Equine Dentistry
Jane Carmichael EqDT

Many horse owners are now discovering how important it is for their horses to have regular dental care and the difference this can make to their well being, health and performance.

By the age of 41/2 the horse will have shed the 24 deciduous teeth (caps) and will acquire from 36-44 permanent teeth. It is recommended that you have your horse’s teeth checked at an early age, helping to identify problems that can then be managed thus preventing future complications and costs. Each horse has individual dental care requirements and performance demands. Your dental technician will advise you on the appropriate dental care for your horse.
Generally it is recommended to have your horse’s teeth checked and routinely floated every 6-9 months up to the age of around 13. From this age onwards the growth rate slows, and so extending your horses dental care to a yearly basis should be fine.
It is strongly advised to have your youngster’s teeth checked before being introduced to the bit, particular attention should be paid to older horses, especially if they are losing weight.

Any reputable equine dental technician will provide the thorough examination, which is essential. To enable this, the use of modern instrumentation, including a ‘speculum’ (a specialised instrument that is used to hold the mouth open), is essential in order to assess and work on all of the teeth.

They will then discuss the recommended corrections and how this will be done. After the work has been completed a detailed dental chart will be given to the client identifying and recording initial problems, corrective treatment and recommendations for future dental care.

In most cases sedation will not be needed for routine dental work. Sometimes however it is advisable to sedate a horse if they are in danger or harming themselves or the dental technician. Where major correction is required (which necessitate the use of power tools) or extractions are needed, it will be necessary to have the horse sedated by your vet.

• Odour from mouth or nostrils
• Reacts to pressure of the bit – head tossing, crossing the jaw, difficult to ride on the bit
• Weight loss
• Dropping of food while eating
• Supping of water intermittently between eating hay or concentrate feed.
• Outer cheek area is sensitive to pressure
• Quidding – rolls or balls of hay are dropped from the horses mouth
• Large particles of hay or whole grain in the manure

Contact

If you have any concerns about your horse’s teeth please feel free to contact me for advice.
Tel: 01308 488733
Mob: 07976 475854
Email: