01/02/2022
THIS IS AN ARTICLE FROM Masterson Method NZ Community Balancing Teeth, A Fascial Relationship
The fascial balance of the mouth is something that is seldom considered but in my opinion is of high importance for the wellbeing of your horse. We spend so long as therapists balancing the body but the mouth gets overlooked.
In this article I will be discussing some of the aspects of the fascial relationship of the teeth with the rest of the body and also my opinions on their balance.
Tooth Development:
The first thing we need to do is to take a quick look at the anatomy of the equine tooth. If we wind the clocks back to when the horse was developing as an embryo the teeth were formed from MESODERM. This is one of three layers in the embryo. The other two being the ectoderm and endoderm. These latter two layers contain cells that form the nervous system and organs respectively. The mesoderm is what most of the musculo-skeletal system is formed from.
So the same embryological substance that the teeth form from also creates the rest of the skeleton and soft tissue including the connective tissues (fascia)....cool huh?!
This to me is a really key point. In the same way we find biomechanical links through the musculo-skeletal system (ie hocks to lumbars to cervicals and foot balance) we MUST also consider the role of the teeth within all of this.
One thing that I see a lot is that whilst the veterinary surgeons and equine dentists are doing a wonderful job in detecting and treating clinical pathology (sharp hooks, fractures, diastemas, infections etc) they don't always look at the bigger picture or look to balance the mouth appropriate to the body (FASCIALLY).
In the same way as the vets are excellent at diagnosing issues such as PSD and Kissing Spine most people also now consider those to be secondary issues to incorrect balance/mobility in the body. If the balance is corrected these issues can be managed. Why do we not consider the teeth in the same way?
The Fascial Connection:
As each tooth develops, it has soft tissue connections to the jaw bone which include the periodontal ligaments (connective tissue) and fascia that carries the blood and nerve supply.
The periodontal ligaments act like a set of springs that allow the tooth to have a certain level of "give" in it. As the opposing teeth meet, with or without food in between, there is a small amount of suspension-like give within the socket created by these ligaments and the fascia. This provides proprioceptive information ie where is the tooth in 3-dimensional space and forces exerted on it.
Abnormal strain on the tooth can lead to tension in the ligament and affect the tooth mobility. This can lead to tooth pathology through reduced blood supply or tension for example. This is not too dissimilar to hoof conformation and strains on the capsule creating pathology within the foot such as abscesses etc.
This abnormal strain exerted on the teeth could come from one of two areas:
1) It could be created by the rest of the body ie how the horse moves leads to an imbalance in the mouth.
2) It could be created within the mouth often through incorrect dental balancing via rasping/floating.
Again, by using the example of the hoof.... a certain hoof conformation could be due to the way the rest of the body is moving OR a problem in the body can be created by the farrier or trimmer balancing the hoof incorrectly. It goes both ways and the same is true of the teeth. In both examples it is fascia that makes these connections.
So incorrectly balancing the mouth can create abnormal strains through the rest of the body via fascial interaction. Therefore, that PSD issue on the right hind, could in theory be coming from the mouth...fun isn't it! That inability to canter on the left lead could be due to a reduction in mobility of the TMJ joint created by poor dental balance...the list goes on.
So another question to ask is....what is the ROOT cause? (couldn't resist the pun). Are the teeth the primary issue or are they secondary?
Fascial strain on a tooth:
Whether through incorrect balancing of the mouth or through issues elsewhere in the body fascial strain can result in excessive pressure being exerted on one or more teeth. This can affect many things including pattern of chewing, mobility of the head, digestion, mobility of the rest of the body (including hugely affected foot balance) and much more.
Locally, the excessive pressure can cause a lot of the pathologies found by the equine dentist as well as issues elsewhere in the body.
So now we need to question...what is the actual cause of these dental pathologies in the mouth that the vets and dentists find?? Is it a one off injury or is it a chronic issue due to a long standing abnormal strain in the mouth or from the body to the mouth??
Balancing the mouth fascially:
Through gentle fascial palpation of the mouth, jaw bones, poll and TMJ's externally you can feel where in the mouth the fascia is under strain.
Ideally, when you evaluate the fascial tension of the mouth there would be no area of undue tension as all of the teeth are meeting in a neutral manner with all of their ligaments and fascial connections soft. It would feel free and have a gentle "gliding" sensation. This would be mirrored by all surrounding structures.
If tension is found in an area of the mouth the question then is whether it is coming from the mouth as a primary issue or from the rest of the body (secondary). This is where, unsurprisingly, it is then down to making sure you evaluate the WHOLE HORSE. In many cases by treating the body first the strain is then changed in the poll, jaws and therefore the mouth. In the same way as following a treatment the feet and saddle are re-checked...so too are the teeth. Minor alterations in how the jaws move can add or reduce strain to certain teeth. These teeth may require minute alterations to ensure that they are not under abnormal strain. Think what it is like to have a raspberry pip in your teeth, the tiny thing feels huge. So frequently you are to make tiny adjustments only. Just specific ones.
There is so much more to talk about but just to sew a few more seeds in your heads today....
Other things to note are that each tooth has it's own nerve supply from the Trigeminal Nerve. The nerve linked to headshaking.
Also note that in humans they have started looking at the link between each tooth and certain organs. So now the balance of the mouth really does involve the WHOLE HORSE.
Finally on a personal note, I keep seeing certain distortions of the front hooves being related to certain patterns in the horse's incisors.
Anyway, in summary. I think it is time that we took the fascial balance of the mouth into consideration as part of our WHOLE HORSE approach. It has huge ramifications on the wellbeing of the horse through all of the body systems.
