Anyone encountered ' Shear mouth'?

[Asha]

Has anyone any experience with this ? After speaking to my horse dentist, my new mare has this due an issue with one of her lower back teeth. (Which appears to have been going on for sometime) he tells me she is in a lot of pain, and needs to be xrayed to see whats going on. She is booked in with the vet on Friday, so I should know whats causing it then. But after speaking to the dentist, im a bit worried.

 

[Tiddlypom]

My mare had a marked wave and shear mouth when I got her. She had a missing upper molar from a youngster, and although this was found and dealt with by the vets by the time she was 3, sadly subsequent dentistry, although done every 6 months, was less than optimum and her mouth was a right mess again by the age of 10. The opposing molar had grown into the diastema from the missing tooth, preventing her from chewing properly and causing much pain. It has taken 2 years for my EDT to gradually restore her mouth to what he says is now 80% of optimal, but she was much more comfortable after his first visit. She's on routine 6 monthly floats now.

I hope that your mare is soon sorted. I use RH as my EDT.

ETA She's happy and comfortable being ridden in her NS verbindend loose ring lozenge snaffle and a plain cavesson noseband. She sometimes quids a little, but that is due to food getting into the diastema, it doesn't cause her any distress and it certainly doesn't affect her appetite or cause her to lose condition!

 

[JanetGeorge]

I've never heard of a shear mouth affecting only one tooth - it's either one side (or more rarely) both sides. Its cause is uneven chewing - usually for a reason - like a displaced molar, or an infected root of a molar. A displaced molar would be visible, an infected tooth root would be painful (and therefore quite easy to find.) In my experience, it's usually vets who want x-rays (because they haven't a clue - or just want more of your money!) |Find a vet who is good with teeth (very few of them are!!)

 

[Asha]

I've never heard of a shear mouth affecting only one tooth - it's either one side (or more rarely) both sides. Its cause is uneven chewing - usually for a reason - like a displaced molar, or an infected root of a molar. A displaced molar would be visible, an infected tooth root would be painful (and therefore quite easy to find.) In my experience, it's usually vets who want x-rays (because they haven't a clue - or just want more of your money!) |Find a vet who is good with teeth (very few of them are!!)

Thanks Janet. Ive probably explained it badly ! She does have the shear mouth all down one side, which the dentist believes is as a result of a problem with one tooth. The hole is that painful that shes not using the side of her mouth to chew. you can see she eats with her mouth open to try to avoid it. he wants her xrayed as there is something going on, and he cant be sure what it is without one. hes recommended a vet for me to use ( fortunately its my vet).

( its not my irish draught mare, her teeth are wonderful !)

 

[Gloi]

My old pony has it. He's had a lot of specialist dental treatment in his time but is now reaching the end of the line

 

[Asha]

My mare had a marked wave and shear mouth when I got her. She had a missing upper molar from a youngster, and although this was found and dealt with by the vets by the time she was 3, sadly subsequent dentistry, although done every 6 months, was less than optimum and her mouth was a right mess again by the age of 10. The opposing molar had grown into the diastema from the missing tooth, preventing her from chewing properly and causing much pain. It has taken 2 years for my EDT to gradually restore her mouth to what he says is now 80% of optimal, but she was much more comfortable after his first visit. She's on routine 6 monthly floats now.

I hope that your mare is soon sorted. I use RH as my EDT.

ETA She's happy and comfortable being ridden in her NS verbindend loose ring lozenge snaffle and a plain cavesson noseband. She sometimes quids a little, but that is due to food getting into the diastema, it doesn't cause her any distress and it certainly doesn't affect her appetite or cause her to lose condition!

Im glad your mare is doing so well, that gives me some hope that my girl can be sorted. I just want her pain free, its awful to think how uncomfortable shes been, yet her temperament through this has been amazing. Thank TP x

 

[Asha]

My old pony has it. He's had a lot of specialist dental treatment in his time but is now reaching the end of the line

Im sorry to hear that Gloi, how long has he had it ? What treatment has he had ?

 

[Gloi]

Im sorry to hear that Gloi, how long has he had it ? What treatment has he had ?

He's had it to some extent all his life but it's got worse as time has gone on and he's 29 now and some teeth are down to the gums and the long ones have diastemers between them. He's mainly had the diastemers widened and and had some fillings put in. He's fine eating grass but not with hay now. At the front of his mouth the lower jaw has long teeth and the top one has stumps, going to the back of the mouth where it is the other way round.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Fingers crossed that the primary issue is soon found and is readily treatable.

IME the shear and wave mouth (which were described as 'severe') was rescuable by an experienced EDT, but he'd have recommended vet invovement if he'd thought it necessary in my mare's case. He 'could' have fixed the shear and wave in one session with the power tools, but that would have been far too drastic a realignment to do all at once. He told me at the start that he thought it was take 2 years to put fully right. He was able, though, to straight away remove all the sharp edges that were ulcerating her cheeks, and also to take back the opposing molar which was jamming into her diastema and preventing her from moving her teeth up and down - she only had sideways movement left. Then he made a start on correcting the shear and wave abnormalities.

Good luck.

