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This photo is of a 6 year old Quarter Horse gelding that has 4 retained baby incisors. As the adult incisors erupted, they were “pushed back” by the retained baby teeth and are now out of alignment. The baby teeth should have been completely shed by 4.5 years of age to allow the adult teeth to grow into their proper locations.
Treatment of this condition is to extract the retained baby teeth and if they are removed early enough, the adults will erupt normally. In this case, since the horse’s adult incisors are fully matured, there will be some degree of misalignment for the rest of his life. More frequent dental procedures will be needed to maintain normal function.
Between the ages of 2.5 – 4.5 years, 24 baby teeth are shed and replaced by 24 adult teeth. These are also the ages that we are training our horses and expect them to perform at futurities, etc. Retained baby teeth can cause discomfort both while eating and when a bit is in their mouth. Dental exams should be performed every 6 months in younger horses to address abnormalities that can affect chewing, performance, and dental conformation.
David Warren, D.V.M.