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By: Spencer LaFlure
Many of you are familiar with Pat Parelli and The Seven Games of Natural
Horse-Man-Ship, but how many of you have heard of Spencer LaFlure and The
Seven Gains of Whole Mouth Dentistry? When
it comes to the well being of your horse, the Seven GAINS could be just as
important as the Seven GAMES.
Whole
mouth dentistry is a science and an art when performed by a certified equine
dentist such as Spencer. Its major
goal is to create a three-point balance of S.C.O. (Simultaneous Centric
Occlusion) with the incisors, molars and TMJ (temporomandibular joint) all
having equal pressure at rest (See Figure 1).
Horses in the wild have this balance naturally because they graze
continually on coarse grasses. The
silicas in these grasses keep the incisors from getting excessive in length and
the molars worn at the proper angles. Today’s
management practices of limited grazing, precut hay and processed feed have the
direct consequence of inadequate wear and improper balance of the equine mouth.
As Spencer says, “we’ve messed with Mother Nature and we need the
equine dentist to remedy the situation”. While floating at its best might remove some molar points and hooks, it most often leaves the mouth’s balance in worse shape. The molars are usually filed flat (the molar table angle should be 10 to 15 degrees), and the incisors are left untouched, thereby growing much longer than the molars and preventing the molars from making contact for proper chewing (See Figure 2). To truly balance the equine mouth, the incisors need to be aligned with the length of the molars, and the molars need to be equilibrated such that they fit together with the TMJ with equal pressure. Only then can your horse reap the following GAINS: 1. PERFORMANCE. Collection, lateral flexion and downward transitions are all affected by freedom of movement of the lower jaw. Correct the restriction of up and down or side-to-side movement of the jaw, and the physical resistance or stiffness will disappear. A certified equine dentist can also put “bit seats” in your horse’s first premolars so that the bit will not bang on the sensitive nerves of the bars of the mouth. These bit seats should be customized to the bit(s) you use. 2.
HEALTH. Through
his experience and documented cases, Spencer has found certain types of colic
and heaves can be alleviated or prevented by returning the mouth to its normal
chewing ability. He says that “when
whole pieces of food aren’t chewed thoroughly, they can become trapped by the
epiglottis, allowing hay, dust, etc. into the lungs causing chronic coughing or
wheezing”. A visit from the
dentist may also be the cure for unexplained weight loss, spinal misalignments
and hock pain. 3.
BEHAVIOR. Head tossing, excessive
tongue movement and cribbing in young horses can often all be caused by the
discomfort of retained caps. The
youngster tries to get rid of the caps any way it can, then the behavior becomes
a habit. Even older horses can
begin cribbing for dental reasons – they may be trying to reduce excessive
incisor length. Other behaviors
that may be rooted in mouth problems are tooth grinding, hypersensitivity to or
evasion of the bit, sudden shying or spooking around the head, rearing and
difficulty flexing the poll. 4.
NUTRITION. Digestion
really begins in the mouth with mastication.
Your horse is not getting the full benefit of his diet if he lacks proper
grinding action of his molars. Difficulty
holding normal weight, food dribbling, topline atrophy and undigested food
particles in the manure can all indicate a need to call the equine dentist. 5.
AGE.
Young horses have dental needs unique to their stage of development.
Between the ages of 2½ and 4½ years of age, they shed 24 baby teeth
known as caps. If these caps
don’t come out readily, they need to be extracted before they cause
irregularities in the erupting permanent teeth.
For this reason their teeth should be checked every six months.
Older horses (usually 10 years and up) have the excessive incisor length
issue discussed earlier. Their
chewing motion will be up and down instead of side to side, and their molars
will not meet enough to grind properly. Spencer
uses a diamond Dremel wheel to reduce incisor length and remedy this condition.
To correct protuberant (overgrown) molars, he uses a burr Dremel wheel.
This instrument eliminates the risk of vertical fractures associated with
the use of traditional long-handled cutters (Spencer notes that cutters are
unwieldy, and it is almost impossible to predict whether they will cut the tooth
horizontally, as intended, or vertically down to the root causing abscess and
possibly worse). Once both incisors
and molars have been properly equilibrated, older horses should be maintained
once a year. 6.
EDUCATION. Yes, your horse will
benefit from the education of the person working on his mouth.
Unless your veterinarian has specialized in or sought advanced training
in dentistry, he or she has had very little education about horses’ mouths and
teeth. Many veterinarians receive
less than 10 hours of formal instruction on this subject, and only one
veterinary school in the U.S. offers a semester-length course.
Spencer received his EqD from the Academy of Equine Dentistry in Glenns
Ferry, ID several years ago and still returns there 3-4 times yearly for
continuing education. He stresses, “there
are always new techniques and equipment being developed so make sure the dentist
you choose also participates in continuing education”.
For a list of certified equine dentists near you, contact Spencer LaFlure
at 518-623-9967 or the Academy of Equine Dentistry at 208-366-2550. 7.
PIECE OF MIND.
What is better than knowing you’ve done the BEST for your horse?
You’re doing the best for his or her mind and attitude by participating
in Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship; now do the best for his or her mouth and
teeth by participating in Whole Mouth Dentistry!
Figure 1 Figure 2 Use
the Natural Horse-Man-Ship approach for your horse. s Patience s Compassion s Consistency Spencer travels all over servicing clients. For More Information, Contact: Spencer LaFlure, EqD/Adv. Cert. – Thurman, NY (518) 623-9967
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