Floating Teeth: What Does it Mean?

So what does it mean to float a horse’s teeth? I’m sure you’ve heard this before, and if you are like me, you have been imagining all sorts of crazy things.

Floating means to smooth or contour your horse’s teeth with a file (called a “float”). Unlike your own teeth, your horse’s teeth keep growing. At times, your horse’s teeth may develop sharp edges, making it difficult for him or her to chew food, hold a bit or simply have pain and discomfort inside the mouth.

An adult horse may have between 36-44 permanent teeth. Just like humans, your horse gets two sets of teeth in their lifetime. Your horse starts out with temporary baby teeth and by age five, will most likely have a full set of permanent teeth.

The horse’s front teeth cut hay and grass, while the top and bottom cheek teeth grind the forage between the flat surfaces in a sideways motion. This grinding action breaks down the food before swallowing which helps it to be digested better. If your horse is unable to grind down food all the way due to uneven teeth surfaces, the unthawed food will not be digested as well.

Most often, points develop on the upper cheek teeth toward the outside of the mouth next to your horse’s cheek. And on the bottom cheek teeth toward the inside of the mouth next to your horse's tongue. These points can then cut into the cheek and tongue making your horse uncomfortable.

Though it may seem tedious and like a burden, you know having routine dentist check-ups contribute to the overall good health of your own teeth. Well, your horse is no different and deserves some of the same attention to his or her teeth as you give to yours. Taking care of your horse’s teeth is part of taking care of your horse’s health. Confined horses that do not have the ability to graze all day are more prone to teeth overgrowth, as they are not naturally grinding their teeth all day to keep them smooth. Also, just like you, your horse can have other dental problems. A horse can have excessively worn teeth, loose or broken teeth or infected gums.

One sign that your horse’s teeth may need to be floated is if he or she is consistently dropping food from his or her mouth and you start seeing signs of weight loss. Your horse may also exhibit behavior like head-tossing or opening of the mouth frequently.

Possible equine dental problem indicators:

• Drops food from mouth

• Exhibits difficulty in chewing

• Excessive salivation

• Loss of weight

• Undigested food particles in manure

• Head-tossing

• Excessive bit chewing

• Resisting having the bridle put on

• Difficult handling while riding

• Mouth odor

• Blood in mouth

• Face swelling

• Nasal discharge

Horses are adaptable creatures, due to this if they are having discomfort some may not show any signs of dental problems. So don’t assume that just because there are no visible symptoms there are no problems.

Sharp teeth edges can hurt the inside of your horse’s mouth causing pain and creating sores on the tongue or cheeks. Your horse may show resistance when riding due to added pain from the bit pressing against the sores.

The vet will carefully file all your horse’s teeth that need smoothing to achieve a flat grinding surface between the upper and lower teeth. Having your horse’s teeth floated is well worth it so he or she digests food better, is in better spirits and make riding more enjoyable for you both.

How often floating teeth is necessary, varies quite a bit from one horse to another. Some horses seem to have slower-growing teeth and may require floating only once every several years while other may require floating every few months. Even if your horse does not require its teeth to be floated often, it is still a good idea to have the teeth and gums examined once a year.

Unlike us, a horse’s nerves end close to the gum line, so there is no nerve where the tooth is being worked on and therefore does not feel any nerve pain during the filing.

Happy Riding!