Horse Owners: Do you think about your horses' teeth?

[AmadeoVampire]

A somewhat strange question, I know. The reason for my asking it is, as a university student studying animal science and welfare, part of my studies is to do a project on whatever I want (animal related, and ideally focusing on welfare).
And what did I choose? Equine dental health!
The specific title of my project is: An investigation into horse owner perceptions and knowledge of equine dental health.
(Not the most riveting title, I know, but the idea is that it is clear what the study is about and not to be a newspaper-esc/grabby headline.)
I won't bore anyone as to the details of my work, unless you're really that interested in research and studies -in which case I'll happily write sources (journal articles etc.) down for you and discuss welfare etc.
Learning and being able to critically think about information is a wonderful thing!

The reason I write now is to ask any horse owners on this forum;
How much to you think about/consider your horses' teeth/dental health?
Do you check their mouth?
If so, how do you and what do you look for?

I'm not going to use anything anyone writes here as part of my work (all of the data I gather will be done so later and through a proper method). This post is simply a way to get people thinking about the subject and connecting it to their routine and equine welfare.

It is recommended that you have a vet or dentist check every six months to yearly, but what do owners do between these? I believe that horses could benifit if owners did simple, quick checks on a regular basis. Obviously you could never get the same kind of inspection as a dentist but having a look at insisors, feeling the bars, feeling for sharp points on premolars and molarsthrough the cheeks, and smelling their breath (to look for infection) could be ways for owners to recognise changes in their horses' mouth.
So far sources I have read and previous studies have pointed to a high percentage of horses living with un-diagnosed dental problems/pain. Leading from that, dental pain impacts the horses' well being and lowers their welfare. If left long enough even small issues could lead to serious disorders, which in turn could lead to problems like colic, weight-loss, ulcers and in the end, death.
Dental pain can manifest as small behavioural changes to clinical signs, so it's always important to check everything should something change and get your veterinary surgeon involved if you suspect there is anything wrong .

[StrawberryBunny]

Dental hygiene is something people seem to completely forget about. I dont think its intentional - it's just not thought about. Thankyou for bringing attention to the issue, your post was concise and informative with a positive message.

I've linked a page from the British Horse Society for anyone interested, it contains information on preventative measures you can take to protect your horses teeth.

"Recent studies have found that up to 70% of horses have undiagnosed dental problems"

[Angel.Eva]

It's sad that people don't check their horses teeth regularly, as this is a super important topic considering horses teeth keep growing! When I first got my mare from her previous owners, she hadnt been touched or been to a vet or anything in 4 years. So immediately I had her sent to a trainer as well as the vet for check ups. She was 15 years old when I got her (she is the daughter of my last mare that passed) and her previous owners didn't know about any of that stuff, so when she got in we came to find out she never had her wolf teeth removed so all of that was done immediately! Every so often I still check her teeth and still worry even when she is up to date haha.