FAQ
Why are incisors important?The goal of Neuromuscular Based Horse Dentistry™, is to balance domestic horse's mouths to what the environment allows based on individual settings (i.e. terrain, climate, stalled, pastured, diet, feeds, etc.).
Balancing a horse starts by restoring the inclination of its incisors. Adjusting the inclination also removes restrictions to its incisors and restores the horse's ability to achieve full range of motion (anterior/posterior and lateral) of both its jaw and its whole body. In so doing, it restores the "energy grid" to the body which allows the cells to revive to their natural state. Eruption (tooth growth) without proper wear leads to unnatural length and angle of the incisors which changes the molar arcades and the biomechanics of the jaw, thus the neurology, and ultimately the "energy grid" as well. Changes in the rotation of the jaw and TMJ cause many postural imbalances as well as neurological dysfunctions. It is important to note that each horse is an individual and therefore should be adjusted individually, as appropriate. |
|
Isn't power floating easier?
|
Power floating is the use of a rotating blade or disk on the end of a drill to file horses' teeth. Although many choose to use this method, we believe that it is not beneficial to a horse's dental condition and overall health. Here's why:
1. Equine power instruments are unwieldy so it is very difficult to be precise and make minor adjustments. Because the abrasives act so much faster than hand floats, there is also a very real danger of changing too much too fast. Doing this can cause long-term neurological damage and structural damage to the teeth that may not be correctable depending on how long power instruments have been used. 2. More sedation must be used due to the unnatural position the horse is made to stand in for power floating. Lifting a horse’s head using ropes, pulleys or a dental stand puts its jaw in an unnatural posterior position. Therefore, their teeth will be balanced to an anatomically incorrect position. 3. Power instruments commonly introduce fear in horses. The need for mechanical aids, specialized equipment and excess sedation as described above is often the direct result of having to restrain a fearful horse. For more information on the effects of power floating, read this article: Power floating and equine dentistry |
Traditional equine dentistry
Neuromuscular Based Horse Dentistry
|
What can you do for my old horse?
From the age of 20 and up, the eruption rate of their teeth has slowed to mere millimeters or less per year. By age 25, many have stopped the eruption process*. Much of the rate of eruption depends on genetics, lifestyle, and previous dentistry.
At this point, whatever teeth an older horse has left we want to keep for as long as possible. Although we no longer balance an old horse as we would a younger horse, as their TMJ, and in some cases their dentition, may have morphed due to changes over time, natural wear to the meniscus, and unnatural wear to the dentition, etc. We do analyze and examine each individual older horse for painful situations, and to possibly prevent dental situations from worsening. In many cases there can be adjustments to inclination which can help an older horse's posture and weight. Each horse is different, and the practitioner can determine the proper way to support your older horse.
Once a horse starts losing teeth, it is possible that the opposing teeth may begin to protrude into that space. These can be adjusted to aid in proper mastication and helping the neuromuscular response, in turn, helping an older horse.
Bodywork, equine therapies and feed changes are also something that can greatly benefit a senior horse. Practitioners can give you recommendations on what will benefit your horse the most!
* It is important to note that horses who have been aggressively floated during their lifetime may run out of eruption at a younger age.
At this point, whatever teeth an older horse has left we want to keep for as long as possible. Although we no longer balance an old horse as we would a younger horse, as their TMJ, and in some cases their dentition, may have morphed due to changes over time, natural wear to the meniscus, and unnatural wear to the dentition, etc. We do analyze and examine each individual older horse for painful situations, and to possibly prevent dental situations from worsening. In many cases there can be adjustments to inclination which can help an older horse's posture and weight. Each horse is different, and the practitioner can determine the proper way to support your older horse.
Once a horse starts losing teeth, it is possible that the opposing teeth may begin to protrude into that space. These can be adjusted to aid in proper mastication and helping the neuromuscular response, in turn, helping an older horse.
Bodywork, equine therapies and feed changes are also something that can greatly benefit a senior horse. Practitioners can give you recommendations on what will benefit your horse the most!
* It is important to note that horses who have been aggressively floated during their lifetime may run out of eruption at a younger age.
(Left) Tooth that is yet to erupt (under the gum line) in a 5 year old. (Right) Tooth that is yet to erupt in a 20 year old; only small roots left.
Wild horses don't have dentists?
A very simple answer. Wild horses do not have dentists. Wild horses are the least of our concern. Domestic horses and domestic settings are our primary concern.
Another very simple way to put it. Wild horses eat and live in an optimal setting for self-care.
Another very simple way to put it. Wild horses eat and live in an optimal setting for self-care.
Will my horse eat better?
Of course! But your horse will also move better and gain muscle mass!
Allowing a full range of motion to the jaw will, of course, improve a horse’s ability to eat. The action of shredding and opening the food bolus will make better use of their forage and maximize nutrient absorbency. Just as importantly, though, balanced dentition opens the neuromuscular system that lets a horse’s muscles use the nutrients that they're processing. Anatomically-correct inclination and balanced dentition leads to the correct amount of saliva being produced. Saliva has key enzymes which are paramount to the fermentation of food, and a healthy digestive system. There are several salivary glands that inject saliva along the molar arcades as the horse masticates its forage.
Allowing a full range of motion to the jaw will, of course, improve a horse’s ability to eat. The action of shredding and opening the food bolus will make better use of their forage and maximize nutrient absorbency. Just as importantly, though, balanced dentition opens the neuromuscular system that lets a horse’s muscles use the nutrients that they're processing. Anatomically-correct inclination and balanced dentition leads to the correct amount of saliva being produced. Saliva has key enzymes which are paramount to the fermentation of food, and a healthy digestive system. There are several salivary glands that inject saliva along the molar arcades as the horse masticates its forage.
Really? Teeth are neurological?
|
Absolutely! Teeth affect the biomechanics of the horse's jaw, the position of its head and neck, and the mobility of its whole body. Imbalances in a horse's mouth or incorrect dentistry affect the biomechanics of its jaw, create TMJ dysfunction and impair the horse’s reflexes and its proprioception.
Studies show that changes made to a horse's teeth through human intervention will result in neurologic adaptation, cartilage and bone remodeling in the TMJ, and functional changes in the whole horse. Imbalances in a horse's mouth also create chronic, excessive tension in its head and neck area which affects the functioning of the WHOLE neuromusculature of its body. When a horse's larger shoulder-neck muscles are contracted, its head is pulled backwards and down, the movement of its head and neck area is restricted and its proprioception is compromised (see images on right). |
Before (top): head-neck tension. After (bottom): relaxed head-neck.
It is important to understand that a horse's balance and posture are closely linked to its TMJ function. When distortion is forced on the head-neck system by incorrect dentistry and/or dental imbalances, it impacts the way horses reflexively respond to information from their environment. When a horse's TMJ cannot function properly, information on body posture that is sent to its brain is incorrect. This impairs the horse’s understanding of where its body actually is in space and time, resulting in poor posture, compromised movement, shorter stride-length, lameness, one-sidedness, bodywork that doesn't "stick", etc.
Simply put, if a horse's brain doesn't know exactly where the rest of its body is in relation to its head, control of its body’s movements is likely to be impaired. With Neuromuscular Based Horse Dentistry, the imbalances and restrictions that cause these whole body problems are resolved! |
