Equine Dentistry
Preventative health care for the equine mouth is a very important part of health care for your horse. We encourage our clients to address equine dental health on a regular basis. Proper routine dental care can significantly improve the quality of life and, as well, extend the life and career of your horse. Your veterinarian, who is already familiar with your horse, it's health matters and management, is best equipped to provide this care. Our goal at Rideau-St. Lawrence Veterinary Services is to aid in providing routine dental care in order to prevent future problems from developing. This is accomplished by performing annual dental examinations in which the doctor checks the mouth for hooks, uneven wear, retained caps and/or wolf teeth and cracked or broken teeth. The age of your horse can even be determined by examining the teeth. A horse is never too young or old for a dental examination as their teeth are constantly growing and changing in shape. If the teeth are found to have hooks or uneven wear, a dental "float" should be performed. This is best accomplished by means of a "power float", in which the teeth are filed back to an acceptable length and shaped using a power tool with a specialized rasp on the end. Horses are first sedated and then a gag is applied to keep the mouth open during the procedure. The hooks are then filed down and the bite plane is shaped and leveled to create an even surface for the horse to chew it's food on. This results in less irritation to the cheeks and tongue and more efficient processing of feed. The entire process usually takes about 30-45 minutes. Retained caps, wolf teeth and cracked or broken teeth usually need to be removed from the mouth to reduce irritation and the risk of infection. Proper dental care has its rewards. Your horse will be more comfortable, will utilize feed more efficiently, may perform better and may even live longer.
