All the Better to Bite You With...

We celebrated an amazing milestone yesterday. After eight years, two months and one day, Emily was officially discharged from the care of her orthodontist. (Keep reading, we get to the goat part in a minute...) That means that for fully half her life she has been in various forms of spacing appliances, palate expanders, braces or retainers, including several extractions, two oral surgeries and hundreds of orthodontist visits. (I stopped adding up the money a few thousand dollars ago.) What price can you put on a great smile?!

So, here's a fact - for all the flaws goats may have, one terrific thing about goats is that they never need braces!! It's true. I did find one website which recommended consulting a "goat nutritionist" before making any dietary changes (my yellow pages has no such listing, sadly) but absolutely nowhere have I heard of a goat orthodontist. I have learned some interesting facts about goat teeth, however...and now you will too!

All You (N)ever Wanted to Know About Caprine Dentistry

1. Goats are born with eight very sharp baby teeth. They start losing them (to be replaced with permanent teeth) between one and two years of age. (And here I thought I was done playing tooth fairy...)

2. A full-grown goat by age five has 32 teeth, and you can fairly accurately tell a goat's age by counting its teeth.

3. Goats actually have no upper front teeth - just one big gum or "dental pad"  to mouth you with. Therefore, being bitten by a goat is not a real risk.

4. However, a goat's back teeth are razor-sharp, so if you let a goat suck on your finger, be prepared to lose it!

5. Occasionally very old goats will lose teeth as part of the aging process. (Dentures, however, are rarely required.)

6. The best oral care for goats is simply a good diet - lots of coarse hay and a salt lick to gnaw on. Brushing is not recommended.

                                            "Just relaxing on the deck, cleaning my molars..."