What healthy teeth look like on a horse. Horse teeth: anatomy, age determination. Dewy teeth and other anomalies. Horse teeth: anatomy, age determination Why do horses have the same teeth?
Stallions and geldings over four years old have forty teeth, which are divided into twelve incisors (four toes, four middle and four edges), twenty-four molars and four canines, which appear in them only at the age of five. The teeth are located equally in both jaws - upper and lower.
Mares have thirty-six teeth because they do not grow fangs.
The main method for determining the age of a horse is to assess the degree of wear on the incisors - primary and permanent. (Dairy incisors differ from permanent incisors in being smaller in size, shape, and more white.)
A foal under two years of age is sometimes called a colt, since by this time he has not yet lost a single tooth.
At two and a half years, the milk hooks fall out and the permanent ones emerge.
By the age of three, the lower permanent hooks begin to come into contact with the upper ones and become worn in. Then the gradual erasing of the cups begins.
By the age of three and a half years, the middle primary incisors fall out. By the age of four, fangs begin to appear, and the milky edges barely hold on or even fall out.
By four and a half years, the milk edges are replaced by permanent ones, which by the age of five are aligned with the rest of the incisors and begin to wear off.
At five years old, a horse has all its teeth permanent, but their cups are worn unevenly.
At the age of six, the cups on the hooks of the lower jaw are noticeably worn out. Between five and seven years, the cups on the middle incisors of the lower jaw were worn away.
At eight years old, the cups on the edges of the lower jaw are worn away, and at nine years, the hooks on the upper jaw are worn out.
In this case, the chewing surface of the front teeth in horses from one to eight years of age has the shape of irregular ovals lying along the jaw and the small sides touching each other.
By the age of ten, the middle incisors are worn away, and by the age of eleven, the edges on the upper jaw wear off.
By the age of twelve, the chewing surface of all incisors of the lower jaw is worn away (eaten away) so much that it takes on an irregular shape, tending to be rounded.
Age-related changes in horse teeth.
In horses between fourteen and eighteen years of age, the teeth acquire the shape of almost triangles with rounded edges. By the age of twenty or more, teeth in the form of longitudinal oval formations stretch across the front edge of the jaw. By the way, in horses eighteen years of age and older, the teeth of both jaws protrude forward, and large gaps appear between them.
Correspondence between horse and human age.
An important feature of the structure of a horse's mouth is the presence of bare gums, which creates a gap between the incisors and molars. It is on the gum free of teeth that the metal bit is placed. By applying metal pressure to the gums through the reins, the rider controls the horse: collects it, forces it to turn in the right direction, and does not allow it to become willful.
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” says popular wisdom. In short, even if the horse given to you is not very good, the donor is only thanked and no complaints are made against him. And yet, from time immemorial, people have tried to look into their new horse’s mouth and examine its teeth. Since they are a kind of metric certificate, according to which a specialist determines her age with a high degree of reliability.
Horses with especially strong, so-called “resin” teeth, which are very resistant to abrasion, appear younger than their age when determining their age by their teeth.
It is very difficult to determine the age of a horse, even up to five years, if it has improper closure: carp or pike teeth.
Carp teeth are when the teeth of the upper jaw move onto the lower ones and the inside rubs against the enamel of the lower jaw.
Pike teeth have a different configuration. Here the lower jaw protrudes forward, the lower teeth rub the inside of the upper teeth against the enamel.
Even experienced specialists cannot always accurately determine the age of a horse by its teeth after twelve years, and if there is no metric data, such horses are said to be over twelve years old.
Comparison of the jaw structure of a horse and a human
; Horse anatomy
Signs based on the teeth that are used to determine the age of a horse often cannot be considered infallible. This is connected and explained by the fact that these signs, although correct in nature, do not always exactly coincide with reality. A definite and well-known influence on tooth wear has a difference in breed, as well as in food and the position of the dentition in relation to each other.
So, for example, in blood horses, the abrasive surface, due to the harder properties of the bone mass, wears off more slowly than in ordinary horses; It is also known that the incisors are worn out more often in animals that are grazing due to sand and pebbles found in the grass than when feeding in a stable. Finally, no one will dispute that uneven wear occurs in cases where the teeth of the upper and lower jaws do not fit exactly against each other. Therefore, the instructions of people who know reliably the age of the horse should be preferred to the instructions of nature.
