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Simply taking off sharp edges is not “equine dentistry” and this is commonly referred to as a “health float” by your veterinarian.  When this practice provides equine dental care, we look at the whole picture, being the whole mouth and how it presents.  There are many factors to consider before ever putting a dental instrument in a horse’s mouth.  Some things to consider are age, breed, dental history, overall health, illness, weight and possible difficulties keeping weight on, performance issues, possible training issues that may have more to do with pain in the mouth, occlusion, balance, gum disease, etc.
Before I put an instrument in the mouth, I and the attending veterinarian (who will provide the necessary sedation) will do a visual inspection of the mouth as well as a visual inspection of the overall physical condition of the horse. Any dental issues that are observed are then shared with the owner and questions about how to proceed will be discussed. This is specifically mentioned as I have worked on many cases in which a horse had previously received a “health float” and the horse has actually ended up worse than better. The common denominator in these cases has been that only sharp edges were taken off, but doing any dental work that actually corrected and addressed common dental issues that create mal occlusions of the mouth went unaddressed. Therefore, it is very important to identify and address and provide remedies and corrective procedures to help put the equine mouth back in proper occlusion and balance.
We provide complete equine dental care for all horses, and the working relationship between an equine dental provider and the veterinarian has proven to be an invaluable resource to all of our clients. This working relationship is in the best interest of the horse and all needs, whether they be dental or otherwise, can be met with the multitude of services available at our fingertips. The veterinarians I work with provide the sedation that is needed in order to do the work properly, and to keep your horse comfortable and safe. 

The equine dental needs of horses are specific in nature, and there are numerous procedures other than taking off the sharp edges in the mouth. Most veterinarians will only take off the sharp edges and then some may address the occlusal surface of the molars and then they do not do what is called a bite alignment. The end result is a horse that is left with molar tables that do not meet, they have effectively created a gap between the molars, making the process of chewing nearly impossible. This will also lead to other anatomical problems with the horse as they begin to compensate for the discomfort they may be feeling.

Equine dental maintenance should be done every 6 months beginning as a yearling and thereafter. Due to the eruption of the teeth in horses and due to the fact that different molars erupt at different ages, beginning at age two, the first set of molar caps will need to be checked and thereafter on a 6 month basis.
Equilibration or “balancing the mouth” is an important component to helping and keeping your horse’s mouth healthy and pain free. Oral exams by a qualified equine dental provider and a supervising veterinarian should be done every 6 months and the equine dental provider should be checking for occlusion, sharp edges on the molars( buccal and lingual), angles of the molar tables, which affect the overall occlusion, wave, ramping (caudal and raustral), steps, cavities, periodonatal pockets, periodonatal gum disease, cracked or broken off molars and incisors, and finally wolf teeth.
Your horse’s health and well being is in part dependant upon good oral health. We have scheduled appointments for the farrier, for vacinations, worming, so it only makes since to have an equine dental provider on that schedule to maintain the dental health of your horse. 

This is a great diagram showing the effects of a malocclusion. This malocclusion will affect how well and in most cases, how poorly a horse with this kind of occlusion eats.The 408 is very high, causing the mouth to be completely out of occlusion. If a horse with a mouth like this does not receive proper dental work to put the mouth back in occlusion then the probable outcome is uneven wear of the molars, which is already occurring. There is an increased likelihood of breaking or fracturing a molar due to this type of malocclusion and uneven wear. This could also lead to mobile teeth, food impaction which can lead to periodontal pockets, which can then lead to periodontal gum disease. There is a cascading effect when proper dentistry is not done on a regular basis.

We are committed to excellence and professionalism. Our goal is to help horses be more comfortable and to be able to perform without pain. We are gentle, consciousness, and treat every horse with extreme care and respect. Click below to learn more about our promise.

Our Promise