Equine Dental Occlusion (part 2)

What is Occlusion?

Occlusion is the relationship between the Maxilla (upper jaw) and the Mandible (lower jaw), aka how our horses chew their food.

Why is occlusion important?

The Mandible is the largest pattern setter in the body. This means the mechanical balance of the Mandible is reflected through the rest of the body; a tight, restricted mandible which can only move asymmetrically is reflected through the rest of the body. A free flowing, easily engaged, balanced mandible is reflected through the rest of the body. You get the picture.

The Mandible’s primary axis point of movement is the atlas axis joint (where the first and second vertebrae meet) aka the pole, as stated by Guzay’s Theorum. Therefore, the relationship between mastication (chewing) and the neck is intimate and important to be aware of.

It goes deeper:
The mandible bone articulates (contacts) the Temporal (ear) bones through the TMJ (temporomandibular joint). Now, the beauty here is that the Temporal bones mirror the hip bones!! Thus, demonstration in one of many ways, the beautiful, reflective relationship between the cranium and the pelvis.

Considering the relationship between these two bones we see how revealing chewing itself can be! If the mandible is tight, the TMJ is tight, if the TMJ is tight, the Temporal bones are affected which means the pelvis will be reflecting that affect. The inverse is also true…a balanced mandible, a balanced pelvis, generally speaking.

Pulling this all together you can see there is a lot of mechanical information to be discovered by simply watching and listening to how our horses chew their food. When we consider all the conjoining factors of our horse’s anatomy, the demonstration on view for us is infinitely beneficial!

Horses are designed to trickle feed which means they spend 80% of the day eating less nutrient dense foods in greater quantities to maintain their weight and energy levels efficiently. Aka lots of chewing time.

Some points to consider:

– The mandible is designed to move in a figure of eight when in balance, does your horse chew more in one direction than the other on a regular basis?

– Does their muzzle seem to be relaxed and open when foraging for grass?

– Are they open or restricted at the pole when they have their head down?

– A horse’s pole aids in the tearing action, is your horse able to easily tear away it’s food from the ground or is the tearing action short and tight?

– One of the most important questions… CAN YOU HEAR YOUR HORSE CHEW? Ideally the answer is yes as any lack of occlusion sound tends to be the result of bad dental work in combination with tight mastication (chewing) muscles.

– Is the sound smooth and even?

Observing our horses and their physical functions in this way enables us to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanical connections within the body. Yes, on one hand your horse is just chewing, on the other hand there is a world of important information at our finger (or ear) tips when we choose to learn from what our horses are already showing us.

Now, of course there are multiple factors and varying degrees of reasoning behind why a horse could be in or out of physical balance, what I am presenting to you here is one mostly under observed point of anatomical reference.

What is an ideal chewing set up for your horse? As natural as possible, a range of different grasses and hay fed always on the ground or as low down as possible to ensure proper alignment and function between the mandible and pole.

What I love about horses is that they will always show us what we need to know in order to care for them and understand them in the best way possible. This is a reflection of life itself, we are always presented with information to read, it is up to us to choose to learn, be present and still enough to truly witness.