I have a 3yr filly (Ex racer) who has terrible conformation of the mouth she had lots of work done literally withing days of getting her, I was told she would have benefitted from earlier treatment. If you have other horses under the dentist get him/her to take a look at the conformation of her mouth, it cant hurt to look in case anything looks as though it may need attention or watching as she matures.
You should get the dentist to have a look now. But obviously not put on a speculum to check, because the pre maxilla bone is not fused at a year old. But definitely start having treatment by 2.5. Most changes take place between 2.5 to 5 years old. As they shed 24 teeth. So you will be in the best position to catch any abnormalities from early treatment.
My yearling filly had to have her molars floated even though they were premolars, the vet put her hand in, and cut it, they were so sharp.Since then, I tend to check from an early age.
I'd definitely check before THEN! Most yearlings don't need treatment - UNLESS they have mouth irregularities (parrot mouth, shear mouth etc.) but if they need it, they NEED it!
From 2-3 years is the MOST critical time for regular checks as you can get trouble with retained caps. If these hang about and aren't removed, they can force the emerging permanent molars apart and you can end up with - at best - a lot of quidding, weight loss, colic - and at worst, with severe diastema.
One of my staff members is just starting training as an EDT and has his own mouth gag, so I give him a free hand to inspect mouths and try to spot problems in advance of vet/EDTs visits. (Useful for getting them used to the gag before any work needs to be done!) He's found a couple of unexpected 'problems' that would have got much worse without treatment - even in yearlings.
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When should I start getting my yearlings teeth checked. WAs told not to bother untill I start riding her but thought I'd check
thanks