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Equine Dental GlossaryBy Mary Delorey, DVM Dentistry - Dec 20th, 05 Incisors - Front teeth, just inside the lips, used to grasp, nip and pull grass(and to bite you!)
Premolars - First three sets of large cheek teeth, top and bottom jaws, used for grinding. There is a full deciduous set followed by a full permanent set.
Molars - Second three sets of large cheek teeth, top and bottom jaws, used for grinding. There are no deciduous molars, they erupt as permanent teeth.
Deciduous - “Baby” teeth. They are replaced by permanent teeth.
Permanent - “Adult” teeth. They are intended to remain for the horse’s life.
Arcade - Refers to a row of teeth (i.e. there are four arcades of cheek teeth and two arcades of incisors).
Occlusion - The contact points of opposing teeth; occlusal surface refers to the chewing or biting surfaces.
Malocclusion - Abnormal contact between opposing teeth.
“In Wear” - The point in time when opposing teeth have reached sufficient height above the gumline to grind against one another.
Eruption - The movement of the tooth crown out from the bone of the jaw into the mouth.
Shedding caps - The loss of expired baby teeth as the new permanent teeth erupt to take their place.
Cheek teeth - A general term used to indicate all the grinding teeth, the premolars and molars.
Crown - The portion of the tooth that gradually erupts into the mouth and is used for grinding, not the root.
Mastication - The act of chewing or grinding food.
Cap - Horseman’s term for a baby tooth as it sits in place on the permanent tooth ready to erupt.
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American Association of Equine Practitioners |
