Equine Dental Services |
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Straight to the Horses Mouth. |
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About the Horses Mouth |
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Horses are grazing animals, and their teeth are perfectly adapted for that purpose. The forward teeth, known as the incisors, function to shear off forage. The cheek teeth, including the molars and premolars with their wide, flat , graveled surfaces, easily grind the feed to a mash before it is swallowed. Like humans, horses get two sets of teeth in their lifetime. The baby teeth, called deciduous teeth, are temporary. The first deciduous incisor may erupt before the foal is born. The last deciduous teeth come in when the horse is about 8 months of age. Only the incisors and the first three cheek teeth have deciduous precursors to the permanent ones. These teeth begin to be replaced by adult teeth around 21/2 years of age. By age 5, most horses have their full complement of permanent teeth. An adult male horse has 40 permanent teeth. Q mare may have between 36-40 because mares are less likely to have canine (bridle) teeth. The following chart shows the approximate ages at which different teeth are first visible in the mouth (erupt ). By referring to it , you may detect potential abnormalities of your own horse associated with teething. It should be noted that there can be significant variations in when teeth come in between individuals and breeds.
Deciduous (Baby Teeth)1st incisors (centrals) Birth or 1st week 2nd incisors (intermediates) 4-6 weeks 3rd incisors (corners) 6-9 months 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & premolars Birth or 1st 2 (cheek teeth) weeks for Premolars Permanent (Adult Teeth )1st incisors ( centrals) 2 ½ years 2nd incisors (intermediates) 3 ½ years 3rd incisors (corners ) 4 ½ years Canines (bridle) 4-5 years Wolf teeth (1st premolar) 5-6 months 2nd premolars 21/2 years 3rd premolars 3 years 4th premolars 4 years 1st molars 12 months 2nd molar 2 years 3rd molar 3 ½-4 years
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