WOLF TOOTH OR CANINE ?

No two teeth in the horse’s mouth are more misunderstood than the canine tooth and the wolf tooth. Some of the confusion horse people have with these two teeth comes from the fact that they share some common traits.

Ø They both are located in the same part of

the horse’s mouth.

Ø Not all horses have them.

Ø Both can create problems for the horse,

although in different ways.

Despite these similarities the canine tooth and wolf

tooth are distinctly different. As a horse person,

learning the details about these two teeth will give

you a definite advantage. And the horses you work

with and own will benefit a bunch!

Let me show you why.

To start let’s look at the canine. The canine tooth is a male fighting tooth. It’s main function for the horse is to do damage to his opponent in a fight. There are normally four of them. Two are located in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw. They are found in the interdental space of the mouth. This is the part of the mouth between the incisors and molars also called the bars of the mouth.

The canines are usually about an inch (2.5cm) or so behind the corner incisors. The bottom two on the lower jaw tend to get quite long and sharp. They are deeply rooted teeth and very strong.

Female horses don’t usually have canine teeth.

However, some of the girls didn’t read the book!

If a mare does have canines they usually occur

only on the bottom jaw and are very small. They

are also commonly placed quite close to the incisors.

The canines start to appear in a stallion or gelding’s

mouth at about 4 ½ years of age. By 5 years old

they will be mature. This fact can be a handy clue

Mature canines

to what a horse’s age is. If he is a male and does not

have canines he will be less than 4 years old. If he

has mature canines you will know he is at least 5 years old.

As we mentioned, the lower canines often get long and sharp. This creates potential for a couple of problems. First there is the chance of cutting his tongue on these teeth. The other difficulty is usually related to bit interference.

The mature lower canine often is higher than the

lower incisors in front of it. When the horse opens

his mouth to allow the bit to come in it will clear

the lower incisors but sometimes hit the higher

canine tooth behind them.

This striking the canine with a bit doesn’t have to

Long lower canine

happen very often before the horse will start getting

nervous about the bit going in and out of his mouth.

To prevent this problem developing it is a good idea to have your equine dentist trim and round off the lower canines. This will accomplish two things. The shorter tooth will be much less likely to be struck by a bit. And it will no longer be sharp so he will not cut himself or another horse with it.

Now the wolf tooth is quite a different character. It is a small tooth often about the size of the end of a pencil. It is usually located just in front of the first molar. The most outstanding feature of the wolf tooth is that it is very unpredictable!

They can occur in either a male or female horse.

There can be four of them, one on each arcade,

but that is rare. They most commonly occur on

the top jaw and sometimes there is only one.

They normally will be positioned close to the

first molar. They may be pointed out at an angle

or tipped in toward the tongue. Sometimes they

Upper wolf tooth

grow out sideways or parallel to the jawbone.

They may not actually come through the gum at

all. These are called blind wolf teeth.

As you can see, wolf teeth are unpredictable and troublesome.

About 12-15% of horses will develop one or more wolf teeth. If they are going to have wolf teeth they will appear in the first year of the horse’s life. If a horse does not have any wolf teeth by the time it is 2 years old he will not get any.

A wolf tooth has a small simple root that makes

it relatively easy to extract. Removing wolf teeth

is usually a good idea.

Some extracted wolf teeth

Here’s why.

When a bit is properly placed in a horse’s mouth it folds a corner of the soft tissue of the mouth in behind it. This fold of skin normally comes up against the smooth shoulder of the first molar. No problem. Enter the wolf tooth, which is often pointed and sharp. As soon as the rider makes contact with the bit this fold of soft skin is pushed against the sharp wolf tooth and pinches the horse.

The pain caused by a wolf tooth in this way can create a lot of behavior problems.

A horse may become reluctant to give properly to the bit on the side where the wolf tooth is located.

Ø In race horses lugging away from or

into the rail is often a result of a wolf

tooth.

Ø A barrel horse may tend to blow his

turns one way.

Ø A dressage horse may not flex well

on one side because of a wolf tooth.

These and other similar problems can be solved or prevented by removing the wolf tooth. It is a good idea to have any horse you work with checked for wolf teeth. Taking care of this detail can make a huge difference for both you and the horse.

The canine or wolf tooth can cause your horse trouble. Having problems caused by these teeth solved or prevented is the mark of a savvy horse owner.

Your horse will be grateful that you helped him.

Have fun with all your horse adventures.

Cliff Hanna practices equine dentistry in northwestern Canada. His main focus has become providing hands-on knowledge to the individual horse enthusiast. Cliff holds equine dental awareness seminars, writes articles for horse magazines and publishes a free newsletter called EquiNews. He is also author of the horse owner's dentistry handbook, "Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth". Contact Cliff at: www.TheHorseDentistryHandbook.com or phone 867) 633-4071.