Why Equine Dentistry?
Caring for your horse's teeth is a vital part of maintaining health, comfort, performance, and longevity. Even very young horses should have annual dental examinations and possibly floating because even very young horses have extremely sharp dental points that can affect their ability to eat, cause ulcerations in their cheeks, and decrease their receptiveness to the bit. Young horses should also be checked for erupting wolf teeth and any retained "caps", which are juvenile teeth that haven't fallen out like they should. Wolf teeth can cause pain when a bit pinches the cheek tissue against them and retained caps are usually extremely sharp and cause discomfort and difficulty eating. As horses age, their teeth continue to erupt as they are worn down by chewing their feed. A good analogy is to think of a mechanical pencil where the lead can be pushed out as it is used up by writing. The horses have unexposed tooth below the gumline that erupts over time as the tooth above the gumline is worn down by chewing coarse feeds. However, there is only a limited amount of “pencil lead” in the mouth and eventually horses run out of tooth to erupt – usually in their early to mid twenties. It is important to care for teeth when horses are young so that when they are older, they still have plenty of healthy tooth left to last them through their twenties. Also, because the horse’s teeth are offset, with the top teeth set slightly wider than the bottom teeth, sharp edges or "points" form along the outer edges of the top teeth and the inner edges of the bottom teeth. These points can be painful when a bridle or headstall places pressure on the cheeks, forcing them against the sharp edges of the teeth. Over time these points progressively get larger and eventually start to form deep sores or ulcers in the cheeks and tongue if left untreated. Not only does this make any sort of halter or bridle uncomfortable, but it can make eating difficult and painful. As horses age, any small misalignment of the teeth becomes progressively worse without proper dental care due to the constant eruption of the teeth. Problems such as missing or infected teeth, wave mouths, sinus infections, hooks, ramps, etc used to be considered simply a part of aging in the older horse. However, we now recognize that these problems actually begin early in the horse's life and can be prevented if treated when they first begin. It is also a myth that if a horse is not skinny that the teeth are fine. If you wait for your horse to start losing weight to have dental care performed, you will find SEVERE dental disease that often cannot be completely corrected but can only be helped by dental treatment. What about performance? Routine dental care to remove sharp points and ease the horse’s ability to flex at the poll can result in significantly better receptiveness to the bit and willingness to flex and accept the bit in a proper frame. Also, bit seating and smoothing sharp points can markedly improve a horse’s receptiveness to the bit, especially when starting young horses. We have many clients who are horse trainers who insist on us performing a dental exam and treatment on all horses before they enter training because they have noticed how much easier it is to train the horses once all dental pain has been eliminated.


What Is The Difference Between “Equine Dentistry” And Traditional “Floating”?
Most equine veterinarians can perform a routine “float”, wherein they use hand files to rasp the sharp edges from some of the horses’ teeth. Often this is done without a complete oral examination and without appropriate sedation. If dental care is performed without a speculum (a type of specialized bridle with a metal piece the gently holds the mouth open) and appropriate sedation, often the veterinarians cannot reach all of the teeth, and the back teeth are often not treated at all. A complete oral examination with proper sedation, lighting, and a dental speculum is critical for identifying and addressing any dental problems and for allowing the veterinarian to perform a complete dental treatment on all teeth. A general equine veterinarian is often limited in their scope of dental service, however, Aspen Creek Large Animal Clinic’s veterinarians provide a complete dentistry evaluation and “equilibration” service that involves a thorough mouth examination that allows all problem areas to be addressed and serviced. We also use a combination of motorized equipment and hand files that allow us to get the teeth very smooth and keep them smooth longer than traditional filing. We are also better prepared to correct problems such as hooks, waves, and steps as well as providing incisor reductions and bit seats as needed.

Dental Recommendations:
Foals should be checked at birth for proper incisor alignment, but rarely require any treatment at this age. We recommend that your horse have its first true dental examination around 12 months of age. Treatment may or may not be required at that time, but it is a great time to assess if your horse has any dental abnormalities or special needs. All adult horses should be examined at least once a year, and some younger horses may even need more frequent dental treatments depending on the rate of tooth erruption. Young horses between 2 and 5 years of age can have extremely sharp dental points that cause surprisingly severe cheek ulcerations. Even very young and very old horses can benefit tremendously from regular dental evaluations and care.

Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions about our dentistry services or how they can benefit your horses. We also offer discounted group rates and weekend appointments, so call if you would like to schedule a dental "clinic" at your barn."