 

[Gingerwitch]

Has anyone any experience with this ? After speaking to my horse dentist, my new mare has this due an issue with one of her lower back teeth. (Which appears to have been going on for sometime) he tells me she is in a lot of pain, and needs to be xrayed to see whats going on. She is booked in with the vet on Friday, so I should know whats causing it then. But after speaking to the dentist, im a bit worried.

If you can could you try to send her to Pool House Vets over Lichfield Way - Sam - he is both an amazing dentist and a good horse Vet - they have a clinic and do some pretty big operations there, and the rest of the surgery team is also amazing, helpful and understanding and kind

 

[Asha]

Fingers crossed that the primary issue is soon found and is readily treatable.

IME the shear and wave mouth (which were described as 'severe') was rescuable by an experienced EDT, but he'd have recommended vet invovement if he'd thought it necessary in my mare's case. He 'could' have fixed the shear and wave in one session with the power tools, but that would have been far too drastic a realignment to do all at once. He told me at the start that he thought it was take 2 years to put fully right. He was able, though, to straight away remove all the sharp edges that were ulcerating her cheeks, and also to take back the opposing molar which was jamming into her diastema and preventing her from moving her teeth up and down - she only had sideways movement left. Then he made a start on correcting the shear and wave abnormalities.

Good luck.

My dentist ( Ivan) didn't want to touch her, he says she is in too much pain and it would be cruel without proper sedation. He says shes in a bit of a mess. Plus shes in foal, so I suppose that adds to the risk. He mentioned my dentist bill will be a fair bit until we get her sorted, he even hinted IF we can get her sorted. Your mare is very lucky to have you, sadly it seems not enough people bother to look after teeth. I suspect, once we get the xrays and the infection under control, we have a similar long road ahead of us.

 

[Asha]

If you can could you try to send her to Pool House Vets over Lichfield Way - Sam - he is both an amazing dentist and a good horse Vet - they have a clinic and do some pretty big operations there, and the rest of the surgery team is also amazing, helpful and understanding and kind

Thanks Gingerwitch . Ive had a look at them and they do seem well set up. My mare hasn't travelled ( other than coming to me, and is in foal so will start with a small journey to Nantwich vets for the xray, once we know whats going on in her mouth I will discuss with my dentist who should do what, I will mention Pool House. I need to keep her as calm as possible.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Oh gosh, this is your newbie in foal mare. I don't know how experienced Nantwich vets are at tricky teeth issues, but they'll know how to optimally sedate an in foal mare for the x rays. I hope it isn't too serious an issue.

Ivan trained my EDT, I think, he's the main man. (So sorry to hear about Tim just now, they looked so alike.)

What makes me mad for my mare is that her previous owner had been paying out for her to be floated twice yearly. She was doing her best by her. I don't know who took her money, or whether it was an EDT or a vet, but they had been doing fook all to her mouth for six years. My EDT presumed initially from the state of neglect that she hadn't had her mouth seen to in all that time. And then of course, as per the other thread, she was being used at working livery by an equestrian college who should have picked up on her dental issues . Double grrr.

 

[Asha]

Oh gosh, this is your newbie in foal mare. I don't know how experienced Nantwich vets are at tricky teeth issues, but they'll know how to optimally sedate an in foal mare for the x rays. I hope it isn't too serious an issue.

Ivan trained my EDT, I think, he's the main man. (So sorry to hear about Tim just now, they looked so alike.)

What makes me mad for my mare is that her previous owner had been paying out for her to be floated twice yearly. She was doing her best by her. I don't know who took her money, or whether it was an EDT or a vet, but they had been doing fook all to her mouth for six years. My EDT presumed initially from the state of neglect that she hadn't had her mouth seen to in all that time. And then of course, as per the other thread, she was being used at working livery by an equestrian college who should have picked up on her dental issues . Double grrr.

Its amazing how many times it happens. Ivan always tells me stories of similar situations, people paying out thinking they are getting a good job done, when in fact its quite the reverse. You can kind of understand joe public getting duped by dentists/vet etc but an equestrian college ! It makes my blood boil, teeth, feet and backs , just get them bloody done properly.

Its desperately sad about Tim, Ivan was telling me yesterday that he was only playing golf with him last month, its crazy how life can turn around so quickly. My heart goes out to all the family.

 

[Gingerwitch]

Again and I do not work for Pool House ! they have an amazing section that work with in foal, and foaling mares - have a look at their facebook page.
they have done work for me and consulted when i was out of the county, and I sent them x-rays from my local vet. I honestly would not consider sending my horse anywhere else for any invasive surgery. Their after care team,if she needs to be down for a couple of days, and the vet nurses, stable girls fuss over the horses so much its amazing, they even have little paddocks to turn the patients out in so they can chill out when they are feeling better. i have even had updates at 10pm on the last check by the vets - although they are monitored through the night, and it was an xx is tucking into his hay and his temp is xxxx and his last drip has just been put in and he has done 2 movements, and drunk half a water bucket, looking very perky and being cheeky in himself.
I have had several horses treated here, and one for a very poor parrot mouth - Sam did an amazing job, and as i do not like to have too much done at one time as he can get very upset even when sedated, they kept my lad for a couple of days and we ended up doing more than we initially thought. When I visited him, he really did not bother with me at all ! it was one of the only times he has refused to box.

Good luck, I hope it all works out for you