The art of animal dentistry has been abused by the
owners of stock allowing the services of irresponsible
men in the veterinary profession, who do not look to the
betterment of the animal’s condition. The owner of the
animals, not being able to see the condition of the animal’s
teeth for himself, is persuaded into having the animal’s
teeth worked on regardless of whether it is needed
or not. The quack or transient veterinarian will pull
and crack healthy, sound teeth, and lacerate the poor animal’s
mouth.
How to Examine an Animal’s Teeth.—Perhaps
the best method that can be applied in examining an
animal’s teeth or mouth is by the use of a mouth speculum.
There are several different makes on the market,
and some can be purchased very reasonably and will give
excellent service.
Unnatural Condition and Irritation., Etc., of
the Teeth.—After studying the anatomy thoroughly
you will be able to see at once any abnormal condition of
the teeth or mouth, which are as follows:
Dentition begins at or soon after birth, and continues
until the horse is five years old, and the animal
suffers more or less during that time. The lower animals
do not appear to suffer so much in getting their first teeth,
but do suffer when getting their permanent ones, even
more, perhaps, than the human being. Hence, we have
dentition fever in the horse from three or four up to five
years old—there is a weak pulse, impaired appetite, a
staring coat, the bowels sometimes costive, and sometimes
there is diarrhoea; he is not able to work, and it is hard to
say what is the matter, unless the system is affected by
the irritation set up by the teeth, for all of the organs
appear to be in a healthy state. Such symptoms indicate
that the temporary teeth are not being displaced in a
proper way. The same applies to cattle. The food
passes improperly digested, which may be due to the
state of the teeth. It is well in such cases to examine the
mouth, and if you find some tooth not properly displaced,
the gums swollen, remove it—which you can sometimes
do with the thumb and finger, or you may have to use the
forceps, which we believe the best. Then give a laxative,
feed on soft food, and the animal will soon recover.
Irregular Teeth.—The gums are sometimes irritated
in connection with the molar teeth. This irritation
extends and affects the pharynx and larynx, and perhaps
a severe cough is the result, called a dentition cough. It
is often the result of but a slight irritation at the back
part of the gums—this cough may not be very severe, but
it is troublesome—or the gum may become badly swollen.
The best treatment is to scarify it. We find tumors in
the upper and lower jaw, perhaps from the imperfect development
of the teeth, or from slight injury, irritation,
etc. They may or may not be malignant, and are likely
to extend and involve the alveoli and bone. If not malignant,
and only upon the surface, it is called epulis, and
is not very common. If not malignant remove it, and it
may do well for some time; it will return, extend and become
a hopeless case. The horse frequently suffers from
sharp, projecting teeth, which occurs more commonly in
old horses, from wearing down the teeth in an uneven
manner. They will be sharper on the inner edge of the
lower jaw and the outer edge of the upper jaw, which
may be from faulty formation. In such cases the animal
has difficulty in eating, grinds his food, ejecting it. Perhaps
when driving him he carries the head to one side
from the bearing of the bit not being the same on both
sides. If the teeth are sharp in the lower jaw they lacerate
the tongue; if in the upper they lacerate the cheeks.
The best remedy for this is the tooth rasp, and there is no
necessity for using the mouth speculum. After rasping,
feed upon soft food for a day or two. There are
more difficult cases where the teeth project to some extent,
generally in old horses, due to malformation of the
jaw. Sometimes the upper jaw extends over the lower,
and a part of the tooth is not worn down properly, and
after a time it interferes with mastication, and the animal
suffers considerably from irritation. The same appears
in the front teeth of the upper jaw, but it is not so serious
as the back tooth. The animal may be reduced to a
walking skeleton, almost; although the appetite appears
good, the food is thrown out. You can detect by examining
with the hand, and if it is the last molar tooth it is
advisable to place a twitch on the horse’s nose, and using
the mouth speculum, then remove the projecting portion
of the tooth by means of the molar cutter. After using
the molar cutters smooth the cut surface of the tooth
with a tooth rasp and feed properly, and he will improve
rapidly.
Ulcerated or Caries of the Teeth.—The lower
animals do not suffer from this as much as man, for two
reasons: their teeth are complicated, and the mode of living.
