Routine dental care is essential to your horse’s health, and we believe that athorough oral examination is key to providing quality dental care. Our exam begins by sedating your horse and using a speculum to open the horse’s mouth. This will allow our veterinarian to look at each tooth individually identifying any abnormalities or problems within your horse’s mouth.
Through skilled floating by one of our veterinarians we can achieve occlusal equilibrium or ‘a balanced mouth’, this is the term used to describe the smoothing of enamel points, correcting malocclusion, balancing dental arcades, and correcting other dental problems.
An annual dental exam and appropriate teeth floating will help to prevent periodontal disease as well as ensuring any abnormalities are identified and addressed in a timely fashion.
We also offer advanced services which include dental radiography and molar and incisor tooth extractions.
Here are some common dental problems that your horse may be experiencing
• Sharp enamel points causing lacerations of the cheek or tongue
• Retained caps in younger horses
• Hooks on molars
• Abnormal or uneven bite planes (wave, ramp or step mouth)
• Periodontal (gum) disease
• Incisor abnormalities (uneven or unlevel incisors) that can impede molar occlusion