Bob’ 15 yr old Welsh Cob gelding
No history of weight loss, trouble eating (quidding, dropping feed or long stems in faeces) or obvious oral pain. Presented for routine dental.
A quick clinical exam was conducted and Bob was sedated.
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A thorough examination was conducted to assess Bobs sinus’s, face and jaw symmetry and regional lymph nodes. No abnormalities were detected. Bob’s lateral and rostro-caudal excursion was then tested. There was reduced rostro-caudal movement of the jaw, indicating that Bobs jaw was unable to slide freely forward when his head was in the lowered position. His lateral excursion was reduced bilaterally, indicating that Bob couldn’t move his jaw side to side effectively. These excursion tests indicated that Bob had pathology present within his mouth that was limiting his ability to masticate effectively.
Next, an oral examination was conducted. It was found that Bob had significant ramps on his final molar on his lower right and left arcade. These teeth were markedly longer than the other teeth in the arcade and would be responsible for Bob’s reduced rostro-caudal excursion. There was significant ulceration associated with the buccal mucosal surface of the cheek and soft palate caused by these ramps.
Bob also had sharp points associate with the buccal (cheek) aspect of his upper arcades and lingual (tongue) aspect of his lower arcades. This would account for his reduced lateral excursion.
A dental float was conducted to reduce the ramps on the last lower molars – being mindful of the depth of crown in relation to the underlying pulp chamber and rebalance the mouth.
Image: Circled – Ramp. Bracket and arrow – ulceration
It was recommended that Bob have another dental in 4-5 months to further improve the ramp and prevent further pathology.