HLB EQUINE DENTISTRY

      NOTE:  This section was written due to an overwhelming number of clients asking whether they should use an equine dental practitioner or their veterinarian.  I can tell you that one will find a broad range of experience and skill with both the equine dental practitioner and a veterinarian.  This section is intended to inform and ultimately let the client make a well informed decision and not a swayed or manipulated decision.  This is what I, as an Equine Dental Practitioner do on a daily basis.  I have an immense amount of experience and training behind me and I work with some very knowledgeable and supportive veterinarians.  We strive together as a team to educate and inform and to improve the quality of life for our equines'.  My motivation to work with equines' and provide optimum dental care comes from a deep love of the equine and only wanting to improve their oral/physical condition or pain.  This is what I am trained to do and it is a privilage  to work with my colleagues and to build trust and a working relationship that is ultimately about the equine and not about anything else!    

      I go to my dentist and not to my General Practitioner when it comes to my dental needs.  I go to a Podiatrist when I have had a foot injury.  I seek out those that are trained and skilled and competent in the desired area of medical care that I as an individual may be looking for.  Equine Health care is now as diversified as human medicine and we collectively have so many more choices to utilize and it only behooves us to do just that.  Unfortunately vet schools still do not cover dentistry in an in depth manner, so the real issues of dental pathology and treatment are lacking. 

   I have been approached and asked many times "why should I use an equine dentist vs my own vet who says he can do the necessary dentistry?"  The answer to this is simple- We are specifically trained to do just this very procedure.  There is unfortunately a number of mis-conceptions that "my vet" can do it all.  Your vet cannot do it all and I have seen from personal experience the effects of improper dental work that was at the hands of a licensed DVM.  DVM does encompass everything within equine health care, and under each states Practice Act, they are "legally authorized" to do dental work and any other procedure regardless of their training.  They have met the minimum criteria under DVM to practice as a DVM however that does not include specialized education in dentistry or practical experience as a dentist who can go out and address all issues of the mouth.  Dentistry is not about taking a handfloat or a powerfloat and just taking off the sharp edges in the mouth.  Proper dentistry is very detailed and maticulous.  One has to be able to identify pathologies, i.e., periodontal diesease, cracked teeth, hooks, ramps, diagnol bites, etc.  Once they have been identified then one needs the training to also effectively remove these pathologies from the mouth and properly balance the mouth and set the mouth back into occlusion.  

       A mis-statement that often comes from veterinarians is  "dentistry only needs to be done once a year".  This has proven time and time again to be a false statement.  I have seen many horses where had they seen a dentist 6 months prior,  the problem presenting itself could have been prevented.  We vacinate our horses twice a year without fail, we trim their feet every 6 weeks, we worm every 2 months, we ride 3-5 times a week therefore we are establishing a time table or a schedule with which to work with.  We vacinate because it is preventative, we trim and put shoes on their feet to prevent a miraid of potential problems that would insue if proper hoof care was not taken, we worm to  prevent parasitic invasion of the stomach and to prevent other gastro -intestinal issues, we ride to condition them and keep them healthy.Therefore it only makes sense that the mouth should be checked and rebalanced at least twice a year. This will allow the equine dental practitioner to check for potential problems and catch something before it can manifest as a full blown problem and then becomes not only painful for your horse but most likely the outcome and dental treatment at this point is going to be rather expensive vs having your horse on a regular schedule and keeping the mouth in occlusion and making sure the gum tissue is healthy and that cavities and periodontal gum diesease are identified and treated.

          I have seen cases where the molar tables have had a hand float or a power float used on them and not only were the sharp edges not properly removed they reduced the angle at which the molar tables should be, therefore taking away from the horses occlusion.  A horse needs at least a minimum of a 12 degree angle set for the molar tables.  I like to see the molar tables set from 12-15 degree's which will insure that the molar tables will have the proper angle with which to work properly.  The next step though is  to remove any hooks which will be present on the lower 411 (far side) and the 311 (near side) located in the rear of the mouth.  The molars 411 and 311 are the most neglected area of the mouth and tend to cause the most problems in the mouth because they are not adequately addressed.  Typically one will see a ramping effect which means there is a dramatic elevation of this tooth and it looks like a ski ramp at the back of the mouth.  These ramps have to be removed as they will interfere with occlusion and proper lateral excursion of the mouth as well as Anterior/posterior movement of the mouth.  These ramps and sometimes a "step" which literally looks like a step, take the mouth out of occlusion and in many cases distribute uneven weight throughout the mouth, therefore creating to much pressure either on the TMJ and in many cases the Incisors.  This can manifest as a horse who is in pain and you can sometimes see the swelling around the TMJ region and sometimes horses will go off their feed and or eat very slowly, because it hurts! 

       I have had cases where it was very evident that the back teeth had not been taken down and were not in alignment with the rest of the molar arcade.Another mistake that is all to commom, they do NOT do what is called an Incisor Bite Alignment.  Failing to do the bite alignment is a sure invitation to set your horse up to be sore, to be out of balance, out of occlusion and this will leave the molar tables gapped!   You do not want a gap between the molar tables otherwise you have created a sitution where the horse will have great difficulty in getting the molar tables to meet and grind the food down.  What will happen is that because of poor occlusion your horse will be swallowing and digesting larger than desired food particles into the digestive tract which can lead to colic and impaction over time. 

             Dentistry is never "a buff and a polish" but dentistry is always about rebalancing and putting the mouth back in balance and in occlusion.  The overall importance of dentistry should not be minimized or overlooked. 

        Another misconception is that " my horse looks great, look how fat he is! "  Keep in mind horses are grazing animals and they will most likely continue to eat eventhough the mouth may have some serious dental issues that are going undetected  because of an incorrect assumption.  Good weight is not in and of itself a reliable indicator of a mouth that is in good condition. I can guarantee that a good mouth is one that has had proper rebalancing every six months and all conditions of the mouth whether routine or more extensive have been properly maintained and addressed.

Signs & Symptoms that dentistry is need:

• dropping of grain/feed 
• quidding of hay

• dunking of hay in water
• facial swelling
• discharge from one or both nostrils
• foul odor eminating from mouth/nostrils/
• sinus infection may be related to infected root
• fistulous tract
• going of feed/ eating very slowly
• difficulty bending at poll
• directional issues- difficulty turning to right or difficulty turning to left
• rearing up/ avoidance of bit and contact with bit
• poor or defiant demeanor
• throwing head up and out , etc.