Regular Dental care is important!

DENTAL CARE SHOULD BE A PART OF EVERY HORSE’S REGULAR HEALTH MAINTENANCE ROUTINE REGARDLESS OF HIS AGE OR APPEARANCE

Many horses go through life without any major dental issues.  I have heard over and over in passing that owners “know” their horses do not need their mouths examined or floated because they :

a) aren’t dropping any feed,  

b) are fat, 
c) are showing no signs of discomfort, or 

d) do not misbehave while being ridden.

That being said, though, many of the worst dental conditions are discovered in stoic horses in good weight showing no clinical signs of tooth-related issues.  Common sense tells us that a thin horse must have a problem with its teeth, but this is not often the case.  This train of thought may be unreliable, as many other conditions besides dental issues may contribute to weight loss.  Such issues may include lack of appropriate nutrition, not ingesting enough food (being bullied away from food by another horse), parasites, endocrine disease, behavioral problems (nervousness), etc. The list goes on and on!