Some horses will develop sharp points on their teeth from uneaven wearing or growing. A horse's upper and lower jaws may not align perfectly, leaving the overhanging sides of the teeth to grow out into sharp edges. The back molars can cut the horse's cheek or tongue if left untreated and make chewing and riding painful. For this reason, horses need to have their teeth floated periodically.

"Floating" is the process of gently filing sharp edges down with a long-handled dental rasp. The process is quick and painless and generally requires only minimal restraint. If a horse is headshy or has never been floated, it may act up and require sedation, but your equine dentist can make that descision.

Some vets prefer to sedate the horse and insert a full-mouth speculum (a devide to hold the mouth open) so they can examine or better reach areas of the mouth.

A horse's teeth should be checked yearly and floated if necessary. Some horses will need to have their teeth floated more often than yearly, and others may be fine with floating only every several years. It depends on your individual horse, how its jaw is formed, and how fast its teeth grow.

If your horse begins to dribble grain from its mouth, pass whole grains in its manure, chew slowly, or fight the bit it may be because the teeth need to be floated. Pain may also be caused by other problems, such as injuries to the mouth, broken teeth, or a bit that fits incorrectly.

You can check your horse's teeth by reaching in where the bars are and pulling the tongue aside and examining the teeth. Be careful when you do this-- if the edges of the teeth are sharp, they can easily tear your skin. Your horse can, of course, also bite you if you don't handle his mouth properly! Never stick your fingers or hand into the horse's mouth unless you really know what you are doing.