Dentistry

All horses, regardless of age, should have a complete oral exam performed once a year, or more often for horses with certain oral problems.  Routine dental care is important not only to remove the sharp points that occur normally, but to also evaluate any abnormalities that could cause them discomfort.

Modern sedation and light weight oral speculums have made dental procedures safe, low stress, and gentle on the horse. With the use of motorized equipment, we can address each tooth specifically, accurately, and complete procedures more quickly for the horse’s comfort and overall wellbeing.

General Dentistry

The horse will be given a light standing sedation and the veterinarian will place a speculum in the horse’s mouth.  A thorough oral exam is performed evaluating the external face for asymmetries, the oral soft tissues (cheeks and tongue) for any ulcerations, occlusion for how the teeth align for proper chewing (hooks, sharp points, wave mouths, over bites, under bites, etc.), periodontal status (gum disease caused by feed packing), endodontic status (fractured teeth, cavities).

Based on the oral exam findings we can properly proceed with the occlusal adjustment (float) to bring your horses mouth into proper balance, and optimize their chewing ability.

If further problems are diagnosed during the oral exam, we may recommend further diagnostics or follow up examination and discuss the appropriate treatment options for a healthy mouth.

Advanced Dentistry

EOTRH – Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis

EOTRH is a syndrome in horses that results in painful resorptive lesions of the incisors (front teeth) of horses. It is gradual in onset, but often isn’t diagnosed until moderate to severe lesions are present. It is most commonly seen in our older horses (+15 years old) and has no known underlying cause at this time. Diagnosing this disease requires radiographs (x-rays) of the incisors. This allows us to know exactly which teeth are affected and how severely. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent this disease, as we do not know it’s cause, and treatment for affected teeth is extraction based on staging of lesions radiographically.

Older horses tend to be fairly stoic and may not show signs of pain until later stages of disease. Often times, these late-stage horses will start to lose weight, go off feed, refuse biting down on treats, stop grazing, and may exhibit irritable or anxious behavior when bridled, ridden, or working around their mouth.

Many owners worry about extracting their horses’ incisors, but those owners who have elected to follow veterinary recommendation for extraction find their horses are happier and more personable after having these painful teeth removed. The incisors are not used for chewing food and they are able to use their lips to graze on grass! The most common post-extraction finding is that their tongue sticks out now!

Horses are remarkable and recover quite well following extractions. They are usually eating their normal hay for dinner that same night! Follow up care includes antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and a soft diet (pellets, or ensuring their hay is fluffed up and easier to eat). Usually, we recommend resting for about a week after extractions and riding without a bit for 2-4 weeks after the procedure.

Caution in using lay “horse dentists”

A licensed California veterinarian should always perform your horse’s oral exam and float.  In the state of California, lay dentists are not permitted, and are therefore performing illegally. Additionally, the lay dental practitioners may have no formal training in equine dentistry, are unqualified to do a complete oral and physical examination, and cannot legally sedate horses for procedures.