The main purpose of a cow’s teeth, structural features and common diseases

Teeth and their role in eating

In general, cows were not always ruminants. They became this way under the influence of external circumstances. They do not have claws and fangs with which to defend themselves from the enemy, so the subconscious has taught the cows to eat quickly, without wasting time. So these artiodactyls developed the habit of first stocking up on food, and only then, in peace and quiet, calmly burping and chewing their reserves.

The formation and growth of teeth in a calf begins during the period when it is in the womb. At the time of birth, the cow's mouth already has 4 dental elements.

An adult has 32 teeth in its mouth. Of them:

• 8 pieces - incisors.
• 24 pieces are indigenous.

It is worth noting that the incisors are only on the bottom of the jaw. Instead of them, a rigid plate is formed on the top. The incisors are designed for cutting grass and have different sizes, the 2 largest are the front ones. All incisors are flat in shape with rounded edges. But the molars are distributed over both jaws, and symmetrically.

Cows don't have tusks. Instead, there are incisors of equal sizes. The front pair of incisors are called hooks.

Molars and premolars, which are located behind the toothless edge, are needed for grinding food.

Other parts of the oral cavity - lips, tongue and salivary glands - play a major role in food processing. The lips and tongue help to tear food into the mouth, and with the help of saliva it passes into the esophagus.

The upper jaw of the animal is slightly larger than the lower jaw. This allows you to alternate the process of chewing food - the cow can chew both to the right and to the left. But the biggest role in the digestive process belongs to the teeth.

Important! Due to constant chewing, cows' jaws are very mobile.

Focus on factors that contribute to good cow digestion

It is worth paying special attention to places where cattle grazing occurs. Since livestock actively consumes grass and hay, walking should be done where lush and lush vegetation grows. For the winter, it is worth preparing a sufficient amount of hay, and also worry about additional supplements (especially vitamin D, which helps strengthen the animal’s dental and bone structure).

It is very important that the teeth of cows, just like those of rodents, are constantly growing: as they wear down, the length of the processes is also adjusted. Therefore, the animal will definitely not be left without an important digestive organ, which is very typical for humans.

“Stumps” in the mouth will indicate an animal’s advanced age, when tooth growth is significantly slower. We hope that the information in the article was useful to you.

Structure

Cow teeth differ from each other in their location in the oral cavity and in their name. In addition, they have a special structure.

Incisors:

• Enameled crown. At the bottom of the crown there is dentin. There should always be pulp underneath. It consists of nerve endings.
• At the very end of the gum is the neck.
• The tooth root is located in the cavity, which is covered with a cement mixture.

Indigenous:

The structure of molars differs from the structural components of the incisors. First of all, because they lack a neck:

• The crown contains cement. It ends in the form of a small part of the root.
• There is a cavity in the root that leads into the cavity of the tooth.
• The enamel is located under the cement.
• The pulp fills the tooth from the inside.

When the crown is shortened all the way to the neck, the tooth is able to move forward. This is a completely normal phenomenon, since the teeth of artiodactyls are capable of continuous growth. This explains why parts of the incisors can be found in the mouth of even the oldest individuals.

Oral cavity

The oral cavity of a cow is represented by the lips, tongue, cheeks, gums, palate, teeth, salivary glands, pharynx and tonsils. During eating, vegetation and other food enter the oral cavity, where chewing occurs. The structural features of a cow's teeth allow it to grind grass. The food itself is captured by the tongue and lips.

The upper jaw is wider than the lower jaw, allowing cattle to chew freely on either side. The tongue of cows is hard and performs the function of “turning” food in the oral cavity.

Upper jaw in cows

The cow has no teeth on the upper jaw; instead, there is a dense gum formation.

Scientists believe that the jaw did not always have this appearance, but acquired it only during the process of transformation.

At approximately the age of 2 years, the anterior part of the upper jaw begins to transform in ruminants. Gradually, the teeth fall out, the section itself turns into a bone formation, covered with a layer of dense skin. Experts call this process zuboron.

From this moment on, instead of teeth, there is a hard cushion on the upper jaw. It has a homogeneous structure and does not tend to wear off over time, but, on the contrary, only becomes denser.

Animal age

The number of years an animal has lived can be determined by the teeth located on the lower jaw. When grazing, cows grab grass with a sideways movement of their heads and cut it off with their lower incisors. Over time, the incisors wear away from constant pressure. In old individuals, only worn-out processes remain in place of the incisors.

The speed of abrasion depends on the hardness of the food consumed. When breastfed with milk, teeth are practically not worn out. As soon as the calves are switched to roughage, the crowns begin to wear off rapidly.

Newly born calves have 2 to 4 incisors. By the age of 2 weeks, the calf grows 8 primary incisors on the bottom. At the same time, the first primary premolar appears.

Until the age of 3 months, the incisors continue to grow and gradually become the same size.

Changes by age

Knowing the nuances of the growth and replacement of cow teeth, you can determine the approximate age of the individual:

• 1 year and 8 months. The hooks fall out and permanent teeth begin to emerge.
• 2 years. The hooks are fully formed, growing to the desired height.
• 2 years and 6 months. Eruption of permanent molars occurs. At this age, the replacement of premolars begins. Around the same time, the edges of the crowns of the front incisors wear off. The middle deciduous incisors have already worn away almost to the ground.
• 3 years. By this age, the permanent incisors are fully formed.
• By the age of 5, the toes and middle incisors are reduced by several millimeters. At this age, the individual has a full set of teeth in its mouth - 32 permanent ones.
• By the age of 6-7 years, the hooks have time to wear off almost to the ground.
• At the age of 10, shortening of all incisors can be observed.
• By the age of 11, the gaps between the incisors increase.
• By the age of 14-15, only small remnants remain of them sticking out from the gums.

As a cow ages, you may notice the lower lip drooping and the lower jaw protruding slightly forward. This is due to the fact that the incisors, in accordance with development and growth, gradually take their place at the base of the jaw.

A cow grinds her teeth: reasons, what to do

There are a number of reasons why cows may grind their teeth. Some of them may indicate serious illnesses in the animal. The reasons and solutions are listed below:

1. The cow licks the walls and the ground, and other objects that surround her. This is a sign that the animal... The solution in this case would be to review the diet and make changes by adding additional feed.
2. The calf is born without an instinctive reflex, namely chewing cud. Thus, the animal will chew food even if it is not in the mouth. The solution to the problem is to make changes to the diet, preventive measures and regularly check the feed for the presence of sand.
3. Emerging gastroenteritis. In addition to grinding teeth, animals experience an increase in body temperature, as well as gastrointestinal upset. The solution is to eliminate stale food from the diet, which is the cause of all the above symptoms.

Important! If you experience any symptoms or illnesses, it is best to consult a qualified specialist, since the symptoms of different diseases may be similar.

There are situations when it is necessary to determine the actual age of a cow. Today there are several methods, but the most common and popular is the method of determining the age of an individual by its teeth.

In meat cows, teeth grow much faster than in dairy cows. It is for this reason that the method of determining age by teeth is not 100% reliable, but at the same time it is the simplest and fastest. Age is often determined by the incisors, since the molars are difficult to see due to their location.

• 18 months - all existing incisors are primary;
• 24 months - all hooks become permanent, and the remaining teeth are still baby teeth;
• by the age of 3 years, all hooks and middle internal teeth become permanent;
• up to 4 years of age, there are more and more permanent teeth, along with the above permanent ones, the middle external ones also become, but the edges are still milky;
• from 4 to 4.5 years, all teeth become permanent, and the crowns begin to fit one after another;
• at 5 years old, the crowns stop coming one after another, and a surface appears on the edges that rubs;
• at the age of 7 to 7.5 years, more than half of the enamel on the hooks on the tongue side is wiped off;
• up to 10 years, all the enamel on the incisors is wiped off;
• at the age of 12, all the enamel on the incisors on the tongue side is erased;
• At the age of 15, the crowns on all incisors wear off.

