Modern
&Equine Dentistry
Choosing Your Equine
Dental Professional
For many years,
our understanding of equine dentistry was the “tooth
fairy” floating our horse’s teeth once a year. We had
a vague understanding of what that meant. A nonveterinary
“lay-floater” would come with his or her
bucket of floats, put the horse in a corner, hold the
tongue and run the rasp up and down on the sides of
the teeth. (The term “floating” is a construction term
and simply means to smooth or finish.)
Here are some questions to ask yourself
before hiring an equine dental professional:
Just as in human health
care, an annual visit to the
dentist is part of a complete
health care regimen.
While it can be challenging to embrace
new ideas, we should not continue using
old technology and outdated knowledge
simply because that’s how we’ve
always done it or out of a misguided
sense of loyalty. As horse owners, we
have wholly embraced the use of advanc-
ed technology in diagnosing and treating our horses
for other health issues. We should do the same
regarding equine dentistry. Equine veterinary dentists
use improved equipment and techniques to do
comprehensive dental exams, perform reductions,
extractions, root canals and restorations (fillings) as
well as floating teeth. They use modalities like digital
radiography, CT and MRI to diagnose dental problems
in horses. Knowledge of equine dental problems
and how to correct them increases with each passing
year. Just as in human health care, an annual visit
to the dentist is part of a complete health care regimen.
The goal in equine dentistry is the same as it is in
human dentistry, to eliminate pain and promote the
long term health and functioning of the teeth.
Do they consult with you or your trainer regarding
any problems your horse may have, even those that
don’t directly involve teeth? Having information
about current or past health issues can help in making
decisions about how to manage and treat your
horse.
Do they perform a physical exam before sedating
and performing the procedure? Many problems unrelated
to dentistry are found during routine physical
exams.
Do they use sedation? Don’t be turned off by sedation.
If used appropriately, it is to the horse’s advantage
and is very safe. Sedation allows them to relax,
be more comfortable and get a thorough dental
exam. It is not possible to do so if they
are chewing or moving their head.
There is also more risk of tooth or soft tis-
sue damage. Tooth extractions, root
canals and fillings are painful surgical
procedures and should only be done
with the use of sedation and nerve
blocks. Sedatives should only be administered
by individuals who are knowledgeable
about them and can legally buy and sell them. In all
cases, this is a veterinarian.
Do they use a speculum, mirror and bright head
lamp? After the patient is sufficiently quiet and relaxed,
an oral speculum should be placed between
the front teeth and the mouth opened. A dental
mirror and very bright headlamp, makes it possible to
see to the back of the mouth. The horse’s last cheek
tooth is located under its eye. Despite what you
might read or see, it is not possible to evaluate the
surfaces of the ALL the teeth and the gingiva without
a speculum, mirror and light. There are even veterinarians
out there that insist hand floats are better and
58 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com