Based on the shape and location in the horse’s mouth, teeth are divided into incisors, canines, and molars. The dental arcade is the arcuate line formed by the insertion points of the teeth into the jaw; hence a distinction is made between the lower or posterior dental arcade and the upper or anterior; The horse's first is always slightly smaller than the second. Incisors. There are 6 incisors in total, and they are located like this: two internal ones are called hooks, two external edges and two teeth located between the hooks and edges are called middle teeth. The incisors are divided, according to their time of appearance and shape, into deciduous permanent teeth. Horse incisors The dental cavity is filled with dental pulp - mucous tissue rich in cells, blood vessels and nerves. During the life of a tooth, dentin takes everything it needs for metabolism only from the blood of the pulp vessels. A canal runs through the dental cavity from the end of the tooth to the rim. If we look at the rim, we will see that the enamel, having reached the worn surface of the tooth, protrudes into the middle of the tooth like the bottom of a bottle, and this, deeper than the lower part, is filled with dental cement (E5). It follows from this that if we sawed off a piece of the abraded surface, we would see on the new surface the outer and inner enamel edges, with the enamel being white and the bone substance gray. The bag-like depression on the abrasive surface is called the dental cup. It is not equally deep in all teeth. So, in milk teeth, for example, it reaches a depth of 3-4 mm, while the cups of permanent teeth are 7-13 mm deep; however, the latter measure is found only in the maxillary incisors. The molars of the upper jaw also have cups, but the molars of the lower jaw do not. The inner enamel edge, which initially surrounds the calyx, after the latter is worn away, surrounds the cement lying at the bottom of the sac-like depression, and is then called the trace of the calyx. The horse's incisor also has a dentin base at the corolla, which is externally covered with enamel and cement at the root, the latter covering the entire crown and, therefore, lining the cup. When a tooth begins to wear away, we distinguish five layers on its worn surface: cement outside and inside, limiting the cavity of the cup, enamel adjacent to the first, and enamel adjacent to the second, with dentin inside between them. The rows of teeth of a young horse form a semicircle; in a fully formed horse they usually take a flatter shape and in old animals they are presented in a completely straight row. The position of the jaws to each other also changes over the years. At first they look like ticks, but as the horse gets older, their relative position takes the form of a more oblique and even acute angle. Photo of the horse Fangs. Canines cannot serve as a reliable aid in determining the age of a horse. Even the first eruption of these teeth is extremely incorrect, so that correct conclusions can be drawn from them. For example, they sometimes erupt between 2 and 3 years, but it happens that they appear only in the 8th year. According to theory, they should appear between 4 and 5 years. When they first appear, the fangs are pointed, smooth and rounded on the outer surface, and rough on the inner surface, facing the tongue. They are located a short distance from the incisors and are inclined towards them. But over the years, the fangs seem to tilt back; roughness on the inner surface is smoothed out, and the distance from the incisors increases. At the same time, the canines of the lower jaw become duller and longer, while the canines of the upper jaw are worn down almost to the gums. The tusks of old horses are usually completely covered with tartar. Fangs are found constantly only in stallions. As an exception, the canines found in mares are poorly developed specimens. Location of molars in a horse at 5 years of age Molars. The molars, 6 on the right and 6 on the left side of each jaw, are separated by a toothless edge from the edges and canines. The front three molars of each jaw change, the first - at 2-2\"/2, the second - at 2\"/2-3 and the third - at 3-3\"/2 years. The rest are permanent or horse molars. In front of the first molar, small tooth-like structures sometimes appear, called "wolf" teeth, which usually fall out at the same time as the first molars. Their presence indicates that the permanent molars have not yet erupted. This assumption can only be taken as a guess, since some horses retain wolf teeth into adulthood.The following signs clearly indicate the age of a horse: Number of teeth in a horse: Incisors 6/6 =12 Canines: stallions 2/2=4 Mares 0/0=0 Molars 12/12=24 Total: in stallions 40 in mares 36 Time of eruption and change of teeth: Toes erupt several days before or after birth; change at 2\"/2 years. Middle cut, 4-6 weeks after birth; replaced at 3\"/2 years. Angular cuts, at 6-9 months after birth; replaced at 4\"/2 years. Fangs erupt, in the 6th month after birth; are replaced at……..3 or 4-5 years. Photo of a pony Number of teeth at different ages: Incisors Canines Molars 7-14 days 4 4-6 weeks 8 0 12 3-5 months 8 0 12 6-9 months 12 0 12 12-15 months 12 0 16 1"/2-2 years 12 0 16 2"/2-3 years 12 0 16 4-5 years 12 4 24
The signs observed on the teeth, by which the age of a horse is determined, cannot be considered infallible. This is explained by the fact that these signs, although correct in nature, do not always coincide exactly. Differences in breed, food, and the position of the teeth to each other have a known influence on tooth wear. For example, in blood horses, the abrasive surface, due to the harder properties of the bone mass, wears off more slowly than in ordinary horses; It is also known that the incisors are worn out more often in animals that are grazing due to sand and pebbles found in the grass than when feeding in a stable. Finally, no one will dispute that uneven wear occurs in cases where the teeth of the upper and lower jaws do not fit exactly against each other. Therefore, the instructions of people who know reliably the age of the horse should be preferred to the instructions of nature.