After the cattle reaches 12 years of age, it becomes quite difficult to determine the age of an individual, since often only stumps remain of the teeth.

Did you know? The heaviest cow in the world - Mount Katahdin, a Holstein-Durham cross - reached a weight of 2270 kg (1906-1910). According to the Guinness Book of Records, she was 1.88 m at the withers and 3.96 m in girth.

From the above, we can conclude that it is necessary to monitor the oral cavity of cows very carefully, since their health and productivity depend on this.

Igor Nikolaev

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Even a person can envy a cow’s ability to chew food. She has a separate process of collecting and grinding food. It allows you to turn even roughage into pulp. It seems that the cow is constantly chewing something. This is because her digestion process is very complex. Its first component is teeth. The condition of the entire organism of a large horned animal depends on their health and strength.

Symptoms of tooth change

If you carefully monitor a young cow, at different ages you can observe some disorders of her general condition. Do not rush to panic and sound the alarm. Think and check if this is related to the process of changing teeth. As with humans, there is anxiety, pain and some limitations.

• Profuse drooling.
• Refusal of roughage due to the pain it causes.
• Slight decrease in milk yield.
• Unstable position of some teeth.

During such periods, it is worth adding phosphorus and calcium salt to the livestock diet. They will help form a strong shell of new teeth.

When and why do farm cows change teeth?

When the fetus is formed in the body of a female cattle, the formation of teeth begins; an ultrasound examination will show them on the monitor in the form of capsules. With normal development of the fetus, they will become hard, that is, dentin, which will later cover the top with enamel, and the lower root part with cement.

It happens that adult animals lose a tooth or several; when raising cattle, you should know when a cow’s teeth change in order to quickly identify the cause of what is happening, if necessary, take measures and save the animal from possible unpleasant consequences, as well as to alleviate the pain in the ward livestock

• Symptoms
• Zuboron
• Fluorosis
• Feeding

Symptoms

When a calf is born, it already has 2 baby teeth. After 7 or 8 days, 4 incisors will appear, and after another 7 days, the baby cow’s teeth will be supplemented by two molars. In the fourth month of life, the calf will acquire back molars. In the sixth or eighth month, 2 more will be added to them. At the age of two years, the jaw of a young animal consists of 20 teeth, 12 of them molars, 8 incisors.

Advice: An adult cow has 32 teeth, just like a human, of which 24 are molars, with which it chews food. Incisors in the same quantity (8).

The difference between a molar and an incisor is that it does not have a neck. The crowns of the teeth are connected directly to the roots. The location of the cavity (pulp and blood vessels) is inside the dentin, and not under it. Bone tissue and enamel are covered with bone cement, which makes the molars (molars) stronger.

At the age of five, the presence of bone formations is complicated by grinding. At 10 years old, all that remains of the cow’s teeth are stumps. At the age of 15, the front teeth, having worn down, look like a uniform plate, which is different from an old animal.

Tooth loss can be a natural process of aging. During bifurcation, the cow's body temperature remains normal. But the teeth are loose. The cow is salivating profusely, and a lost tooth or several may be lying around near her.

Behavior will also tell about jaw transformations, for example, if a cow does not eat roughage, but willingly gobbles up bread crumbs or liquid swill. A female cattle may be in apathy, she feels depressed. Scar contraction occurs slowly. Milk yields are decreasing.

Advice: Teeth fall out and change over a long period of time. If the cow's condition is normal and she eats well, no special measures are applied.

Tooth diseases and tooth loss

To ensure the full development of the cow’s dentition, it is necessary to enrich the food with phosphorus and calcium. They are good for health only if they enter the body without an overdose. In this case, cows have an increased risk of developing fluorosis.

