What does it mean to float a horses teeth?
Teeth floating is the most common dental procedure veterinarians perform on horses. Floating is the process of rasping or filing down a horse’s teeth, thus removing sharp enamel points to create an even bite plane. Floating also keeps incisors and cheek teeth at a desirable length. 9. Q: Why do horses need their teeth floated? A: Horses teeth are different than human teeth. Horses teeth continually grow throughout their lifetime. Also, a horses upper jaw is wider than its lower jaw. Therefore, the outside edges of the top teeth and the inside edges of the lower teeth do not get worn down and they develop sharp points. The sharp enamel points can make it difficult for horses to properly chew their food. This can lead to large particles in the digestive tract and cause the horse to be at risk for an impaction colic. Also, the sharp enamel points can cause sores in the horse’s mouth and allow bacteria and toxins to enter the horse’s blood stream. The sores also can cause behavior problems