Based on the shape and location in the horse’s mouth, teeth are divided into
incisors,
fangs,
permanent teeth.
The dental arcade is the arcuate line formed by the insertion points of the teeth into the jaw; hence a distinction is made between the lower or posterior dental arcade and the upper or anterior; The horse's first is always slightly smaller than the second.
Incisors.
There are 6 incisors in total, and they are located like this: two internal ones are called hooks, two external edges and two teeth located between the hooks and edges are called middle teeth.
The incisors are divided, according to their time of appearance and shape, into
dairy
permanent.
The dental cavity is filled with dental pulp - mucous tissue rich in cells, blood vessels and nerves. During the life of a tooth, dentin takes everything it needs for metabolism only from the blood of the pulp vessels. A canal runs through the dental cavity from the end of the tooth to the rim. If we look at the rim, we will see that the enamel, having reached the worn surface of the tooth, protrudes into the middle of the tooth like the bottom of a bottle, and this, deeper than the lower part, is filled with dental cement (E5). It follows from this that if we sawed off a piece of the abraded surface, we would see on the new surface the outer and inner enamel edges, with the enamel being white and the bone substance gray. The bag-like depression on the abrasive surface is called the dental cup. It is not equally deep in all teeth. So, in milk teeth, for example, it reaches a depth of 3-4 mm, while the cups of permanent teeth are 7-13 mm deep; however, the latter measure is found only in the maxillary incisors. The molars of the upper jaw also have cups, but the molars of the lower jaw do not. The inner enamel edge, which initially surrounds the calyx, after the latter is worn away, surrounds the cement lying at the bottom of the sac-like depression, and is then called the trace of the calyx. The horse's incisor also has a dentin base at the corolla, which is externally covered with enamel and cement at the root, the latter covering the entire crown and, therefore, lining the cup.
When a tooth begins to wear away, we distinguish five layers on its worn surface: cement outside and inside, limiting the cavity of the cup, enamel adjacent to the first, and enamel adjacent to the second, with dentin inside between them.
The rows of teeth of a young horse form a semicircle; in a fully formed horse they usually take a flatter shape and in old animals they are presented in a completely straight row. The position of the jaws to each other also changes over the years. At first they look like ticks, but as the horse gets older, their relative position takes the form of a more oblique and even acute angle.
Fangs.
Canines cannot serve as a reliable aid in determining the age of a horse. Even the first eruption of these teeth is extremely incorrect, so that correct conclusions can be drawn from them. For example, they sometimes erupt between 2 and 3 years, but it happens that they appear only in the 8th year. According to theory, they should appear between 4 and 5 years.
When they first appear, the fangs are pointed, smooth and rounded on the outer surface, and rough on the inner surface, facing the tongue. They are located a short distance from the incisors and are inclined towards them. But over the years, the fangs seem to tilt back; roughness on the inner surface is smoothed out, and the distance from the incisors increases. At the same time, the canines of the lower jaw become duller and longer, while the canines of the upper jaw are worn down almost to the gums. The tusks of old horses are usually completely covered with tartar. Fangs are found constantly only in stallions. As an exception, the canines found in mares are poorly developed specimens
Permanent teeth.
