BearTumbledDown
New User
My horse has a Black tooth that is purple at the gum but he does not seem to be bothered by it. My vet is coming out in the next few day but I wondered if anyone had any previous experince of this?
Black Tooth Not Hurting?
- Thread starter BearTumbledDown
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ThePinkPony
Well-Known Member
i have with children. not horses though.
Teeth can go black because of trauma, like a knock, they are usually completely painless. ive seen several under 5's with black chompers where theyve fallen over or something.
Dont know wether its similar with horses or not, but id have thought anatomically teeth are quite similar no matter the species.
Oh and MILS dog has a black canine, he had a habit of chasing pebbles across asphalt and knocked a couple out and one is black, still in there though and it doesnt hurt him.
Teeth can go black because of trauma, like a knock, they are usually completely painless. ive seen several under 5's with black chompers where theyve fallen over or something.
Dont know wether its similar with horses or not, but id have thought anatomically teeth are quite similar no matter the species.
Oh and MILS dog has a black canine, he had a habit of chasing pebbles across asphalt and knocked a couple out and one is black, still in there though and it doesnt hurt him.
BearTumbledDown
New User
Do you know what happens to the tooth after the trauma? Does it go back to normal or fall out??
ThePinkPony
Well-Known Member
just stayed that way by all accounts. with the kids they fell out as per usual to make way for big teeth, but the dog still sports his.
BearTumbledDown
New User
Thank you, so you don't think the vet could do anything other then possibly take it out if he thought it wouldnt affect him?
ThePinkPony
Well-Known Member
like i said i dont know horse wise but if its not hurting him then i doubt a vet is going to want to do much to it.
Possibly get the dentist out instead, or at least ring one.
BearTumbledDown
New User
Thanks again 
horserugsnot4u
Well-Known Member
I have had two ponies over the years from a rescue centre, with a dead tooth - that's what my equine dentist called it. He said they can last just like a normal healthy tooth or they can become loose and drop out. Well I have had both sides of the coin. First pony we had for 4 years and the tooth was ok and she was 14 and it had been like that for a long time. Our other pony with a black tooth was 5 when we got her and had a couple of dental issues prior to us loaning her. After about 3 years the black tooth became dislodged, equine dentist was just going on holiday so he said keep an eye on it and if it seemed there was any sort of pain or infection associated with it to call the vet. Anyway within a few days it was gone, obviously dropped out whilst eating, never to be seen again and she hasn't had any trouble with her teeth since. The only thing dentist said was you have to keep an eye on the other teeth that can close the gap, or the opposite tooth on the bottom (or top), which can grow longer as it isn't grinding against anything. Routine dental checks would pick this up. Three years on we've had no further issues.