Dental balance and proptioception
Dental balancing and proprioception
This original post and video was about a year ago. Even though this gelding had received dental care on a regular basis, the incisors (front teeth) were too long in comparison to his molars. This left him with insufficient contact on his molars and not enough activation of his vestibular system (the ‘mastermind’ of coordination in the body). As a result, his proprioception (for example, knowing where his feet are in space) was off and he had a hard time walking out without the help of his eyesight to see where he would put his feet.
His proprioception was restored after dental balancing and he had no problems walking out blindfolded (he knew where his feet were without seeing).
One year later, we did the same test. We took him straight out of his corral, blindfolded him, asked him to walk out and he showed no problems. This means the dental balance had held up over the past year with appropriate activation of his vestibular system/proprioception. Upon measuring the dental contact/balance, it showed to be exactly the same as how it was created last year. This means the mouth had been working really well for him over the past year, wearing off as much tooth material as had erupted, which is ideal. No hooks had formed on the teeth, another indication that his mouth had been working and sliding well. Very minor dental care was needed this time and most of the attention was spend on relaxing the structures/tissues that assist the mouth in correct movement (tmj’s, poll, neck) which is a key component for a good mouth.
The combination of dental care with release of connecting structures/tissues seems to be of crucial importance for long term dental balance with as much self-maintenance as possible. The more the mouth can be set up to self-maintain, the less invasive the dental care needs to be. I believe that is the aim of the care for every horse; correct/intervene when something is going in the wrong direction, but step back
Dental balance and proprioception
Proprioception is the perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body. It is knowing where your body parts are and how to move them in relation to each other and in space.
For example, we don’t have to look at the ground every single step to know where to place our feet, we just know where they are and where to put them.
Correct dental balance has an influence on the muscles and nerves used for body awareness. This has been extensively researched in humans and the interrelationship between good dental balance and body posture, balance, movement, performance and reduced physical injuries has been proven many times.
This works the same in horses.
A large amount of bones, joints, muscles, fascia, ligaments and nerves are involved in biting, chewing and swallowing. Not only the jaw and chewing muscles, but all structures and soft tissues of the head, neck, shoulder blades, first few ribs and sternum (breast bone). All these together are called the Stomatognatic System and these are all directly involved with chewing and therefore influenced by the balance of the mouth.
Research has shown poor dental balance increases muscle tone in the muscles involved in this system as well as down the entire chain of connected muscles. But the interconnection goes much beyond a simple increased tone along muscle chains.
Balanced contact of teeth also seems to affect and reorganize the electrical signals involved in body control. The more teeth are in balanced contact with each other, the more harmonious muscle and nerve activity becomes throughout the entire body. An important nerve involved is the trigeminal nerve. Evidence of influences of the trigeminal nerve on the neck muscle activity as well as postural control has been reported.
When dental balance is not optimum, proprioception (knowing where your body parts are) and body balance/control are not ideal either. A person/horse would need to rely more on their eye sigh
Tension and immobility in the mouth and skull can be the cause or result of issues elsewhere in the body.
During osteopathy we often work inside the mouth to release those tissues. The reaction of the horses are usually profound when the release happens; they often become completely still, close their eyes, and lower their head. Some of them make deep grunting or snoring sounds as well (still have to video a reaction like that as it’s so fascinating 😁). Duke shows in this video how good it feels.
Osteopathy looks at the body as a whole and works with the soft tissue (muscles, ligaments, tendons) as well as with the complete skeleton, organs and entire nervous system and blood circulation.
Issues in horses that osteopathy can help with or resolve are:
*Difficculty fully engaging the hind end, poor impulsion or collection.
*Trouble with one canter lead.
*Resistance to bend in one direction.
*Lameness or stiffness.
*Shifting or 'mysterious' lameness.
*Back or neck pain.
*Asymmetry in the body (movement, muscling or posture).
*Poor topline.
*Arthritis.
*Changes in mobility, movement and organ function after surgery or trauma.
*Swelling in certain areas (sheath, front/hind legs stocking up, underside of belly).
*Behavioral issues (head shaking, aversion to touch, brushing or saddling, girthiness, low or high energy).
*Organ function issues (kidneys, liver, stomach, insulin resistance, cushings, diarrhea, heat issues in mares like irregular/strong heat).
*Riding issues (refusing to jump, aversion to leg pressure or bit, bucking, crow hopping).
*Soft tissue conditions (inflammation or strain on tendons, ligaments, muscles).
*Injury prevention and pre-performance optimization.
Sessions are performed by a registered equine osteopath EDO
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Coco is 13yrs old and has been walking a bit wobbly for the past two years due to some back issues. But one morning her owner noticed Coco wasn’t able to walk on her hind legs anymore and was scooting around sitting. During osteopathic evaluation some restrictions were found in her lumbar area possibly pinging some nerves. A week after her osteopathic session she was back to walking again and even some running.
Osteopathy looks ate the body as a whole and works with the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments) as well as the complete skeleton, organs, entire nervous system and blood circulation.
Issues in dogs that osteopathy can help with or resolve are:
*Front or rear leg lameness.
*Back or neck pain.
*Weakness in the hind.
*Knee problems (ACL and/or meniscus issues, luxating patella/kneecap).
*Arthritis and joint pain.
*Ligament and tendon issues.
*Poor athletic performance.
*Hip or elbow dysplasia.
*Injury prevention.
*Asymmetric movement.
*Urinary incontinence.
*Geriatric dogs.
Sessions are performed by a registered canine osteopath CDO and take place in the comfort of your home where the dog feels most at ease.
