Your Horse Dentist And Everything You Need To Know About Them
Proper dental care is essential for the overall health and wellbeing of your horse. They require regular dental check ups and appropriate oral treatments to ensure their teeth are healthy, and functioning as they should. This is the job of a professional horse dentist.
What Is A Horse Dentist?
A horse dentist is also called an equine dentist or equine dental technician or EDT. These trained professionals specialise in caring for equine teeth and dealing with associated dental and oral problems.
Many of them are also qualified equine veterinarians, which is ideal because they can offer holistic treatment solutions.
For example, your horse may develop oral abscesses that require treatment with antibiotics or surgery.
A vet can prescribe these types of medications, and may be able to perform the surgery.
Non-veterinarian equine dentists may not be qualified or licensed to do either.
Apart from this, horse dentists are generally responsible for diagnosing and dealing with a range of equine dental health issues including:
· Misaligned teeth,
· Removing sharp edges from teeth surfaces,
· Removing food and other debris that may be caught in the horse’s teeth and mouth,
· Checking gum and oral health, and recommending appropriate treatmentt,
· Making dietary recommendations based on the condition of your horse’s teeth – i.e. recommending low sugar forages due to advanced cavies in the teeth
Why Is It Important To Use An Equine Dentist?
When the ancestors of the modern horse moved out of the North American forests and onto the open plains their diet changed from forest browser to plains grazer. As a result, their teeth got bigger and flatter so they could eat the tough fibres of the native plains grasses and other forages.
For instance – you’ll have noticed from watching your horse eat that their bottom jaw moves from side to side as they chew.
This motion grinds up the fibres in hay and grass. It also means their teeth are constantly wearing, and regrowing – a horses’ teeth keep growing throughout their entire life.
Unfortunately, this wear can be uneven, resulting in the development of sharp edges and hooks around the edges of their teeth.
These can lacerate the cheek linings and tongue, causing painful sores and lesions. Understandably, these will then impact their ability to eat properly, with flow on effects to their overall health and wellbeing.
Likewise, wearing a bit will be uncomfortable and even painful.
If your horse is constantly trying to evade the bit when you’re riding, or tosses its head around constantly, your first action should be to rule out teeth and oral problems!
Your horse dentist is trained to spot signs of dental issues before they become serious problems and can perform dental procedures to improve your horse’s health and wellbeing.
What Services Do Horse Dentists Offer?
Qualified equine dentists typically provide a range of services covering various dental issues. They include:
· General dental check ups involves assessing your horse’s teeth, gums, and mouth for signs of dental issues like cavities, abscesses, or gum disease.
· Teeth floating is a process that removes the sharp enamel points and edges that develop on the surface of their teeth from the grinding action of their jaw when they chew,
· Teeth extraction for broken or decaying teeth usually need to be removed and your equine dentist is usually the right person for this job, especially if he or she is also a qualified veterinarian! Wolf teeth for example are often removed because they sit right where the bit goes and can cause pain and discomfort.
Horses can also develop serious teeth and gum diseases like EOTRH (Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis) that require extensive treatment,
· Remedial dental work: If a horse has misaligned or crooked teeth, your horse dentist may perform corrective procedures to help it eat more comfortably.
· Cleaning: Horse dentists also clean the horse’s teeth and mouth after floating the teeth to remove plaque and tartar build up. They also remove food and debris build up in and around the teeth and gums.
How Often Should My Horse See An Equine Dentist
The general recommendations, unless the horse has gum or teeth issues that require ongoing treatment, are:
· At foaling and again at 3 months to check for any potential jaw and palate issues i.e. misalignment,
· From 6 months of age: every 6 months up until they have a full set of adult teeth (around 5 years of age),
· From 5 years of age: once a year until they hit 20, then it’s back to 6 months to keep on top of loose teeth, the potential for gum diseases and so on.
Key Takeaways About The Importance Of A Horse Dentist
Keeping on top of your horse’s dental and oral health is essential.
Bad teeth, oral sores and lesions, and gum disease can all cause considerable discomfort and pain for your horse.
They can also contribute to overall poor health – a horse that can’t eat properly is not going to be a healthy horse!
Scheduling routine check-ups with your horse dentist, or equine dental technician, will help keep your horse’s teeth and gums healthy and pain-free.