Sweets have a bad effect upon the teeth. Horses
rarely suffer from toothache, but they frequently suffer
from carious teeth. Caries may commence either on the
table surface, root or fang, or even in that which surrounds
the teeth; or it may result from a slight injury,
as getting a stone, etc., between the teeth when masticating,
or it may begin in the fang from improper development
of the dentine, which receives its nourishment from
the tooth-pulp, and when this is gone, the tooth does not
receive proper nourishment, etc.
Symptoms.—In the early stages they are not very
plain, but become better developed after a time. The animal
will show some irritation while eating. Although he
is hungry, and goes ravenously to eating, he will all at
once quit masticating, and either holds the food in the
mouth or throws it out unchewed. This may be due to
a slight irritation of the teeth. He acts something similar
to the human being, and these symptoms may be
present for some time before well-marked symptoms
appear. But in, it may be, six months or a year, certain
distinct symptoms appear. If it is in the table surface,
the tooth is brittle and wears down more readily and the
tooth opposite to it grows longer; he quits or rejects the
food, and a peculiar stench or fetor is present. The animal
falls off in condition in most cases. When it is in
connection with the root or fang it is different. As it
extends it involves the other tissues, sets up irritation in
the upper sinus of the head, if it is in the lower jaw, as
well as the symptoms given, you will, perhaps, notice a
slight enlargement which extends down the lower portion
of the jaw; sinuses form and pus is discharged. Exercise
care and judgment and you need make no great
mistakes. I know of horses being destroyed for glanders
when only affected with ulcerated teeth.
Treatment.—Remove the tooth—and this is not
very easily done, but there are various ways. Open the
mouth by means of a mouth speculum, and, if practical,
use the forceps. The trouble with the forceps is, they are
apt to break the tooth when they are closed upon it too
tight. There is a root forcep which can be used in the lower
jaw, as the teeth in that are more easily removed than
those in the upper jaw; or you may remove by trephining,
and then, by inserting a punch, it can be driven out.
When you attempt to remove a tooth and it breaks down,
it will, in many cases, come away of itself without further
treatment. The first and second molars are more
difficult to punch out than the others. After treatment
keep the animal quiet; feed upon soft food that does not
require much mastication. There is a difference in treating
the cavity. Some recommend filling it with gutta
percha to prevent the food from passing into the sinus.
It will sometimes pass into both sinuses; but generally
there is no necessity for filling it. If you trephine, it is
more needful than in pulling. If food passes into the
sinuses then it will be necessary to fill the hole. Sometimes
in parrot-mouth the incisors of the lower jaw grow
and irritate the mucous membrane of the opposite jaw
when it is necessary to use incisor cutters or rasp them
down.
Wolf or Supernumerary Teeth.—Wolf teeth are
comparatively small in size and have only one root and
are found just in front of the upper molar teeth. Sometimes
they do harm, but that is an exception and not the
rule. They can be easily removed with a pair of small
forceps or they may be punched out in some instances,
but I prefer that you use the regular wolf tooth forcep
as it looks much better to the onlooker. I think they interfere
with the eyes, causing them to become watery
and inflamed, due to the tooth exerting some influence
upon the ophthalmic division of the fifth nerve.
Supernumerary Teeth.—Tooth substance may
develop in almost any part of the body. These are called
supernumerary teeth and are commonly found in the
testicles, ovaries and sinuses of the head, etc.
Foreign Body Lodged in the Mouth.—A foreign
body sometimes gets lodged in the mouth, as a piece of
wood, wire from the feed, etc., and possibly becomes imbeded
between the molar teeth, and the animal is not able
to get it out. There will be difficulty in masticating; a
flow of saliva; the animal stands with the head poked out,
as if suffering from sore throat. He will partially masticate,
then try to swallow, and perhaps eject the food.
These symptoms are present in sore throat, and it is necessary
to make a careful examination; you are not likely
to mistake just one case, but if there is some other disease
prevalent that presents similar symptoms, then you
are liable to make a mistake. As stated before, exercise
care and judgment and you need make no great mistakes,
this applies to all diseases, etc., that you are called upon
to treat.