Frequency of checks
0-12 months
We recommend foals be examined shortly after birth, to ensure there are no significant congenital problems, such as parrot mouth or sow mouth. Ideally, a routine dental should be performed at around 12 months of age as the softer cheek teeth can wear easily, creating sharp points and cheek ulcers. At this time we can also extract wolf teeth (if present), and ensure all teeth are erupting correctly.
1-6 years
Within this period, horses lose 24 deciduous (baby) teeth and erupt up to 44 permanent (adult) teeth. Therefore we encourage horses in this age group to be checked and treated every 6 months. This ensures we don’t miss any problems such as impacted teeth, sharp points, retained deciduous teeth or ‘caps’, or development of cheek teeth malocclusion such as wave mouth, hooks or ramps. It’s also important to rule out any dental pain prior to beginning their training. This can reduce the risk of any unwanted behaviors developing due to pain or mouthing experiences.
6-20 years
Your horse should now have all its adult teeth, and as teeth harden and the rate of wear slows we recommend a dental check once a year for this age group. If any abnormalities are noted or your horse is stable fed with a larger proportion of concentrate in their diet, more regular dental visits may be recommended
Over 20 years
Older horses can be prone to developing dental problems due to the slowing rate at which their teeth erupt. Similar to humans, horses teeth become fragile and loose, requiring more regular check-ups to ensure they can still chew properly and are free from dental pain. We recommend 6 monthly examinations for geriatric horses.