Symptoms of fluorosis:

• Tooth enamel takes on a yellow tint.
• Black pinpoint rashes on teeth.
• Destruction of enamel.
• Fall in milk yield.

Important! If signs of fluorosis are detected, the amount of mineral supplements in the diet should be reduced.

Signs of fluorosis in cattle

Let us briefly discuss incisor disease in cattle. The disease affects animals aged 9 to 12 years. The most pronounced symptoms of fluorosis are: diffuse pigmentation (appearance of brown or yellow dots); lateral looseness of teeth; the occurrence of chips in the enamel, destruction of its structure.

Endemic fluorosis in cattle is associated with an increased fluoride content in water and mineral supplements. Sick animals lose fat and reduce milk yield. Breeders must be attentive to the health of the entire livestock, since the profitability of production directly depends on this.

And many processes in the body depend on the quality of a cow’s teeth. The better the food is ground, the higher the quality and healthfulness of the milk, and the faster the weight gain of the meat breed.

Zuboron

Inexperienced farmers may be surprised and worried when they accidentally discover missing teeth on the floor or in livestock troughs. In fact, there is nothing unusual or scary in this, since the young animal began to have teething.

Teething is the period in the life of a young cow when the upper milk teeth fall out. New teeth will no longer grow, and a dental plate will form in their place.

Symptoms of zuboron:

• lethargy of the animal;
• slight decrease in milk production;
• The animal gives preference in food to the softest and most liquid food;
• slow scar reduction;
• profuse drooling;
• periodic increase in temperature;
• Upon examination, loosening of the dental units is observed.

To ensure that the animal does not starve due to pain in the mouth and does not reduce productivity too much, first of all, you need to reconsider the diet and feeding methods. For example, grind all the feed as much as possible, brew it with boiling water and give it to the livestock, after cooling it first. It is also better to cook vegetables and grains so that the cow can eat calmly and receive vitamins.

Teeth grinding

There are a number of reasons why cows can create friction with their teeth. This friction produces a creaking sound. This manifestation of the body should not be ignored, as it can indicate serious diseases.

• Osteomalacia (bone dystrophy). The disease is chronic and usually occurs without an increase in body temperature. Occurs when a cow’s bone formation ends due to a violation of mineral metabolism and vitamin D deficiency. It manifests itself in the depletion of bone tissue, general disorders of body functions and teeth grinding.
• Various poisonings. For example, poisoning from fertilizers, bad feed or pesticides. Among the main symptoms associated with intestinal distress is teeth grinding.

Cows are quite unique representatives of artiodactyls. But, as for teeth, their structure is very similar to human ones, and the number of dental units coincides with human ones.

Over time, the growth of teeth in the cow's mouth has changed. Perhaps this is what served to equalize the number of cow teeth with human teeth.

To ensure normal nutrition and a stable level of milk production, you need to monitor the condition of the cow and give the correct dosage of vitamins and minerals.

Feeding

During the period when a cow undergoes jaw changes, her body requires a balanced diet. Phosphorus-calcium metabolism and bone strengthening are helped by the presence of vitamin D in the cow’s diet.

Additional feeding is especially important during the cow’s pregnancy, after calving, and also during stall time. From late autumn until early spring, animals are fed finely chopped and steamed hay, and mineral supplements are added to the food. Supplements made from chalk, salt, sauerkraut and meat and bone meal do an excellent job of nourishing the cow’s body. Just 14 or 15 days of intensive, nutritious nutrition will help improve your appetite, and the malaise will disappear in about 30 days.

Information about whether a cow has teeth, as well as about the specifics of their growth, will help to properly care for cattle, avoid animal health problems and improve farm productivity. The anatomical structure of the cow's jaw has its own specifics - the upper teeth quickly wear away and form a solid bone plate.