The molars, 6 on the right and 6 on the left side of each jaw, are separated by a toothless edge from the edges and canines. The front three molars of each jaw change, the first - at 2-2\"/2, the second - at 2\"/2-3 and the third - at 3-3\"/2 years.
The rest are permanent or equine molars. In front of the first molar, small tooth-like formations sometimes appear, called “wolf” teeth, which usually fall out simultaneously with the first molars. Their presence indicates that the permanent molars have not yet erupted. This assumption can only be taken as a guess, since some horses retain wolf teeth into adulthood.
The following signs clearly indicate the age of the horse:
Number of teeth a horse has:
Incisors 6/6 =12
Fangs:
stallion 2/2=4
Mares 0/0=0
Indigenous 12/12=24
Total:
stallions have 40
mares have 36
Time of eruption and change of teeth:
Slit hooks, several. days before or after birth; are replaced at 2\"/2 years.
Middle cut, 4-6 weeks after birth; are replaced at 3\"/2 years.
Angular incision, 6-9 months after birth; are replaced at 4\"/2 years.
Fangs erupt, in the 6th month after birth; are replaced at……..3 or 4-5 years.
Number of teeth at different ages:
Incisors Canines Molars
7-14 days 4
4-6 weeks 8 0 12
3-5 months 8 0 12
6-9 months 12 0 12
12-15 months 12 0 16
1"/2-2 years 12 0 16
2"/2-3 years 12 0 16
4-5 years 12 4 24
A horse's teeth are one of the strongest parts of its body. They are used to capture, attack and defend, absorb and grind food. With their help you can even determine the age of a horse. What teeth does it have and how to find out from them how old the animal is - we’ll talk about this and other important details further.
Horse dental anatomy
A horse’s teeth are quite strong, as they help it throughout its life to receive and grind food, to protect itself and its offspring. According to their shape and position, they are divided into incisors, canines and molars. You will learn more about all their functions further.
Quantity
Important! Although the stallion has 4 fangs, they have no functional effect, since they are not involved in eating food. Only the incisors are used, with the help of which horses cut grass, and they chew it with their molars.
Kinds
Like any animal, a horse has four main types of teeth. Each of them performs its own functions. Together they form the dental arcade: upper, lower, anterior and posterior. 
Incisors
Each horse has 6 upper and 6 lower incisors: toes, edges and middle ones. The hooks are in the center, followed by the middle incisors and, accordingly, along the edges - the edges. The incisors are also divided into primary and permanent (darker or yellow, they are slightly larger).
In youth, the incisors are arranged in a semicircle, and already in adulthood they are straightened; also in an old horse, the teeth begin to protrude slightly forward and are located at an acute angle.
Fangs
Fangs grow only in stallions - 2 at the bottom and at the top; they usually do not grow in mares. In rare cases, they may appear, but they develop poorly and practically do not grow. It is impossible to determine age by fangs, since they can appear at 2 years, and at 5 years, and even at 8.
The canines are located near the incisors and move slightly away from them with age, turning away from the front teeth. Every year the upper pair wears out more and more, and the lower one can lengthen and become dull. 
Premolars (first molars)
The first molars are considered to be premolars - only 6 of them grow. First, milk teeth appear, which are later replaced by permanent teeth. The shift begins at the age of over 2 years and usually ends by 3 years.
Did you know? Not only do horses have larger eyes than other animals, but they can also move independently of each other. The animal can see a panoramic picture. But it can only concentrate on a specific image by turning its head. Horses also see color images.
Molars (molars)
Molars are sometimes called horse teeth, since only these animals have 3 permanent molars on each branch of the jaw (there are 12 in total). They help grind coarse or large foods along with the premolars.
They appear at different ages and unevenly: the first usually grows by 10 months, the second by 20 months, and the last can appear at 3 years.
Change of teeth in a horse
The foal has some teeth from birth or appears in the first week of life. Usually these are a pair of hooks (first incisors), canines, if it is a boy, and premolars. Then, in the first month, the middle incisors appear and then the edges. 
