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Wolf teeth are small
conical teeth, which can appear in front of the pre-molars,
mainly on the upper jaw, but they can occur on the lower jaw as
well.
Wolf teeth are
vestigial which means that they are not fully-formed and they
don't really have a function in the mouth of the modern horse.
They do not have long roots that set them firmly in the jaw bone.
The wolf teeth are
located at the back of the interdental space (the bar of the
mouth, where the bit goes). The bit can come into contact with the
wolf tooth (the wolf tooth can take the impact of the bit rather
than the first pre-molar) and this can be painful. As the tooth
does not have a function, wolf teeth are usually removed as
standard practise.
Wolf teeth can cause
a problem even if they have not erupted from the gum. These are
referred to as blind wolf teeth and can also be removed. |
