Bernadene Certified Equine Dentist

Bernadene Certified Equine Dentist I'm a Certified Equine Dentist, I've been working with Horses all my life. Feel free to contact me f In humans "TMJ" problems can cause headaches.

Horses' teeth grow continuously until some time between the ages of 25 and 30. Grass, their natural food, contains silica which is an abrasive and which constantly wears down the horse's teeth. The fibers of heavier grasses require a bit of grinding on the part of the horse. Additionally the horse reaches down to bite off grass and then raises his head to chew which changes his jaw position constantly. A horse living on natural grass will be more likely to naturally polish off the surfaces of his molars into a level. Thus the horse's dental apparatus is pretty well adapted to his natural diet. These points can be quite razor-like, actually cutting deep into one's finger when rubbed across them while inspecting the mouth. These sharp points they often cut into the horse's cheeks when they chew and cause soreness where a bit or halter pushes the cheek against a sharp tooth. They can also cause slab fractures which are discussed later in this section. In some cases a horse may have to chew unnaturally in an attempt to grind up his food. This action can often result in increased uneven wear on the teeth and in some cases generate significant excess pressure on one or more tooth which can result in serious complications including causing teeth to literally be worked loose. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Your horse may be showing signs of burgeoning dental problems. Horses who become harder to keep for no apparent reason, who salivate excessively when eating, who eat slowly and with effort, who continuously drop bits of half chewed food and who show unusually coarse manure are prime candidates for a dental inspection. Other behavioral characteristics suggesting tooth problems may include unusual fussing with the bit, avoidance of bit contact, irritation when put into a dropped noseband, head tucking or head tossing, poor self carriage and not wanting to have his face and muzzle handled. PAIN AND BEHAVIOR
An uneven matching of the molars can put a strain on the temporal mandibular joint, which can be very painful. In horses it can cause them to go off feed or colic. Oftentimes mysterious colics which have no apparent cause can be traced back to dental problems. Hooks on the far back of the molars can prevent the horse's jaw from relaxing and moving forward when the rider asks him to round up, especially if he's wearing a tight dropped noseband and can't open his mouth to relieve the pressure. This situation can also be painful and result in the horse displaying unusual head movements or being unable to sustain a comfortable frame. Additionally, young horses will often experience discomfort when shedding their deciduous (baby) teeth. Lumps will often appear under the jawbones while the new teeth are trying to erupt and sometimes the horse can benefit from some human assistance in removing the old baby tooth "caps".

03/09/2025
03/09/2025
03/09/2025

This is why shoving a hose up your horses sheath will not clean it 🫣

We hear it all the time, ‘I put a hose up there, job done’ - job isn’t done.
You can see in the image below the pocket - that yellow bit is a bean - that bean was around the size of a large conker once we removed it. A horse will never be able to remove it - it literally needs human intervention.

We also hear ‘my horse looks fine - we are lucky he’s never needed this doing’
But have you actually checked? Because if you have never had anyone check you can’t say they never needed it?
You can see in the image, if I wasn’t physically showing you - you would not know the bean was there.

What’s often not taken into consideration either is that once a horse retracts their p***s it shrinks down to at least a 1/5 of its size. So that conker size bean looks lost in comparison to the head of the horses p***s in the image, but once it’s retracted? you can physically feel how severely it’s stretching the head of the p***s. It’s just you can’t see it - so it’s actually terribly hard to comprehend!

Get them checked 🐎

05/08/2025

CAN BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS BE A SIGN OF DENTAL PAIN?

Yes absolutely! A wide range of behaviour problems can be caused by the horse having dental issues. However, many horse owners and caretakers do have difficulty recognising behaviours associated with dental pain.

Fascinating research looking at the relationship between horse behaviour and dental problems – specifically in the cheek teeth – has been published by equine scientists in Finland. In this study, a dental examination was performed on 183 adult horses and cheek tooth findings were scored. The researchers found that 95% (yes you read that correctly – 95%!) had one or more abnormal findings in the cheek teeth.

The 183 horses were made up of 74 mares, 103 geldings, and six stallions of varying breeds with ages ranging from 5-28. All horses were sedated for the dental examination. The examination was performed with an endoscope in 104 horses and with a mirror in 79 horses. Six horses had received pain medication during the previous week.