Before the change of milk teeth, the foal has 8 molars; their growth period is 9–10 and 19–20 months of life. Teeth replacement also does not occur immediately, but in stages. The first to change are the incisors and hooks, after which the permanent premolars grow.
Teeth need especially careful examination and care. If there are diseases or problems, they can seriously affect the animal’s condition, interfere with eating, and cause pain. Problematic teeth are teeth that grow incorrectly, fragments of knocked out teeth that can stick into the gums, worn out or worn out, and teeth with inflamed gums.
Signs of dental problems include:
- difficulty eating and chewing, excessive salivation;
- unpleasant and pungent odor from the nostrils and mouth;
- discharge with undigested food particles;
- swelling of the nose and copious discharge;
- the animal becomes nervous, restless and disobedient.
Since horses have a problem with tooth wear, which occurs unevenly when kept in a stable or farm, their sharp ends need to be constantly filed down. Important! If your pet behaves restlessly and refuses to eat, this may indicate problems in the oral cavity. It is very important to figure this out as quickly as possible, as horses get used to the pain very quickly and may not show that anything is bothering them. Dental examinations should be carried out constantly and regularly.
If this is not done, your pet may bite its lip or break its gum while chewing. Proper examination and care of teeth is ensured by a specialist - the veterinarian has all the necessary tools for this.
Why file horses' teeth: video
Defects and anomalies
The most common problem is extra teeth or so-called tops. They appear at any age and cause a lot of discomfort and pain. Since they appear without a pair, they injure the oral cavity and often cause inflammatory processes.
The tops can fall out on their own - they do not have alveoli, so the connection with the jaw is small. But most often their mechanical removal is required. In this case, it is best to contact a veterinarian, as he has special equipment for this.
Did you know? Horses have a very keen sense of smell. Previously, for better control, riders and owners always lubricated their hands with aromatic oils so that the animal did not smell the sweat from them. In addition, horses cannot stand the smell of blood.
Very often, horses develop all sorts of cracks on their teeth, and sometimes breaks occur. The causes of this pathology can be injuries, improper care and nutrition. If an animal begins to take less food or refuses it altogether, this is one of the clearest signs of the development of painful and pathological changes. 
Dental problems are often accompanied by gingivitis and glossitis due to damage to the mucous membranes. Cracks in teeth must be treated, and tooth fragments must be removed. It is best to call a specialist for this, as additional treatment with medications and antiseptics may be necessary if the lesion is large.
Tooth decay is another problem that occurs as a result of cracks in the teeth. If they are not treated in time, the damage spreads not only to the teeth, but also to the pulp and gums.
The pathology is manifested by chewing disorders, bad odor and excessive salivation. Bare cavities and pits appear in the teeth.
If the teeth are affected by caries, it is best to remove them, especially if the horse is old. It is also practiced to clean the oral cavity with special cement, which removes plaque and caries.
How to determine a horse's age by its teeth
The gradual change of teeth makes it possible to determine the age of the animal. Usually, to do this you need to look at the incisors, since they are the ones that change in a clear pattern and change greatly with age.
Important! In diagnosing and determining age, you should also pay attention to the labial, lingual and rubbing surfaces. They examine not only the teeth, but also the cups, their shape and quantity.
When determining age, they are guided by periods of change in the dental system: the appearance and erasure of primary incisors, the eruption of permanent incisors, the erasure of their cups and changes in the shape of rubbing surfaces. 
Baby teeth are much smaller than permanent teeth (about half the size), they are much whiter and have the shape of spatulas (the gums fit in such a way that a kind of neck is created, like a spatula).
Teeth are one of the most important organs of a horse. It is necessary to monitor their condition and treat diseases in a timely manner.
Types of teeth
Horses have several types of teeth depending on their shape and purpose.
The structure of a horse's tooth implies the presence of a cavity consisting of mucous tissue with nerves and blood vessels. Necessary nutritional components penetrate into dentin from the blood of the pulp vessels. The hidden half of the teeth, going into the gums, is called the root, and the visible half is called the corolla.
As the horse's teeth wear down, the gray enamel will press inward and become shaped like a bottle. Having sawed off the abrasive parts, you can see whitish enamel and a substance made of gray bone tissue. At the cup, the greatest depth is achieved on the highest incisors.
