The Abnormal Mouth
The abnormal mouth is a mouth that is unbalanced, has not been regularly seen by an equine dentist, suffers from dental abnormalities such as hooks, ramps, transverse ridging, abnormal molar table angles, fractured teeth, periodontal disease, loose teeth, wave complexes, stepped molar arcades, excessive wear, protuberant teeth, impacted teeth, twisted teeth, incorrect incisor length and angles, missing teeth, tissue lacerations, oral ulcers, abscessed teeth, retained baby teeth, shear molar tables, wedged incisors, offset bites, diseased teeth, mandibles shifts, overbites, underbites, congenital abnormalities, lack of incisor and molar occlusion, overjets and or underjets , oral cancer, excessively sharp points, TMJ disfunction and abnormalities causing problems with the molar and incisor teeth.
Abnormal mouths will fall into 1 of the following categories.
1. Moderate - Dentition that is in need of minor correction to maintain maximum lateral, anterior/posterior movement of mandible, normal occlusal contact of the incisor and molar arcades (row of teeth), normal eruption and wear patterns of all teeth, normal cleaning function of the mouth and axial flow of food.
Horses that usually fall into this catagory will be suffering from minimal to mild pain in the mouth, eating, nutritional, performance, training, health and attitude problems caused by retained, fractured or loose deciduous caps (baby teeth), impaction and or abnormal eruption of permanent teeth, dental cysts causing pressure in the upper nasal area, lower jaw area and meridians of the face, wolf teeth, sharp enamel points on the upper and lower molar arcades, tissue lacerations and lack of bit seats to provide maximum comfort to overlapping tissue, tongue and bars when bit is used in the mouth.
2. Advanced - Dentition that is in need of advanced corrections to restore maximum and normal lateral, anterior/posterior movement of the mandible (lower jaw), molar and or incisor teeth occlusal contact, normal mastication, eruption and wear patterns in order to prevent excessive and uneven wear, impacting, shifting and fracturing of teeth, pre-mature tooth loss, soft tissue damage, nutritional deficiencies, health issues, periodontal disease, choke, colic, malnutrition, performance and attitude problems.
Horses that usually fall into this category will be suffering from mild to moderate pain in the mouth, eating, nutritional, performance, training, health and attitude problems caused by ramps, hooks, sharp enamel points, ATR, irregular incisor angle and lengths, moderate to advanced periodontal disease, lack of bits seats, tissue lacerations, TMD of the TMJ and packing of feed between the teeth, possible small fractures and excessive pressure on the teeth and meridians.
3. Corrective - Dentition that is in need of major corrections to restore maximum lateral, anterior/posterior movement of the mandible, normal mastication, eruption and wear patterns, normal axial flow of food, normal molar and incisor teeth occlusal contact and wear, correct crown height and table angles, self cleaning mechanism of mouth, normal bite alignment of incisors and molar teeth, correct TMJ disfunction and to provide relief of the joints, heal the mouth of periodontal disease and gingivitis, tighten loose teeth and prevent further damage to teeth, soft tissue and boney structures.
Horses that usually fall into this category will be suffering from moderate to severe pain in the mouth, eating, health, attitude, performance, and training problems caused by hooks, ramps, wave complexes, wedge incisors, abnormal molar table angles and length, abnormal grinding and wear patterns, tissue lacerations, excessive wear to teeth, excessive pressure on teeth, fractured teeth, abscessed teeth, diseased teeth, missing teeth, broken mouths, shear mouths, advanced to severe periodontal disease, loose teeth, TMD of the TMJ, overbites, underbites and sometimes irreversible damage to the teeth and boney structures.
**IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR A HORSE ONWER TO UNDERSTAND THAT CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF ABNORMAL DENTITION IS CRUCIAL TO REPAIRING IF POSSIBLE, DAMAGE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN CAUSED BY DENTAL ABNORMALITIES, ABNORMAL WEAR AND MASTICATIONS PATTERS AND TO FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDED DENTAL SCHEDULE SET FORTH BY YOUR EQUINE DENTIST**