What Is Teeth Floating?

Unlike other animals, horses must chew their food completely in order to effectively digest it. If the tooth surface is not flat, they cannot chew properly. Equine dental care is required to maintain a flat tooth surface. Teeth floating is the term used to describe the grinding and filing of the surface of the tooth. A file, called a float, is used to contour the surface of the horse's tooth.

  1. Purpose

    • To properly chew and digest food, a horse must have chewing teeth with flat surfaces. A horse's teeth are continually growing, which makes it difficult for them to maintain a flat surface. Horses are also very prone to developing uneven teeth surfaces as their upper jaws are wider than their lower jaws. They may develop sharp, razorlike edges that can cut the insides of their mouths.

    Equipment

    • A float and a wedge are used when floating a horse's teeth. The wedge is place between the back teeth to keep the horse's mouth open. The float is the file or dental rasp that is used to file the teeth and smooth the chewing surfaces. There are manually or electrically operated floats. All equipment must be properly sanitized to prevent infection and the spread of bacteria from one horse to another.

    Professional Floating

    • Teeth floating should only be done by a professional. An equine dentist or veterinarian is specifically trained to float your horse's teeth. Extreme caution must be taken when performing this procedure. Although there are no nerves at the tooth surface, a sedative may be required to calm the horse. A complete dental and gum exam should also take place to check for cracked, loose or missing teeth or any gum irritations or infections.

    Considerations

    • Although it is recommended that you have your horse's teeth examined annually, the need for floating varies from horse to horse. If the horse drops food from its mouth, exhibits difficulty in chewing, excessively salivates, loses weight, resists having the bridle put on, frequently tosses its head, excessively chews its bit or has mouth odor, blood in the mouth, facial swelling or nasal discharge, it may need to have its teeth floated.