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 Overview » Glossary of Terms

Alveolus The socket within the jaws in which the reserve crown or roots of a tooth lie.

Attrition The process of normal wear on the crown, usually due to prehension and mastication.

Bruxism The repeated and continuous grinding of teeth.

Eruption The process of movement of tooth from the alveolus into the oral cavity.

Floating The act of using rasps to remove sharp edges from teeth.  Also referred to as rasping or filing.

Mastication The grinding of food by the teeth.  In the context of equidontia, this is the function of the molars.

Prehension The act of grasping.  In the context of equidontia, this is the function of the incisors.

Sources:
Equine Dentistry, 2 ed (2005), Edited by Gordon J Baker and Jack Easley (ISBN 0-7020-2724-3)
Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary, 3 ed (2007), D C Blood, V P Studdert and C C Gay (ISBN 0-7020-2788-X)
Equine Hero: Bucephalus

The horse famously known for being afraid of his own shadow, Bucephalus became Alexander the Great's victorious counterpart in numerous military campaigns.  Plutarch records that, as a boy, Alexander (having recognised the shadow as the source of the horse's fear) tamed the wild Bucephalus by turning his face towards the sun thus enabling him to mount the horse and ride him.  In doing so, Alexander demonstrated a courage, wisdom and ambition beyond his years prompting his father, King Philip II of Macedon, to exclaim "O my son, look thee out a kingdom equal to and worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee."  Bucephalus eventually died at 30 years of age and the grieving Alexander commemorated his life by founding the city of Bucephala in his honour.
E-mail : donovan@equidontia.co.za | Cell : 072 545 7854