Optimum Health, Posture & Performance
Connected Naturally
The Blackdown Hills, Somerset
Natural Balance Dentistry is a unique speciality of dentistry that addresses the question of could there be a purpose of teeth other than simply chewing food?
To understand this, is to understand the horse and how the teeth play a vital role in the neuromuscular system.
A new field of dentistry is emerging that addresses the function of the Temporal Mandibular Joint (TMJ) and respects how changing the teeth, links to the position of the jaw, head and spine.
Different positions in the way the teeth come together (occlusion) induces variations in body posture, flexibility and motion. Jaw motion is directly equal to the motion of the horse's entire body in all directions.
Natural Balance Equine Dentistry
Specialising in optimal dental occlusion
Adjusting the incisors - which are key to balancing the TMJ.
Natural Balance Dentistry is a holistic whole horse approach and has an important influence on posture, movement and wellbeing.
Only reducing sharp edges does not address TMJ function and its affect on the proper biomechanics of the body. The teeth in a horse have evolved in such away that they have specific inclinations which provide maximum function of the Jaw and these inclination planes are respected and adjusted for each individual horse.
The rotation of The Temporomandibular Joint is dictated by the incisors which in turn dictates the wear patterns of the molars. So the purpose of equine dentistry is to address the cause, not treat the symptoms. Balancing the rest of the mouth, including the molars, cannot be accomplished without proper balance in the front of the mouth.
Adjusting inclination - restoring the natural wear patterns for each individual horse.
In a natural state the horse would graze for 14-18 hours a day on grasses that contain silicas wearing or abrading the teeth in such a manner that the front teeth wear at the rate of eruption.
These front teeth, or incisors, as they are called are the key to balancing the mouth. The length and angle of the incisors at age 5 are meant to remain that way throughout the lifetime of the horse. It is at the age of 5 that the incisors of our domestic horses (unable to graze constantly) will begin to exceed their appropriate length and angle. This is the beginning of abnormal pressure and rotation of the TMJ.