Natural Balance Dentistry
Beyond run of the mill equine dentistry, Natural Balance Dentistry is a holistic approach to equine dentistry that applies the science of oral bio mechanics to dental procedures.
Our paradigm in Natural Balance Dentistry is to maximize surface to surface contact of all teeth, the upper and lower molar arcades and incisors, within the anatomically correct parameters of each individual. Doing so restores anterior/posterior movement and the correct lateral motion of the jaw as well as the natural guidance, rotation and function to the TMJ. It is accomplished by removing the least amount of tooth possible, while achieving maximum results.
The Evolution of the Problem
Nature created a balanced system for the horse. They would graze between 14 and 18 hours a day on grasses that contain silicas which naturally wore down the teeth. The front teeth wore at about the same rate they continually erupted-- a Naturally Balanced system. The length and angle of the front teeth were meant to be equal to that of today’s 5 year old domestic horse. They would remain that way throughout the rest of the hors’s lifetime. Through domestication, we have altered the horse’s natural patterns of grazing, diet and physical activity. In addition to confinement reducing grazing activity, the cultivated grasses of today have less of an abrasive action than natural habitat, thus compounding the problem.
With a drastically altered lifestyle, the front teeth of domestic horses usually exceeds the length and angle evolution dictated. Once this happens, it causes an abnormal rotation of the TMJ (Temporal Mandibular Joint); the joint where the jaw hinges to the skull. The rotation of this joint controls the wear pattern of the molars.
The point of Natural Balance Equine Dentistry is to treat the cause, not the symptoms of the problem, by maintaining a natural length and angle of the incisors first. Balancing of the molars cannot be accomplished without achieving proper balance in the front of the mouth. Once the paradigm is established, the practitioner continues to balance the molars (maximizing surface to surface contact) and the TMJ to fit each horse’s underlying anatomical correctness.
Surprisingly to those accustomed to drastic power floating, making conservative adjustments yield the greatest results. By removing the minimal level of pathology, dramatic changes cascade throughout the horse’s body.
The Role of the TMJ
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is an integral part of whole body balance and physiology. Therefore, maximizing TMJ comfort is key to Natural Balance dentistry.
Muscle balance throughout the body is modified and controlled through the TMJ and the function of its suspending muscles. Pathology in the horse’s mouth can impact the TMJ and create cascading changes down the line. The reverse can also be seen, where problems elsewhere in the body stress the TMJ, and cause unwanted tooth pathology. Learn more about the TMJ and its critical role in well being and balance.
Oral Bio Mechanics
Minor imbalances in the mouth transmit through the spinal and skeletal system , creating imbalance somewhere else as the body tries to compensate, and create a pseudo balance. These erroneous “corrections” result in muscles being strained, joints over stressed, are major factors in dysfunction and pain. To restore proper oral bio mechanics, Dawn focuses on realignments to remove oral interferences thus allowing for the fluid motion and optimal function. This results in the proper transmission and reception of neurological signals to the horse's body.
"Natural balance in the mouth and the jaws ability to move forward, backward, left and right, up and down, is equal to the whole body's ability to do the same. The jaws range of motion dictates the necks range of motion, which in turn dictates muscle mass in the rest of the body." -- Spencer LaFlure
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