another dentistry question

[notpoodle]

angel had her little gnashers done on wednesday morning. that involved rasping, pulling out wolfteeth and fixing a dislodged tooth somewhere at the back.

the dentist (who is a very good dentist and does top competition horses i hear) said it'd be okay to ride again the next day. i left it until today though, just to be on the safe side.

i was hoping that, with the wolfteeth gone et al, that angel's habit (she doesnt do it all the time, but it DOES happen) of throwing her head up and opening her mouth when i ask for a downward transition (trot-walk being the worst 'culprit' here) would improve/go away.

rode her today and she was rather un-keen on downward transitions and kept fiddling/pulling when at halt (note: i dont tug at the reins once she has halted and she normally stands on a fairly lose rein).

her mouth looks like nothing happened (ie. does not look sore and you cant even see where he pulled the teeth out any more).

is that normal post-dentist behaviour?

julia
x

[clipclop]

Wolf teeth are usually very small with very small roots too so it isn't usually a major thing.

Saying that though a friend of mine had her horses wolf teeth removed and he said to wait about a week before riding again.

THe wolf tooth is actualy situated where the bit would lie so even though it is a small tooth it could very well be a bit sore from having it removed.

Try putting a spoon of salt in her tea for a couple of days.

[notpoodle]

excuse the pun but wouldnt that be quite literally be rubbing salt in her wounds and make her more uncomfortable? she doesnt get any tea as such as she lives off grass, hay and vitamin/traces biscuits :rolleyes:

julia
x

[chev]

Salt is a great antiseptic, and can be really soothing on sore gums. If she's not fed, see if she'll let you sponge some salty water on her gums and in her mouth - most horses quite like it and it will help her mouth heal faster if there's any residual soreness.

[MelanieD]

I was told 4 days totally off from being ridden and 7-10 days without a bit when fatty had a wolf tooth out, hers was a very stubborn one to get out even though it was small. I had the vet out for something else about 3 weeks later and he had a look at where the tooth had come out and said it was almost totally healed. Don't think they'd all take that long to heal though as hers was a bit complicated to get out, really didn't want to go! It was about a month until she was totally happy to have a bit in, but she is a very sensitive little madam who likes to make her opinions known.

[notpoodle]

oh this is getting confusing :rolleyes: vet and dentist said it'd be okay to ride the next day, so i left it almost 3 days ... yard manager's initial guess was 10 days off, you people say at least a week or so ....

i'll try with the salty water - wonder if she lets me do that!

the tooth/teeth were miniscule (less than 1cm long) and came out without any problems according to mr dentist man. her mouth does not look sore and she let me have a good look at it today without any lip-clenching or backing away. she's also eating fine.

julia
x

[clipclop]

Don't worry if she won't let you rub her gums with it. Just put some in her feed or fill up a syringe with salt water and swill her mouth. It will harden the gums, help clear any infection and speed up any heeling.

[MeMe]

My friends horse had her wolf teeth removed and the dentist said to leave her off for 10 - 14 days.