Each horse's owner was asked to complete a questionnaire including 35 questions concerning the eating behaviour, bit-related behaviour, and general behaviour of their horse. The owners reported a wide variety of behaviours, including eating slowly, turning the head when eating, dropping food from the mouth, headshaking when the bit was used, headshyness, resisting bridling, avoiding drinking cold water, and aggressive behaviour. Weight loss, halitosis and even impaction colic had been reported in some horses. The behavioural signs noted were compared to the dental results.

The team found that 76% had infundibular caries and 65% had peripheral caries. Fissures were reported in 69%, diastemas (gaps between the teeth) in 38%, secondary dentine defects in 32% and fractures in 27% of the horses. Nine of the horses had no dental findings. At least one finding in one cheek tooth or more was detected in 95% of the horses.

Broadened or darkened fissures, complicated fractures and secondary dentine defects (of at least the second degree) were associated with the horse displaying at least five behavioural signs. Horses with at least one potentially painful cheek tooth finding displayed significantly higher number of abnormal eating, bit-related, and general behaviours than horses with no findings.

The results suggest that the cheek tooth findings highlighted in this research are potentially painful. We would recommend reading the study and taking note of the behaviours listed. If your horse is displaying any of the behaviours mentioned (or indeed any unusual oral behaviour) then arrange a dental examination by a qualified equine dentist as soon as possible. We all know how painful dental issues can be! Regular dental examinations are vital to ensure dental disease is found early and the development of painful conditions prevented.

The study is open access and free to read: Laukkanen et al. Behavioral Signs Associated With Equine Cheek Tooth Findings. J Equine Vet Sci. 2023 Feb; 121:104198.

Aan elke ruiter van die 50ste Faurismith 2025Ek d**k aan elkeen van julle met trots en bewondering. 200km saam jou Perd....
08/07/2025

Aan elke ruiter van die 50ste Faurismith 2025
Ek d**k aan elkeen van julle met trots en bewondering. 200km saam jou Perd.

Mag elke tree ’n herinnering wees, elke galop ’n glimlag bring ♡
Geniet elke oomblik – jy en jou perd het hard gewerk om hier te wees.
Pas jou perd op, hou jou kop hoog, en vertrou op die band wat julle gebou het.

Ek, Bernadene van Certified Equine Dentistry, d**k aan julle, en bid vir veiligheid, uithouvermoë en vreugde vir elke kilometer.



Lekker ry – dis julle tyd om geskiedenis te maak! 🐎✨

Aan my Ongelooflike Kliente, bronchitis het my platgetrek soos ’n ossewa teen ’n bergpas! 😷🛌 Ek lê soos ’n drama queen i...
04/07/2025

Aan my Ongelooflike Kliente, bronchitis het my platgetrek soos ’n ossewa teen ’n bergpas! 😷🛌 Ek lê soos ’n drama queen in my bed, met tissues in my een hand en warm tee in die ander – Oscar-waardig, regtig. Ek kom by al my boodskappe uit sodra ek ophou hoes soos ’n trekker wat nie wil aanskakel nie. Dankie vir julle geduld, julle’s goud werd!"

Hoe mis my hart hierdie ❤️
26/06/2025

Hoe mis my hart hierdie ❤️

26/06/2025

Wait till the end! WHAT A DAY🤣😁🦄

☆☆☆☆☆
26/06/2025

☆☆☆☆☆

We are absolutely thrilled with the incredible healing progress shown in just 2 days!

Our client treated their horse’s wound using our Antibacterial Wash and Greasy Heel Wound Ointment, and the results speak for themselves.

Seeing such fast and visible improvement brings us so much joy, and we’re proud to share this healing journey with you. Moments like these are exactly why we do what we do!

-K

♡♡♡
13/06/2025

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Horses, Donkeys… if it’s got hooves and teeth, I’m its dentist! ♡
03/06/2025

Horses, Donkeys… if it’s got hooves and teeth, I’m its dentist! ♡

"Helping horses with their teeth? Sure. But cows? Now I’m officially a barnyard dentist." ♡Bernadene Meintjes Robêrt
03/06/2025

"Helping horses with their teeth? Sure. But cows? Now I’m officially a barnyard dentist." ♡

Bernadene Meintjes Robêrt

Address

Middelburg

Telephone

0824955753

Website

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