon the issue.Be observant, advises Dr Melissa Emson, an equine vet and dentist who isamember of the British Association ofEquine Dental Technicians (BAEDT).Doeshe normally have a lump on the side ofhis face and does it disappear? Does hehave nasal discharge from one nostriland is that foul smelling and comingfrom his mouth or the nostril? Theseare all signs of dental disease.Cheek teeth are impossible to view in a horses mouth without a speculum, but most owners can lift the lips to look at the gums and teeth around the incisors and canines.If the incisors are partially hiddenby food material, calculus, or have haypacked between them, your horse willcertainly be experiencing gum diseaseand dental pain, adds Melissa.Have alook at the gum around the teeth. Is ithealthy looking or red and inflamed?You may notice small spot-like lesionswith pus discharging which suggestsmore severe disease.The carrot test for horse teethThe dark pink area on the bottom gum is an ulcer. Photo credit: Dr Melissa Emson/The Equine Dental VetOffering your horse a carrot is a goodindication of incisor health and manyowners will remember exactly when itwas that their horse was first unable tobite into a carrot.Its a memorable moment, so domention it at your horses next dentalexamination as it could be a subtle signof an autoimmune condition that canaffect older horses incisors and canines,says Melissa.Equine odontoclastictooth resorption and hypercementosis(also known as EOTRH) can be diagnosedfrom a simple radiograph which allowsfor the monitoring of the affected teethand will detail if extraction is required.Very observant owners may notice thattheir horse eats on only one side of theirmouth, or that they chomp (more akin toa crocodile eating) instead of chewing. They aredoing this to avoid pain.Chewing like this can cause largetransverse ridges on the surface of thetooth in addition to the regular enamelovergrowths to the edges of the teeth,says Melissa.This is an uncomfortablemouth as it is, but introduce a bit, anoseband and a contact and this cancause a very painful and explosiveresponse. Some sufferers will remainvery still in the contact, however, so youwould never know.Hiding tooth painIts important to understand that horses are designed to hide dental painand will carry on eating regardless. So its possible that your horse is in pain, but not showing it, which is why regular teeth check ups are so important.Their natural diet of grass is veryeasy to eat with poor dentition, explains Melissa.Horsesuse their incisors to grasp food and pullit away, whereas their cheek teeth grindfood down to a short enough length forthe gut to digest.While grass is abundant they maintain their condition well, so a lot of my clients are totally unaware of any issues and are absolutely devastated when I show them the problems inside their horses mouth.Those horses will always find a way toeat, so by the time they are showing signsof discomfort, they have been strugglingfor a while. This is why we need to beproactive, adds Melissa.Winter is the mostcommon time period for horses to show signsof dental discomfort.After a summer out at grass, horses canbe suddenly introduced to hay, whichrequires a stronger power stroke to grindit down compared to softer grass,explains Melissa. Minor dental painwhich was bearable at grass may nowbecome less so when under this newwinter feeding regime.Common causes of dental disease in horsesCommon causes of dental disease in horsesinclude:Teeth with routine sharp enamelovergrowths that cause trauma to thecheek or tongue.Overgrown teeth due to the opposingtooth being absent or displaced.Diastemas (gaps) between the teethwith food packing and subsequent painfulgum disease.Diseased teeth; ie, infundibulardisease, or pulp cavity defects potentiallyleading to fractures abscess/sinusinfection.Fractured, displaced, missing,additional, or loose teeth.Smooth teeth seen in older horseswhich makes it difficult for them to chewcoarse, fibrous foods.Tooth decay, or caries, results in a roughsurface against soft tissue/the cheek/thetongue.Unerupted/blind, unusually large, ordisplaced wolf teeth.Is sugar bad for horse teeth?Just as too much sugar in a humansdiet is bad for their teeth, the same istrue for the horse and it can causedental issues. Tooth decay, also knownas dental caries, is the result of bacteriametabolising sugars which produce acid as a by-product.The acid attacks the outer layer,the cementum of the teeth, leaving arough surface, explains Melissa. Slide yourtongue over the surface of your teethand they should feel smooth. Nowimagine your teeth feeling like thehoneycomb centre of a Crunchie bar rough, brittle and gritty. That iswhat peripheral cemental defects(PCD) feels like.For this reason, it is important