Determining the age of a horse by its teeth is the most accurate among all other similar methods. To find out how to determine the age of a horse, take into account that up to 6 years the shape of the incisors is oval, at 7-12 years it wears off and becomes round, and after 12 years it takes on a triangular shape. The dental formula of a horse is: I3C1P3M3 / I3C1P3M3 × 2 = 40. When asked how many teeth a horse has, you can answer that stallions should have 40, and mares should have 36. Their number may vary.
Horse teeth shape
Depending on the shape, there are several types of horse teeth. There are incisors and molars. There are 6 incisors in the upper and lower rows. In the middle there are hooks, then there are middle incisors and edges are placed along the edges. At a young age, the incisors are arranged in a semicircle, but as they grow older they straighten out. In older animals, the incisors protrude slightly forward and are placed at a pointed angle.
Molars (molars) are also called equine teeth. They are needed for chewing rough or large food. There are 3 such molars on each of the jaw branches. The first is formed at 10 months, the second at 20, and the last at three years.
Premolars are the first molars. There are 6 of them. Initially they are milky, but then they are replaced by permanent ones. The change begins at 2 years and lasts about a year.
Canines are found mainly in stallions; they are rarely found in mares. It is impossible to find out the age of the animal from them, because... fangs can form at almost any age. They are located near the incisors and gradually move away from them over the years. The upper pair wears off more and more each time, while the lower one becomes dull and increases in length.
Change and eruption of teeth in horses
Most foals are born toothless. The first milk teeth, also known as hooks, erupt in the first week of the animal’s life. After this, the middle teeth are formed, and closer to the 9th month of life, the edges appear.
Baby teeth completely change to permanent teeth at about 5 years of age. At 1 year of age, the horse has temporary incisors, and at 2-3 years, permanent incisors are formed instead of the central incisors. By the 4th year of life, permanent middle incisors are formed, then the edges. The outermost incisors change later than everyone else. In stallions, the primary canines erupt at the age of 6 months and change when they reach the age of five.
The period of change and eruption may vary depending on various reasons and factors. In particular, these include:- breed of animal;
- type of feed;
- individual characteristics of the horse.
Dental care
- fragments of knocked out teeth embedded in the gums;
- inflammation;
- improperly growing teeth;
- their wear and tear.
- unpleasant odor from the nostrils and mouth;
- nervousness, failure to follow the rider’s orders;
- problems with chewing food, increased salivation;
- the presence of undigested pieces of food in manure;
- nasal discharge, swelling.
Horses kept in stables eat differently than pastured animals. Their teeth wear down unevenly. It is necessary to saw off their pointed ends, which can be used by animals to cut or bite their lips.
Dental diseases and treatment
The main disease in the horse's mouth is pumps. They develop in cases where the upper jaw is wider than the lower jaw. Because of this, the teeth begin to wear down inappropriately, and the mouth becomes filled with sharp edges. It becomes painful for the animal to chew food, and it swallows it whole. Due to continuous cuts, non-healing ulcers form in the mouth, which constantly increase in size.
This disease makes it difficult to exploit the animal. When the reins are pulled, the damaged parts of the mouth are pressed against the gums. This causes unbearable pain, making the horse almost unable to follow the rider's commands.
It is necessary to constantly monitor the pump formation process to prevent it. If they have already appeared, then you need to cut off their sharp edges. It is not possible to correct the irregular shape of an animal’s jaws for physiological reasons.
Some horses grow teeth in their mouths in places where they shouldn't be. They are called tops. They are of no use and only cause severe pain when bitten. They also influence the formation of pumps. It is impossible to cure this defect, so the tops are usually removed.
With constant trauma to the mouth, rotting and caries can occur. In particular, the boneless space near the first molar is constantly exposed to iron. An ulcer forms at this site, which, if left untreated, provokes inflammation of the periosteum. This in turn will cause the jaw to rot. This can be determined by a tumor, an unpleasant odor, a hardening of the jaw, or a change in the behavior of the animal.
This disease is treated surgically. A cross-shaped incision is made below the place of decay and all remnants of dead tissue are removed. The wound is washed and cleaned, and the resulting hole is plugged. Gradually it is overgrown with new tissue.