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The last component of the oral exam is the endodontic status. This comprises everything pertaining to the inside of the tooth — this includes the live part of the tooth and the tooth structure itself.

The fourth component of the oral exam is periodontal status. Gum disease is common in horses, and is one of the most painful dental conditions horses can have. It is a common misconception that this only happens in older horses. However, young horses can have gum disease as well, which is why oral exams in young horses is so important.

The third component of our oral exam is occlusion. Occlusion means examining how the teeth are aligned in the skull. Deviance from normal can result in malocclusions, which can cause problems for the horse if not addressed.

The second component of our oral exam involves the oral soft tissues. These include the lips, tongue and oral gingiva and mucosa (gums and cheeks).

Lumps and bumps and swellings, oh my! During the external exam we look for swelling or asymmetry to your horse’s face, which can indicate an underlying problem.

We thought we would start an educational series on equine dentistry, starting with our foundation of preventative dentistry —the five-component oral examination.