Equine dentistry – is there a link to performance?

main disorders likely to result in pain and therefore potential performance gait and balance disorders are
Soft tissue injuries from sharp enamel points of cheek teeth injuries to the bars of the lower jaw from the bitDental pulpitis inflammation inside the toothCheek tooth nonseptic pulpitis pulp inflammationCheek tooth septic pulpitis infection often leading to a tooth root abscessDental trauma e g. fractured incisorsDeep infundibular caries central decay leading to dentine andor pulp inflammationDiastema and periodontal disease food impacted between the teethDentine sensitivity from cracks fissures partial fracturesDentine and possibly pulp exposure and bit contact e g. from bitseats
What are the symptoms of dental disease?
The commonly described symptoms of dental disease include
Quidding dropping food difficulty eatingNasal dischargesHalitosisFacial swellings
These are signs of certain advanced types of dental disease but evidence shows its a lot more complex than we may think. Dental pain or toothache or pain from a single painful gap diastema is rarely diagnosed especially during the developmental phase of disease when the pain could actually be at its most severe.
If a horse has dental pain on one side of the mouth for example from a single or perhaps a few bad teeth the unique arrangement of the teeth means eating on the other side of the mouth is a simple solution to avoid it.
Abscesses or root disease of the cheek teeth furthest forwards may cause externally visible facial swellings. For the teeth further back the swelling may develop internally within the sinus or nasal passages restricting airflow. Cold air passing over such a swelling at exercise could easily cause marked discomfort. The dental pulp has a high capacity for repair and the bodys own defence mechanisms can often resolve early problems without any external signs. If the disease overwhelms the local defences it may not be obvious that a problem exists until days weeks or even years later. 

Can correcting the bite improve performance?
Some dental technicians advocate that various types of correction of the bite can improve performance yet none of these theories has ever been proven scientifically. A recent study on incisor bite angles has shown that horses naturally have a wide variation reflecting the individual variations of anatomy and that there is no one for all formula.
Routine maintenance rasping is important to prevent the development of focal overgrowths of individual teeth and remove sharp edges that could cause cheek bruising or ulceration especially where tack is involved but