Any horse teeth/dentist experts? have a horse in with rare condition

[paddi22]

Hi, I have a two year old gelding I got in a rescue and he has a very rare growth deformity in his jaw and teeth. my dentist is absolutely fascinated by it and has posted several articles about it with pictures. if anyone is interested I'd post it up, but I know it's probably a niche area! but any horse dentist folk might be interested as he's just started treatment and is taking it on as a project himself.

 

[Starzaan]

I’d be really interested if you don’t mind sharing?

 

[paddi22]

As a foal, "Alfie" developed a growth abnormality in relation to his craniofacial bones which has then led to malocclusion of his teeth.
Abnormalities such as "Alfie's" overbite are quite often looked upon as being primarily a dental abnormality but it should be noted that this abnormality in relation to the dentition is actually a manifestation of a significant SKELETAL abnormality.
As a result, correction of the dental abnormalities such as reduction of overgrowths etc that I will be carrying out on "Alfie" in the future will not correct the underlying craniofacial abnormality.
Incorrect location of the jaw may cause intense irritation of the mucous membranes of the opposing jaws. The teeth will not be worn down under these circumstances and a severe inflammation of the mucous membranes can result and may also cause an irritation in the jawbone itself.
In relation to "Alfie", I will be concentrating on the reduction on the unworn crown surfaces of the projecting incisors and molars (the "106's/206's & 311/411's"). The reduction of these surfaces will prevent damage to the mucous membranes.
"Alfie" had several retained incisor caps extracted as there was a lot of pressure building up in his gums. In cases of where the upper incisors lie rostral to the lower incisors ("Brachygnathism" or "Type 2" Malocclusion) it can also be an indication of actual overgrowth of the upper jaw.
In "Alfie's" case, the upper incisors have actually trapped the lower incisors behind them and have subsequently restricted mandibular growth. This then serves to exaggerate the disparity in length between his upper and lower jaws.
"Alfie's" central incisors will have to closely monitored and when necessary reduced due to them having the least occlusal contact as they will be subject to overgrowth and will develop a convex appearance (a "ventral curvature" or "smile").
On average, 2-5% of horses will suffer from this condition of the jaw. The degree to which this condition is expressed at birth and the progression of the condition throughout the growth and development of the horse has not been scientifically documented.
The condition as that which "Alfie" suffers from could have been acquired by avulsion injury to the incisor teeth or premaxillae, compression fracture of the mandible, congenital deformity or illness immediately prior to a growth spurt.
It is also a common result of breeding two horses with normal dental occlusion but extremely different head types. Some horses will only be affected in the region of the cheek teeth, some are only affected in the incisor area and some such as "Alfie" are affected in both areas.
Due to the fact that horses have hypsodont (i.e. prolonged eruption) teeth that depend on normal occlusal contact for wear, a horse such as "Alfie" will be affected by the condition at all stages in his life so this is why it is essential that he is subject to a routine dental care routine and for this reason I will be checking on him every 3 months!!
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this was from my dentist's blog. the horse was checked 6 months ago and while overbite was there and a lot of work needed to be done, it looked like it was heading in the right direction. in the six months till next visit a load of crazy changes took place.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Crikey! That's something I've only read about but not seen. Poor chap, but he's landed on his hooves with you.
I'd be very interested to read follow ups when you get them done.

 

[paddi22]

he really had everything against him. poor foal was born out of a rescue mare that was in poor condition, he was a very weak foal and the dentist thinks he also got a kick from the mare when born as some of his teeth point backwards. his legs came out facing four different directions, but remedial work has sorted them out somewhat. he was bottle fed for six months and then we thought he would have issues elating grass, but he seems to have survived by eating hedgerows etc and seems a good doer. his poor mouth is in bits though, dentist just can't understand how the changes occurred so fast.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

he really had everything against him. poor foal was born out of a rescue mare that was in poor condition, he was a very weak foal and the dentist thinks he also got a kick from the mare when born as some of his teeth point backwards. his legs came out facing four different directions, but remedial work has sorted them out somewhat. he was bottle fed for six months and then we thought he would have issues elating grass, but he seems to have survived by eating hedgerows etc and seems a good doer. his poor mouth is in bits though, dentist just can't understand how the changes occurred so fast.

That's a blooming horrible start.

 

[Starzaan]

This is fascinating, thank you so much!!

 

[brighteyes]

Very interesting. I will share this with my EDT, see what he says. Is he being treated by a veterinary EDT specialist?