These pages make reference to recent case studies, where Bill has dealt with some common dental problems and also some particularly challenging cases.
The first of these tells Polly's story. Polly suffers from the serious genetic disorder known as parrot mouth. This means that the upper jaw is longer than the lower jaw, causing the upper front teeth to over shoot/lap the lower front teeth (incisors). Typically, this makes grazing very difficult and sometimes nipping the grass is virtually impossible, subject to severity. Behind the 12 mis-matched front teeth there are 24 molars (cheek teeth) and the degree of mismatch to the front teeth will also be evident with the molars. The picture to the right illustrates the condition.
It's important to remember that the normal horse’s mouth is naturally designed to nip or tear at the grass with the 12 front teeth, feeding it back to the 24 molars all working in occlusion together to crush and grind the forage. This makes it ready to swallow for digestion.The picture to the left is an actual photograph of Polly's mouth, illustrating the severity of her condition. In Polly’s case the grass would need to be at least 4 inches long to allow her to clamp the grass between the lower teeth and the hard palate (roof of mouth).
Anyone who's been around young horses knows that between the ages of 2½ and 5 there's a lot going on in their mouths. All sorts of lumps and bumps start to appear on their jaw line, and this is perfectly normal. (See the illustration to the right.) But as we all know this is a crucial time for the young horse. For many this is when they will begin their ridden career and will have a bit in their mouths for the first time. We owe it to them to ensure that they will be comfortable and able to perform to the best of their ability!
So what kind of things should we be aware of? At this stage in the development of the mouth things to look out for include retained incisors (see the illustration to the left) and also wolf teeth. It's also very common to find caps ("milk teeth" that haven't fallen out) in the young horse's mouth - and that's where Jazz comes in! To follow Jazz's story, click here.
Skooter's a 3 year old American Paint x Traditional Cob. She'd recently begun her ridden career and hadn't shown any indications of dental discomfort, but examination of her mouth showed that things weren't developing quite as they should. In fact there was potential for a few problems. Check out the picture to the right and you'll see that the most obvious issue was that she had retained incisors, both top and bottom. But as you'll discover, this was nothing that couldn't be addressed on one of Bill's regular visits. Click here to read the full story.... but be warned, there is a bit of blood in this one!
Woody is a 5 year old American Quarter Horse owned by Judy Jones. His teeth are checked regularly by Bill and at his most recent visit Bill paid particular attention to two small wolf teeth that have erupted since his last visit. Woody's quite a nervous horse who needs to be given plenty of time to relax, but with Bill - who always takes his time ans shows immense patience with all the horses - there's no problem getting the job done. Click here to read his story.
The first of these tells Polly's story. Polly suffers from the serious genetic disorder known as parrot mouth. This means that the upper jaw is longer than the lower jaw, causing the upper front teeth to over shoot/lap the lower front teeth (incisors). Typically, this makes grazing very difficult and sometimes nipping the grass is virtually impossible, subject to severity. Behind the 12 mis-matched front teeth there are 24 molars (cheek teeth) and the degree of mismatch to the front teeth will also be evident with the molars. The picture to the right illustrates the condition.
It's important to remember that the normal horse’s mouth is naturally designed to nip or tear at the grass with the 12 front teeth, feeding it back to the 24 molars all working in occlusion together to crush and grind the forage. This makes it ready to swallow for digestion.The picture to the left is an actual photograph of Polly's mouth, illustrating the severity of her condition. In Polly’s case the grass would need to be at least 4 inches long to allow her to clamp the grass between the lower teeth and the hard palate (roof of mouth). 
Anyone who's been around young horses knows that between the ages of 2½ and 5 there's a lot going on in their mouths. All sorts of lumps and bumps start to appear on their jaw line, and this is perfectly normal. (See the illustration to the right.) But as we all know this is a crucial time for the young horse. For many this is when they will begin their ridden career and will have a bit in their mouths for the first time. We owe it to them to ensure that they will be comfortable and able to perform to the best of their ability!
So what kind of things should we be aware of? At this stage in the development of the mouth things to look out for include retained incisors (see the illustration to the left) and also wolf teeth. It's also very common to find caps ("milk teeth" that haven't fallen out) in the young horse's mouth - and that's where Jazz comes in! To follow Jazz's story, click 
Skooter's a 3 year old American Paint x Traditional Cob. She'd recently begun her ridden career and hadn't shown any indications of dental discomfort, but examination of her mouth showed that things weren't developing quite as they should. In fact there was potential for a few problems. Check out the picture to the right and you'll see that the most obvious issue was that she had retained incisors, both top and bottom. But as you'll discover, this was nothing that couldn't be addressed on one of Bill's regular visits. Click 
Woody is a 5 year old American Quarter Horse owned by Judy Jones. His teeth are checked regularly by Bill and at his most recent visit Bill paid particular attention to two small wolf teeth that have erupted since his last visit. Woody's quite a nervous horse who needs to be given plenty of time to relax, but with Bill - who always takes his time ans shows immense patience with all the horses - there's no problem getting the job done. Click 