tofeed appropriately for the work yourhorse is doing. Check the sugarquantity in feeds and avoid too manysugary licks and treats.Equine dental technician Penny Brownings agrees.Its true that giving stable and field licks can be bad for your horses teeth. The licks you give your horse for treats are predominantly bound with sugar and sugar syrup, she says. Were seeing an increased number of horses with tooth decay due to the fact theyre being fed more sugary treats and are spending less time grazing as they would do naturally.This unnatural dietary change causes an imbalance in the pH of your horses teeth, which can cause dental caries (tooth decay). Studies are being carried out at Edinburgh University on the effects of pH components fed to your horse, with sugar being one of the main influencers.Alternatives to sugary treatsSearching for carrots in a haynet. Photo credit: Aimi ClarkPenny adds that she wouldnt recommend feeding treats of any kind to your horse. If you want to give a horse something extra to keep them entertained, she suggests one of the following instead:Himalayan salt lick on a string.Vegetables, such as parsnips and swedes, hung up like a kebab.Carrots hidden in hay in a double-netted haynet so your horse has to search to find them.Split hay into two hay nets, hanging one so it swings, and one in its usual place.These are much healthier alternatives to treats, which horses really dont need, and will help prevent tooth decay in your horse, states Penny.Pesky plaqueVeterinary equine dental technician Vikki Fowler often has to remove plaque build up from a horses teeth.Its super easy and quick to do,and it makes a massive difference,she says. One particular horseI visited had plaque build up on hiscanine teeth. Because these teetharent used to eat, the mineraldeposits accumulate over time andarent removed naturally by theprocess of the horse eatingroughage.From my experience, Ive noticedthat horses who drink from naturalsources, such as bore holes, naturalsprings and streams, tend to getthese build ups more significantlydue to the larger amounts ofminerals in the water.If not dealt with, this plaquebuild up causes localised gingivitisand can lead to gum recession.When plaque becomes large, it pushes into thetongue and can affect bitplacement too, so it is importantthat it is removed for the horsescomfort and mouth health.How to keep horse teeth healthyMelissa advises doing the following when it comes to feeding a horse in order to keep their teeth healthy:Young horses who are turned out 24/7have considerably better wear patternsand healthier mouths than those standingin a stable eating from haynets, so thisgives them a great start to life.Horses are designed to eat from thefloor and will wear their teeth significantlybetter if you feed from there.Undertake research to find out whatfeed is appropriate for your horse, andwhether it is really essential to buy allthose supplements and sugary treats.Source a finer meadow hay for olderhorses and provide hay replacers, such asfibre nuts/alfalfa nuts soaked in a trugbucket alongside hay as an alternative.If your horse has diastemas (gaps), ensure thattheir feed doesnt contain chaff which canlodge in the gaps.Listen and follow instructions after anydental examination. However, be realisticwhen it comes to management changesand discuss what works for you and yourhorse.General health is also important and Ilike my older clients to be regularly testedfor Cushings, or monitored if on treatment.If you are able to brush your horsesincisors and canines with a softtoothbrush, I recommend thatyou do so in order to remove any calculusor feed that may be lodged.How can horse owners help?The aim is for the horse to eat using thewhole of his mouth comfortably so that,longevity-wise, his teeth last for years,says Melissa. What we dont want is forthe horse to eat in just one small area ofhis mouth where he finds it comfortableand overly wear down those teeth.Because horses dont show theirdental pain to their connectionsparticularly obviously, the mostimportant course of action for anyowner is to have their horses teeththoroughly examined regularly bya qualified BAEDT technician, or anequine vet, every six to 12 months.Some horses may require checks more often than this; follow your vet or dentists advice. Regular examinations allow forearly detection of new problems whichcan be addressed immediately witha plan between you and your vet or equine dental technician.Main image: copyright ShutterstockRelated contentShould wolf teeth be removed?How to tell a horses age by looking at their teethHow to identify and prevent colic in horsesHow do horses sleep?13 signs a horse is happyThe post How to keep horse teeth healthy and pain free appeared first on Your Horse.