Mandibular fracture

Mandibular avulsion fractures are not uncommon in horses.  The incisors are caught on a stationary object and when the horse pulls back the lower jaw fractures.

Such fractures have an excellent prognosis and are usually repaired with intra-oral wiring.  The wires often need to extend back into the mouth through a hole drilled in the interdental space or around the second pre-molar.

Horses are able to eat immediately.  The wires should remain in place for at least 6 weeks, however if the wires are not loose then this period should be extended.  After the oral mucosa has healed and the wires are removed it is often difficult to tell that the horse ever had a fracture.