Q. I am a new horse owner of a beautiful 12 yr.old quarter horse. She is great!I was told I need to have her teeth floated. What does that mean? I have an equine dentist coming but would like some information prior to his arrival.

A. Teeth floating is a routine necessary practice. Unlike human teeth, equine teeth grow perpetually throughout the horse's lifetime. In addition to this fact, many horses have upper and lower jaws which do not align perfectly with one other. Often, the upper jaw is a bit wider than the lower, leaving the outside edges of the upper teeth and inside edges of the lower teeth to overhang the union. These overhangs can grow into sharp "points" - so sharp that the horse can severely cut his tongue and inside of his cheeks in normal chewing. Occasionally a horse will also lose a tooth, leaving the corresponding tooth of the opposite jaw to grow into the space vacated by the lost tooth to the point of interfering with the opposing gum.

Floating is a process in which a large file (float) is used to file down both any sharp "points" and any other abnormal dental growth that may cause the animal oral discomfort or make chewing of feed inefficient. The frequency with which floating is necessary varies greatly from horse to horse. Some animals have better jaw alignment and seemingly slower-growing teeth and may require floating only once every several years. Others may require floating every few months.

It would be helpful here to find out from the previous owner just how often this mare's teeth were floated in the past and how she responded to the procedure. While most horses adjust quite well to the procedure and put up only mild resistance, others may require sedation to allow a thorough dental exam and necessary work.

Indications that a horse may need to have his teeth worked on are grain falling from the mouth while eating or whole grain being passed in significant amounts in the manure. Painful teeth or gums may also cause problems when the horse is bitted during work. You can check for the presence of "points" on the teeth by running your fingers inside the mouth along the inside of the cheek to feel the edges of the upper teeth. Be extremely careful if you decide to try this (I prefer to leave this to the vet); points can be razor sharp and easily tear your fingers to shreds.