Dental Warning Signs
Use this brief list of possible signs to help yourself be aware of a developing issue in your own horse:

Behavior and Performance Problems That May Signal Dental Disease

• Difficult bitting
• Reluctance to give to a snaffle bit, especially to one side
• Excessive head tossing or shaking when pressure applied to bit or bosal
• Gaping mouth, pinned ears, lolling tongue
• Neck extension to avoid bit pressure, leaning into the bit
• Overflexing (Behind the bit) to avoid bit pain
• Refusal to collect or bend, or maintain head set
• Leaning into the bit
• Failure to take a lead or run straight, failure to stop, bucking

Physical Signs of Dental Disease

• Visible sharp outer edges on first cheek teeth seen when the corners of lips are held away from the teeth
• Obviously fractured or displaced incisors, especially in young horses
• Open mouth chewing
• Failure to finish meals of hay or hard pellets, intermittent eating, slow eating
• Packing feed in the cheek (usually near sharp points or damaged teeth)
• Excessive salivation on eating, thin, blood tinged saliva
• Quidding—the dropping of partially chewed boluses of food from the mouth
• Loss of condition
• Mouth or nasal odor that is offensive
• Lumps on side of jaw, under jaw
• Draining tracts under jaw
• Unilateral nasal discharge